Managing in the Age of Uncertainty

Millennials and Gen-Z Want Managers Who Are CONSISTENT

This week in the Age of Uncertainty newsletter, I'm trying a video post. I hope you enjoy the topic and look forward to your feedback! For those who prefer reading, my friend Claude has summarized the video transcript below.

The Death of the Corporate Ladder

The traditional career model is dead. For decades, professionals climbed predictable, linear paths within single organizations. Career loyalty was expected, advancement depended heavily on your manager's reputation, and success meant conforming to hierarchical structures.

But AI has changed the workplace. Uncertainty in career pathing for millennials and gen-z, and future working age cohorts is the new normal.

Career as a Story, Not a Ladder

Millennials and gen-z won't climb ladders—they write compelling career stories. Each role becomes a meaningful "chapter" focused on:

• Growth opportunities and self-directed advancement

• Building personal reputation and developing skills

• Creating value across multiple companies throughout their journey

This shift represents more than just changing job preferences; it's a complete reimagining of professional development in an uncertain world.

The Manager's Dilemma

This transformation creates unprecedented challenges for managers. How do you lead people who view their current role as just one chapter in a larger story? How do you provide stability and growth when traditional career paths no longer apply?

The answer lies in consistency.

Six Drivers of Managerial Consistency

To effectively manage today's workforce, focus on these six critical areas:

Alignment: Create clear connections between individual roles and organizational goals

Accountability: Follow through on every commitment you make

Authenticity: Lead with transparent intentions and genuine care

Process: Maintain consistent team operations and workflows

Facts: Provide a single, clear performance scorecard that everyone understands

Listening: Actively engage with your team's performance and concerns

The Path Forward: 100% Job Role Alignment

The most effective approach? Ensure complete alignment between job roles and your organization's priorities, goals, and metrics. When team members can clearly see how their daily work contributes to larger objectives, they can write more compelling career chapters.

Making Career Stories as Compelling as "Breaking Bad"

The ultimate goal isn't just retention or productivity—it's helping your team members craft career chapters as engaging as a bestselling novel. In our age of uncertainty, the managers who succeed will be those who provide the consistency that allows others to write their own extraordinary stories.

What does consistency look like in your management approach? How are you helping your team write their next chapter?

In Summary: Principles of Managing in the Age of Uncertainty

• I left Cisco to answer this question with research and evidence: What does the manager of the future look like? What are millennials and gen-z seeking in a manager? Which behaviors, tactics, skills or processes matter? What’s it going to take to attract and keep the best people over the next decade? In short, how to be a great manager.

• Based on this research, the core philosophy of this newsletter is rooted in one idea: successful managers in this moment in time, for this generation of talent, need to be “career dot-connectors.” The next-gen doesn’t expect to spend their entire career on your team — that’s an idea boomers grew up with. A job on your team is like a chapter in a career story to the current generation. If you want the best people on your team, you have to connect the dots between roles on the team and the career opportunities of the people working on the team.

• What is the“Age of Uncertainty”? If the industrial age was about taking predictable steps up the ladder, the age of uncertainty is about finding or discovering the path of a career without any predictable steps, without an obvious ladder — it’s why being a career dot-connector will differentiate you as a manager.

• How to be a Great Manager in the Age of Uncertainty: Be a Career Dot Connector is available on Amazon.

• What kind of manager are you? Take my free self-assessment and learn about yourself.