Advisor I Mentor

Sparring partner

Piotr

Kania

Midweek, early afternoon. A line has formed on the sidewalk outside a butcher’s shop, thirty people, maybe more. No one says out loud why they are standing there. They don’t need to. If there’s a queue, it means something will be delivered. Reason enough to join.

That was what a normal day in Poland in the 1980s looked like. Nothing special, no particular occasion. Just the rhythm of life, the only one we knew.

In the evenings, we would sit in front of the TV and watch Western films. Not out of envy, we simply watched. At full stores, at cars parked side by side, at colors that didn’t exist in our world. And day by day, something kept building up inside. It wasn’t anger or frustration, more like an image. A vision of what life could look like.

When communism fell, in the 1990s that image began to take on a more concrete shape. Quietly, gradually: one store with real choice, one company that wasn’t state-owned, one acquaintance who suddenly earned more than his father had in a lifetime. No one explained it to us. We could see for ourselves that the rules had changed, that it was possible. You just had to want it badly enough and not wait for someone to hand it to you.

This was the mindset with which we entered adulthood. It shaped the generation of the 1990s: people, employees, and later managers.

GENERATION X: THE HUNGER THAT DROVE EVERYTHING

The dreams of this generation were concrete and tangible: your own car, maybe even an apartment, finally something you chose yourself, not just whatever happened to be available. Sounds trivial? Perhaps, but only to those who don’t remember those years. For someone who grew up in a world full of possibilities and instant access to everything, it is hard to imagine that a store could simply run out of something, that this was the normal state of affairs, not the exception. Perhaps this is where one of the deeper misunderstandings between generations in today’s workplace comes from.

The urge to make up for lost time was, for many, the strongest fuel. A large part of this generation didn’t need external motivation, the internal drive was enough. The goal was clear, the motivation self-generated. For years, when everything was being built and the market rewarded effort almost automatically, that drive was enough to achieve successive goals, get promoted, and grow.

But no one asked about the price being paid. Even less about what this model failed to teach.

That is where the paradox lies, one that still shapes management in Poland today.

THE MANAGER WHO DIDN’T HAVE TO LEARN

If an employee is motivated, wants to achieve goals on their own, chases results, then why motivate them? Why talk, listen, ask how they feel?

The result? A significant number of managers from those years did not develop fundamental leadership competencies. Not because they were poor leaders or unwilling to grow. The system simply did not require it. It was enough to give instructions, set a target, and control execution. A hierarchical structure, one-way communication, a directive style. It worked. And it wasn’t a mistake. For years, the market rewarded exactly that style, and the results gave no reason to look for alternatives.

Moreover, it worked in an environment that seemed to confirm its effectiveness. Post-transformation Poland was one of the fastest-growing markets in the world. Companies were built from scratch, entire industries emerged out of nothing. In such conditions, even an average strategy delivered results. Many managers of that time found themselves in a historical moment that rewarded any bold action, and they succeeded. Tangibly, measurably, undeniably.

Success rarely encourages reflection on what could be done differently. On the contrary, it reinforces the belief that you are on the right path and that your way of working has proven itself. The results were good, companies were growing, people remained highly engaged, and if they left, they rarely said why. Nothing signaled that anything needed to change. A way of working that delivers results for decades naturally becomes the only “right” one.

Today, Generation X occupies the highest levels in organizations, sits on boards, and makes decisions that shape companies. The culture that shaped them has become the culture of those organizations. It influences how meetings are run, how decisions are communicated, how mistakes are handled, how people are treated. This is not accidental. It is the result of decades of habits that once delivered results.

At the same time, these very managers can see that employees now respond differently, that traditional methods are losing effectiveness. Yet change often does not come, or comes only partially and is postponed. Abandoning a model that has seemed unquestionably right throughout one’s entire professional life requires more than awareness. It requires a kind of courage that success itself does not cultivate.

Success rarely encourages reflection on what could be done differently. On the contrary, it reinforces the belief that you are on the right path and that your way of working has proven itself.

