Dave,

I am the managing partner of a family business. We would like to add to our team, but I’m worried we can’t try to hold millennials and Gen Zers to the same standards as other generations without losing them. How do you feel about this?

Sarah

Sarah,

Listen, I’ve got a building full of Gen Zers and millennials — and I love them. If you hire the rights ones, you’re getting people who love calluses on their hands and on their brains. They make the interview process easy too, because there are just two types from these generations: the ones who are unbelievably awesome and the ones who aren’t. But the great ones are not afraid of hard work. They’re passionate, intelligent and mission driven. I mean, they’ll charge the gates of hell with water pistols for something they believe in.

But that means you have to provide meaning in the work they do. They want to see that their work connects to something that matters. They want to be treated with dignity, not like units of production. And they have inquiring minds. Most of them want to know why you do things the way you do them. All that is perfectly okay with me and always has been.

Now, they’re the worst two generations to work for someone who’s just a boss. That’s because bosses push while leaders pull. If you’re going to pull, you have to inform, communicate and share a vision that draws people into your mission. Bosses, for the most part, have a “do it this way because I said so” attitude. That’s not going to last long with Gen Zers and millennials.

I get where you’re coming from though, Sarah. I’ve still got friends and business associates who tell me we’re going to lose everyone from these generations if we don’t cave in and give them things like “the flexibility to work from home” — which really means, “I don’t want to work much” or “I want to work all the time.” Listen, I understand not everyone who works from home falls into one of those two categories, but some of them do. There are folks who put in 80 hours a week because they can’t put their screens down and live a life. Or they work three hours a day and call it “working from home.” That’s not working from home — that’s working part-time hours for full-time pay. And that’s called stealing.

But millennials and Gen Zers? I’m a huge fan of these generations. I truly, personally like them. They are, for the most part, genuine, real people and hard workers. If you give them what you should as a leader, they’ll blow you away with their smarts and what they’re capable of achieving!

— Dave

DON’T COUNT ON IT

Dear Dave,

My husband and I are on Baby Step 2. Among our debt is about $14,000 in student loans. I think we should roll the student loans in with the rest of our debt snowball, but he wants to wait and see if the government will pay it off. What do you think we should do?

Kristy

Dear Kristy,

I’m sure your husband’s a great guy, but I think he’s being a little naïve. I don’t believe this whole student loan forgiveness thing is going to happen. If I’m wrong, I’m wrong. And if that time comes, I’ll admit it. But to me, this is just another ploy—another carrot being dangled by politicians.

I’ve lived through several presidents—from both parties—who promised to give me prosperity. So far, none of them have delivered. Any success my wife and I have experienced has come as a result of God’s blessings, our hard work and a stubborn refusal to give up.

Virtually none of the millionaires I’ve studied over the past 30 years got to where they are by looking to the government to take care of them. Instead, they left the cave every morning, killed something, and dragged it home. Believe me, there’s a high correlation between people’s ability to build wealth and the belief that their destiny is in their hands—not the government’s.

If you sign for a loan—any loan—you have a moral and legal obligation to repay the money. Go ahead and roll the student loan debt into your debt snowball. Continue taking charge of your finances and your lives!

— Dave

*Dave Ramsey is a seven-time #1 national best-selling author, personal finance expert, and host of The Ramsey Show, heard by more than 18 million listeners each week. He has appeared on Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Today Show, Fox News, CNN, Fox Business, and many more. Since 1992, Dave has helped people regain control of their money, build wealth and enhance their lives. He also serves as CEO for Ramsey Solutions.

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