Handled by The Y Variable

What Managers Really Say About Gen Z Behind Closed Doors (Part One)

What are managers really saying about Gen Z when early-career professionals aren't in the room? In this episode, I'm pulling back the curtain on a conversation that's happening in leadership circles right now; and it's not what you think.
This isn't about the usual "kids these days" complaints. It's about leaders who genuinely care about developing their teams but are grappling with patterns they're seeing around professional risk-taking. Small risks like picking up the phone instead of sending an email, walking down the hall to start a conversation, or asking a question in a meeting seem magnified. These are things that used to feel routine but now seem to trigger hesitation.
If you're early in your career, you need to know this conversation is happening. And if you're a manager, you need to know you're not alone in what you're observing.
In this episode, we explore:
- The specific patterns managers are noticing around risk avoidance
- Why "What if I mess up?" has become such a loaded question for Gen Z
- How growing up with social media fundamentally changed the calculation around professional mistakes
- The difference between resilience as "toughening up" vs. resilience as specific capabilities
- Why some Gen Z employees already have this resilience built in (and who they are)
- What managers are really concerned about and why it comes from care, not judgment
This is Part 1 of a two-part series. In Part 2 we will get tactical with frameworks Gen Z can use to assess risk and strategies managers can implement to create safe spaces for practicing essential skills.
 
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
 
HANDLED BY THE Y VARIABLE
Making what's invisible visible and what's assumed obvious and explicitly stated. Each week, we translate the untold rules of work into actionable insights for managers and early-career professionals.
🔗 CONNECT WITH ME
Website: theyvariable.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yaa-hemaa-obiri-yeboah-3231659 
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How Gen Z Can Get Noticed at Work (What Managers Wish You Knew) | AI, Visibility & Career Growth

You're doing great work. but is anyone noticing? In this episode, we're breaking down the untold rules of workplace visibility, especially in the age of AI.
If you've ever finished a big project and wondered "did anyone even see what I did?" then this episode is for you. We're sharing the Document → Distill → Deliver framework that helps early-career professionals build confidence from evidence, and how managers can create cultures where good work doesn't stay invisible.
What we cover: 
Why "good work speaks for itself" is outdated advice that can stall your career.
How to keep receipts of your wins without feeling fake or braggy. 
What managers wish Gen Z knew about making your contributions visible. 
How to talk about using AI at work without looking replaceable. 
Why visibility isn't vanity. It's information that protects your career. 
Practical tools you can start using today (including a weekly reflection habit that can really change how you show up).
This episode is for you if: 
You're an early-career professional who feels invisible despite doing solid work;
You're a manager wondering how to help your team advocate for themselves;
You're worried about whether AI is going to replace you;
You want to build real confidence based on evidence of your abilities, not just positive thinking.
Subscribe for a new untold rule every week
ABOUT HANDLED BY THE Y VARIABLE
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centered leadership conversations that bridge the generational gap at work. You'll come away with practical frameworks that help managers and Gen Z work better together. It’s guidance you can use immediately.
Work with me: Speaking & Training | Manager Toolkits | Team Facilitation
  info@theyvariable.com  theyvariable.com

How to Manage Up at Work: The Workplace Skill Nobody Teaches Gen Z

Did you know that part of your job is managing your manager? If you’re early in your career, in all likelihood, nobody told you this explicitly. Today, we're making this invisible expectation visible.
In this episode, you'll learn: what "managing up" actually means (and what it's NOT) and why this expectation is invisible to early-career professionals. 
Yaa-Hemaa offers three frameworks you can use starting tomorrow: 1) The Proactive Status Update, 2) Solutions Not Problems, and 3) Understanding Your Manager's World. Yaa-Hemaa will also show you some useful scenarios that show what this all looks like in action. 
For Gen Z: Managing up shouldn’t be viewed as manipulative; it's strategic communication that serves you in every job. It’s also how you build relationships and gain clarity at work.
For Managers: Members of your team who are early in their careers aren’t “difficult”  when they don't manage up naturally. They're operating in the dark because this expectation hasn’t been modelled to them. 
Subscribe for a new untold rule every week. Let's make what's invisible visible.
About Handled by The Y Variable
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help to bridge the generational gap at work. You’ll come away with guidance that helps managers and Gen Z work better together, with practical frameworks that can be used immediately. 
Work with me• Speaking & training • Manager toolkits • Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

How to Find a Mentor at Work (And How to Be One) | Gen Z Career Advice

86% of Gen Z workers want mentorship, but only half of them have it. 
In this episode, we make the unspoken rules of workplace mentorship explicit: how to find mentorship without seeming needy, how to offer mentorship without burning out, and how to make it work in the reality of a busy work week.
You'll learn:- Why mentors, sponsors, and coaches are three different relationships;- The specific "ask" formula that gets senior people to say yes;- The 30-minute monthly framework that fits into real schedules;- How to close the loop and turn one conversation into ongoing guidance;- Why your mentor should NOT be your direct manager.
Drop a comment or review with the best mentoring question you've ever been asked, or wish you'd asked. We'll compile the top ones for a future episode.
About Handled by The Y Variable
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help to bridge the generational gap at work. You’ll come away with guidance that helps managers and Gen Z work better together, with practical frameworks that can be used immediately. 
Work with me• Speaking & training • Manager toolkits • Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

How to Ask ‘Why’ at Work Without Sounding Rude (The Untold Rule)

