The good news, according to Workday CEO Carl Eschenbach, is that the secret to success may be well within their control. Instead of bowing out, Gen Z should double down on one trait: their mindset.
“I often say your altitude in life is completely determined by your attitude in life.”
And he’s speaking from experience: “Once I transitioned from a life of success for myself to a life of significance for others, everything changed. I think that is a key component to leading in this new world that we’re living in today.”
“By serving others, somehow success will follow you—probably even more success than if you focused on success itself,” he added to McKinsey.
Fortune reached out to Eschenbach for further comment.
Leaders across the business sphere are in agreement with Eschenbach: attitude is a big deal, especially for young people.
“I just think as leaders, you have to be optimistic. You have to have a winning attitude. Otherwise, no one’s going to follow you,” Sheridan said. “Your customers aren’t going to follow you. Your employees aren’t going to follow you, and your owners are probably going to scratch their head and say, what’s going on here?”
For Eschenbach, it’s something that he sees everyday in his role leading the $62 billion workforce tech company—the best leaders are the ones that also keep the right attitude even as they climb the ladder.
“Having interacted with a lot of senior leaders in the world, I think the ones who are the most humble and grounded, and remember where they came from, who remain highly authentic and vulnerable, are the type of people that others will follow,” he said.
“I always say the power of your network is only as strong as the number of nodes that are in it,” he told McKinsey’s Eric Kutcher. “Find those nodes and use them to help you expand your network, because this is one of the gifts that will keep on giving in your career.”
And when it comes to AI, he urges young people to embrace, not fear, the shift.
“Lean into technology, don’t be afraid of it. Figure out how you peacefully coexist with it. Figure out how you leverage it to help you in your career, but also how it helps others drive productivity for all of human mankind.”
