Mentorship Isn’t a Memo: What Gen Z Is Teaching Us About Leadership in the Trades
/“Mentorship isn’t a memo. It’s showing up, listening, and guiding.”
— Jake Eudy, Gen Z mason and guest on The GenShift Podcast
Every once in a while, a simple statement captures something profound about how work — and leadership — is evolving. When Jake said those words during our conversation for Episode 3 of The GenShift Podcast, it struck me deeply.
Because in those few words, he named what so many younger employees — especially Gen Z — are asking for in today’s workplaces: authentic, human mentorship.
The Human Side of Mentorship
For years, organizations have tried to formalize mentorship through structured programs, policy documents, or quarterly check-ins. While these efforts often come from a good place, they can miss the heart of what mentorship truly is — connection.
Jake’s story brings that connection to life. At just 23, he’s found meaning and success in the skilled trades, and much of that growth has come from mentors who didn’t just manage him — they walked beside him.
They didn’t hand him a checklist or a training video. They showed up on Saturdays to teach him, asked about his family, and shared their own mistakes with humility. They cared about him as a whole person, not just a worker.
That’s mentorship. And it’s something every generation — not just Gen Z — craves.
Why Mentorship Matters Now More Than Ever
The workplace is changing rapidly. Technology, hybrid models, and shifting cultural expectations have made relationships at work more complex and, at times, more distant. But the need for genuine human connection hasn’t changed — it’s grown stronger.
For many in Gen Z, mentorship fills a critical gap. This generation has grown up connected digitally but often isolated emotionally. Many are entering workplaces still recovering from the pandemic’s disruptions. They’re seeking stability, guidance, and care in a world that doesn’t always offer clear direction.
Mentorship rooted in empathy — “showing up, listening, and guiding” — helps meet that need. It’s not about coddling; it’s about cultivating confidence. It’s leadership that sees people first, then performance.
What Leaders Can Learn from Jake’s Perspective
Jake’s insights from the trades world translate across industries. Whether you’re leading a construction crew or a corporate team, the principles are the same:
Show up. Mentorship begins with presence — being available, engaged, and genuinely invested in someone’s growth.
Listen first. Younger employees often have valuable ideas, but they also carry questions and insecurities. Listening builds trust and opens space for learning on both sides.
Guide, don’t dictate. Direction matters, but so does autonomy. The best mentors offer wisdom and perspective while allowing others to make their own discoveries.
When leaders embrace this kind of mentorship, they do more than teach skills — they build belonging. And belonging, as countless studies show, fuels performance, innovation, and retention.
Rebuilding the Bridge Between Generations
Mentorship also has the power to bridge generational divides. When Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z share stories, work side by side, and exchange ideas, something remarkable happens: stereotypes fade, and understanding grows.
Older generations discover that Gen Z’s desire for connection isn’t entitlement — it’s engagement. And younger generations learn that wisdom doesn’t come from age alone, but from experience shared generously.
Jake’s relationship with his mentors in the masonry trade reflects that bridge beautifully. It’s a model worth replicating across every sector — from tech to education to healthcare.
A Call to Lead Differently
If mentorship is simply a memo — a task to check off — it will never inspire real growth. But if it’s lived out as presence, listening, and guidance, it becomes transformational.
Jake’s story challenges us to revisit how we lead, teach, and invest in others. Whether we’re mentoring a young professional, onboarding a new hire, or simply offering a word of encouragement to a colleague, the question remains the same:
Are we showing up, listening, and guiding — or are we just managing?
Because the future of work, across every generation, will belong to the leaders who do the first.
🎧 Listen to the full conversation:
GenShift Episode 3 – “Gen Z & the Trades”