Dan offered Eric K. a job as a staff accountant.
He knew didn't want to be an accountant forever. He hired him anyway — because Eric had a strong set of skills and was a hard worker. From the start, Dan pushed Eric to do different things. Try this. What about that. He put him in positions he hadn't been in before.
One of Eric's big responsibilities was putting together the Daily Sales Report. It went out to all the senior executives and the board. Eric owned it.
Then one day something came up. There was an important board meeting. A question arose about something on the Daily Sales Report. The board reached out to Dan and said they needed an answer. Could he come talk to them about it?
Dan made a choice right there.
He told them Eric should come instead.
"Eric is the one who knows these reports."
Think about what that moment meant for Eric. He was junior. The company was growing fast. And his boss had just told the board — these are the people at the very top — that Eric was the one they needed to talk to.
Dan didn't just send Eric into that room. He sent a message with him.
Eric knows his stuff. Eric can answer your questions. I trust Eric. Eric is ready for more. I've got Eric's back.
None of those words were spoken out loud. They didn't need to be.
What strikes me about this story is how simple Dan's action was. He didn't give Eric a promotion. He didn't write him a glowing review. He just pointed to him and said — that's your guy.
And Eric felt it. He grew because of it.
That's a Warm Demander. Not a big gesture. Just a quiet, confident act of belief in the person you're developing.
Gen Z employees are watching to see if their leaders actually believe in them. Not just in performance reviews. In the small moments. In who gets put in the room. Who are you putting in the room?
Leaders,
You don't have to wait for a big moment to show a team member you believe in them.
The next time something comes up a meeting, a presentation, a conversation with leadership, ask yourself:
Is there someone on my team who should be in that room instead of me? Or alongside me?
Then put them there. And tell them why. That's the whole thing. That's it.
This story is excerpted from Get Gen Z Into the Game, Colleen McFarland's award-winning playbook for leaders who want to bring out the best in their youngest employees.
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