Imagine this: you're three weeks into a new job. You receive a task from your manager, but it doesn't quite make sense to you.  So you ask, "Why are we doing it this way?" Suddenly, the energy shifts. 
For Gen Z, asking "why" is how they learn and how they get context. But for many managers? "Why" can sound like "I don't trust your judgment" or "I'm about to tell you why you're wrong."
In this episode, Yaa-Hemaa breaks  down the untold rule nobody explains: there's a hierarchy to questioning decisions at work, and there's a wrong way and a right way to ask "why". Watch for advice for  both employees AND managers to navigate these conversations with mutual respect and honesty.
What you'll learn: 
Why "why" triggers defensive reactions (and what's really happening);
A simple framework for asking questions without starting conflict;
How managers can respond to give context quickly; 
How to tell the difference between curiosity and entitled pushback; 
When you SHOULD push back (even if you're new); 
What not to do if you want to build credibility.
Download the free Workplace Translation Starter Guide: 
https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
About Handled by The Y Variable
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help to bridge the generational gap at work. You’ll come away with guidance that helps managers and Gen Z work better together, with practical frameworks that can be used immediately. 
Work with me• Speaking & training • Manager toolkits • Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

Decode Workplace Communication: Turn Vague Manager Speak Into Clear Actions

Every workplace runs on invisible rules. Phrases like "be proactive," "run with it," and "step up" make perfect sense to experienced managers, but can leave early-career team members guessing. The result? Misalignment, miscommunication, and frustration on both sides.
In this episode, we turn workplace shorthand into clarity. You'll learn how to translate vague expectations into specific, observable actions so managers and early-career professionals can actually thrive together.
In This Episode:
How to decode common manager phrases ("be proactive," "run with it," "step up") into clear and actionable behaviours;
What managers should make explicit: goals, check-in frequency, decision points, and expectations about quality;
What early-career professionals can ask to clarify expectations and get early feedback;
A simple "one phrase, one translation" challenge you can try immediately
Who This Helps: Managers looking to reduce miscommunication and team anxiety and early-career professionals who want to align faster and show initiative without guessing.
Try the challenge and check out the free Workplace Translation Starter Guide:
https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
About Handled by The Y Variable
Where workplace friction gets translated and transformed.
Each week, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah (founder of The Y Variable) offers insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help to bridge the generational gap at work. You’ll come away with guidance that helps managers and Gen Z work better together, with practical frameworks that can be used immediately. 
Work with me• Speaking & training • Manager toolkits • Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

Gen Z: You Need to Learn the Lost Art of Small Talk

What's the most important skill for the workplace that Gen Z can learn according to renowned therapist Esther Perel? It's not time management; it’s talking to strangers. 
In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa explores why small talk is more than filler. It’s everyday improv that builds trust, resilience, and connection. You’ll learn how managers can coach new hires to engage with confidence and why genuine, unscripted conversations matter more than ever in today’s workplace.
Business doesn’t move solely at the speed of technology; it moves at the speed of relationships.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
Work with meSpeaking & training | Manager toolkits | Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

The AI Divide: Why Gen Z Leans on ChatGPT and Managers Don’t Trust It

This week on Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah explores one of today’s biggest workplace questions: how should we use AI without losing trust, learning, or accountability?
We talk about:
Why managers feel uncertain while Gen Z feels confident with AI;
The hidden fear behind new tech adoption;
Three scenarios that show how AI impacts team dynamics;
How to start clear, human conversations about the tools we use in the workplace and how to develop the critical thinking skills required at work.
By the end of this episode, you’ll walk away with a practical way to talk about AI on your team and a reminder that the goal isn’t to ban tools, but to build better thinkers.
Listen weekly for insightful, human-centred leadership conversations that help you bridge the generational gap at work.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide
Work with meSpeaking & training | Manager toolkits | Team facilitationinfo@theyvariable.com | theyvariable.com

How to Respond to Gen Z Saying “That’s Not My Job” (Without HR Drama)

A last-minute request. A firm “That’s not in my job description.” Now what?In this straight-to-camera episode of Handled by The Y Variable, I break down how managers can respond to Gen Z boundaries without creating HR drama. You’ll get the exact three-part reset ("Context", "Clarity", "Choice"), simple language for defining what’s flexible vs. a hard stop, and a fair way to keep reciprocity visible. We’ll also cover what to do when “no” becomes a pattern—diagnose conditions, don’t win arguments—and practical lines early-career pros can use to protect their reputation while protecting their time.
You’ll learn:
The real meaning behind “That’s not my job” (often about clarity, capacity, or trust)
The on-the-spot reset: Context, Clarity, Choice
Exact lines for after-hours asks (and how to still hit the deadline)
How to set team flexibility without losing boundaries
A manager diagnostic for chronic “no”
Smart scripts for early-career pros
Work with me: speaking, trainings, manager toolkits. Check out: theyvariable.comSay hi: info@theyvariable.com | LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/yaa-hemaa-obiri-yeboah-3231659 

Feedback Literacy: The Career Skill Nobody Taught You

Feedback is one of the hardest conversations at work, especially across generations. What a manager might see as a quick bit of critique, Gen Z or an early career professional may hear as personal judgment. What's the result? Misunderstandings, stalled growth, and unnecessary turnover.
In this episode of Handled by The Y Variable, Yaa-Hemaa Obiri-Yeboah breaks down the feedback literacy gap and why so many conversations fail. You’ll learn:
How managers and Gen Z interpret feedback differently;
The Feedback Literacy Framework (Separate, Focus, Evaluate) for clear, professional critique;
Real phrases managers can use to build clarity and trust;
How Gen Z can shift  their perception of feedback from judgment to a tool for growth.
This isn’t about being “nicer.” This is about building workplaces where clarity drives performance, trust, and retention.
Free Download: Workplace Translation Starter Guide: https://stan.store/theyvariable/p/workplace-translation-starter-guide