4 Emerging Trends That Make It Clear: You Can’t Manage Like You Did 10 Years Ago

Today’s workplace looks nothing like it did a decade ago. Four trends are reshaping how people work, what they expect from leaders and what it takes to keep teams aligned: multigenerational workforces, rapid advances in technology, flatter hierarchies and ongoing environmental shifts. Together, they send a clear message: Stop managing like you did 10 years ago. Approaches that worked in 2015 can now create friction, disengagement or misalignment.

Instead, use these four trends to build more connection, clarity and credibility as a leader.

1. Multigenerational Workforces

Five generations now work side by side, and with this, there is an increased emphasis on individual values and meaning at work. As I noted in a prior Forbes article, today’s team members want to feel their work matters, not just that they completed a task or met a key performance indicator. Instead of focusing solely on goals and metrics, leaders should shift the conversation to connect each team member’s roles to the organization’s mission and values.

Try asking questions such as: What’s important (e.g., autonomy, social responsibility) to this person and this generation? What motivates them (e.g., challenge, creativity, stability)? And how does their work connect to the bigger picture? When leaders identify these motivators, they can use them as fuel to advance organizational goals.