THE CATALYST FOR CHANGE: NEW GENERATIONS ENTER THE GAME

The initial pressure for change in Polish organizations came from the outside. Large corporations began introducing performance reviews, whistleblower protections appeared, along with compliance and ethics policies, as well as diversity and inclusion programs. Some of these changes were necessary and long overdue. Others went too far, too fast, which explains the partial rollback we now observe, particularly in Western countries. None of them, however, fundamentally rebuilt management culture from within, because culture cannot be changed through corporate policy alone. It changes through people.

And so, the deeper, real shift came with a new generation of employees. Younger workers grew up in a world where choice was obvious, access to information instantaneous, and having an opinion carried value from day one. They entered organizations expecting meaning, not just compensation, and a manager who listens, not just gives orders. A lack of respect and agency is not a difficult trait in a boss for them, it is often a reason to leave.

This is a change in the right direction, and it is worth stating clearly. Organizations where people feel seen and taken seriously are simply more effective. They are places where people want to work. There is, however, another side that is less often discussed. Difficulty delaying gratification, low tolerance for constructive criticism, and a tendency to treat every demand as a threat are real challenges managers face daily. Managing new generations requires precision: firmness in standards and softness in relationships at the same time. It is not easy, and there is no point pretending otherwise.

It is precisely at this intersection of two worlds that today’s middle manager stands, facing a genuinely difficult mission. Above them are superiors shaped by the old system, who often do not understand the focus on emotions and relationships. Below them are employees who expect exactly that and will not hesitate to leave if they do not get it. They stand in the middle, often disoriented, without a clear model to follow from either side.

This context is further transformed by artificial intelligence, which is increasingly taking over routine, repeatable work. What for decades formed the foundation of operational effectiveness is no longer a differentiator. What remains is what no algorithm can replace: the ability to build relationships, understand people, navigate difficult conversations, and create a culture in which others want to give their best. Competencies once treated as a nice addition are becoming fundamental.

Managing new generations requires precision: firmness in standards and softness in relationships at the same time. It is not easy, and there is no point pretending otherwise.

FIGHT FOR YOURSELF

For many Generation X managers, watching younger generations respond differently to a work style that brought success for decades is more than just encountering a new reality. It is a challenge to their legacy, their careers, their decisions, their choices. Something they genuinely believed in and that truly worked. It is no surprise that many hold on to proven patterns. Not because they do not see the change, they often see it very clearly. But because a deep shift in management style would mean acknowledging that parts of the journey could have been different. And that is psychologically difficult for anyone who has done their job well for decades.

A mature management style today is not a choice between toughness and softness. It is the ability to combine both. Results orientation, consistency, high standards, readiness for difficult decisions, these still make a difference. But they are no longer enough on their own. They must be complemented by self-awareness, understanding others, having real conversations, building trust, and responding to people, not just results. This is not a contradiction. It is the full picture of an effective leader.

Fight for yourself. No one will do it for you, your organization probably won’t either, at least not on its own initiative. If you do not see a model above you, that is not an excuse. It is a signal to look elsewhere. In a strong mentor, in a meaningful development program, in deliberate work on yourself. Look around, learn, draw from others, and build something of your own, something authentic. A manager who copies someone else’s style without conviction is just as unconvincing as one who does not change at all.

Those grey years hardened an entire generation. They taught determination, resilience, the ability to act despite a lack of resources and guarantees. It was a kind of school no MBA program can offer, and many of those traits still form the foundation of effective leadership. But the world those lessons responded to no longer exists. Today’s organizations need leaders who can not only demand but also understand. Not only lead but also listen.

The leaders who understand this and invest in themselves now, not because they have to, but because they want to be better, will be the ones building organizations where people truly want to work in the years to come. That is an advantage that cannot be copied from a presentation or implemented through top-down policy.

Fight for yourself. Now.

If this article describes a situation that feels familiar, it may be the right moment for a next step. At ProfBoost, we work alongside managers and leaders who are ready for change. Mentoring, CEO sparring, training, and advisory tailored to the individual and the situation. If you would like to talk, feel free to reach out.