Generational Differences: Lead with Vision and Heart

By Retired DEA SSA Justin King

There’s a topic that comes up in nearly every room I’m in these days: generational differences.
Older team members talking about how “this new generation doesn’t get it.”
Younger team members feeling like they’re being written off before they’ve had the chance to show who they are.

Let’s be honest—we’ve all had some kind of opinion about the next generation coming into the workforce. Maybe you’ve said or heard things like:

“They don’t want to work as hard.”
“They’re always on their phones.”
“They expect everything to be handed to them.”

But here’s the thing—every generation says that about the one that comes next.
And every time, the truth is more nuanced than we allow it to be.

A Leadership Opportunity, Not a Frustration

We can either get stuck in frustration, or we can lean into the opportunity.

This next generation? They bring energy. Creativity. A desire to do meaningful work.
They care about connection. They value purpose.
They want to grow—and they want to be mentored by people who give a damn.

The problem isn’t them.
The opportunity is us—as leaders.

If You Want a Legacy, Build It

You want strong leaders 10 or 20 years from now?
That begins right now—with how you lead today.

If you can help the newer generation feel, early in their careers, that they are part of something bigger,
that their growth and development matters,
that they are being shaped to one day become the ones who mentor the generation after them…
then you’re creating a leadership legacy.

We talk about retention all the time in public safety.
But nothing retains people like belonging, like purpose, and like the feeling that they matter.

So when they walk into your agency—show them the vision.
Help them see the future, and see themselves in it.

Value, Not Comparison

Let’s stop comparing generations like it’s a scoreboard.

Instead of focusing on what frustrates you about how they operate, try looking for the value they bring:

• Their adaptability

• Their comfort with technology

• Their hunger for meaning

• Their emphasis on work-life balance (which, by the way, might save some of us from burnout)

Instead of trying to mold them into the past, help them become the best version of who they already are. That’s good leadership. That’s forward-thinking leadership.

Because the way you lead now will become the template for how they lead later.

The Takeaway

You don’t have to understand everything about this generation.
But you do have to lead them.

And that means:

• Seeing them as valuable, not problematic

• Teaching from experience, not ego

• Leading with vision and heart, not frustration

Because one day, they’ll be in your shoes.
And the leadership they offer will be the echo of yours.

Call to Action: Lead One Conversation Forward

This week, here’s your challenge:

Pick one younger member of your team—someone newer to the job.
Set aside 15 minutes for a real, face-to-face conversation.
Ask them:

“What’s something you want to learn or grow in this year?”
“How can I support you in becoming the kind of leader you want to be someday?”

Then just listen. Offer encouragement. Share one piece of wisdom that helped you.
Plant the seed.

Because that conversation?
It might be the start of a legacy.