As a parent, educator, and management nerd, I spend a lot of time thinking about workforce development. But lately, one question keeps coming up.  While we work hard to prepare the future workforce for the workplace, how well are we preparing the workplace for the future?

Recently, I was talking with my teenage daughter about her search for a summer job.  I kept suggesting places she could apply.  She kept shooting them down. Finally, she said, “I want to work somewhere that aligns with what I care about and with people who are actually interested in helping me grow.”

I was struck by her clarity, and by how different her expectations are from what many workplaces are currently set up to deliver.

To be fair, she’s had opportunities that most teens haven’t. Her school integrates apprenticeships into the curriculum.  Each quarter, she spends a week in the field exploring real jobs, building concrete skills, and receiving actual feedback. She’s already growing a network of mentors and potential employers.

That’s the future of workforce preparation. And it’s starting to catch on. Educators and parents are increasingly recognizing that we can't keep preparing students for an industrial economy that no longer exists. Schools are slowly shifting, offering more career exposure, hands-on learning, and relevant job training experiences.

But here’s the other half of the equation: as Gen Z and soon Gen Alpha enter the workforce, how is the workplace preparing for them?

Every generation shifts the dynamics of the workplace. Now throw in generative AI, something today’s teens are growing up with, and the future gets even more complex. Who’s responsible for helping these new entrants thrive in that environment?

I’d argue it’s the manager.  Managers shape the day-to-day experience of the people they lead. They create the environment for growth, feedback, belonging, and learning. And yet, most managers aren’t trained to manage, let alone prepared to lead in a rapidly changing workplace.

This is the blind spot in most conversations about the future of work.  We talk about pipelines, skills, and readiness, but not nearly enough about the people new workers will report to.  Everyone has a boss, and that relationship often makes or breaks the experience, especially for young people.

In the end, my daughter chose a summer job with someone she’d apprenticed with during the school year.  She picked it because she trusted the person and had already grown under their guidance.

In other words, she had a good boss.  And that made all the difference.

Some things never change.

If you’re an educator, workforce strategist, or manager, here’s the question we all need to take seriously:  How are we preparing our workplaces, and our managers, for the workforce that’s already arriving?

Let’s stop building talent pipelines that end in a wall.  It’s time to reimagine management and invest in leaders who can meet the moment.

This week I’m excited to bring this conversation to the 2025 Horizons Jobs for the Future Conference.  We’re shaping the future of work.  Let’s just make sure we’re building workplaces worthy of the future.