“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…”

Charles Dickens’s iconic opening line from A Tale of Two Cities captures an experience familiar to many millennial managers in clinical data management today. We are at a rewarding stage of our careers, having worked hard to reach leadership roles where we are trusted to guide teams. This often presents challenges, particularly in leading younger colleagues whose professional values, expectations, and communication styles differ significantly from those we encountered early in our own journeys.

The generational context

Within our field, three generations now work side by side:

Gen X: Our senior colleagues and mentors, who built much of the foundation of clinical data management as we know it. They helped standardize processes, develop systems, and establish the professional culture we inherited.

Millennials: We bridge the gap having learned Clinical Data Management during a time when CRFs were moving to eCRFs but were often still paper. We had our favorite pen, that wrote just right and didn’t bleed through the fields. We remember crowded meetings in conference rooms and answering a landline phone from our cubicles. We learned how to balance traditional processes with emerging technologies, bridging tried and true processes with emerging digital tools.

Gen Z: The newest members of our teams, entering the field during the era of AI, big data, and complex system integrations. They are digital natives, fluent in technology, and bring fresh perspectives about work-life balance, collaboration, and communication. They are also the Clinical Data Scientists who will lead the innovations of tomorrow.

Great Data Managers come from every generation however, generational diversity adds both strength and complexity to our teams. Gen Z colleagues bring technological fluency, adaptability, and fresh perspectives. At the same time, their expectations for workplace culture, work-life balance, and communication can differ from the norms millennials and Gen X grew up with. For millennial managers, the challenge is to find innovative ways to mentor effectively while honoring those differences.

Building trust through empowerment

One of the most critical factors in leading Gen Z professionals is building trust. Traditional management doesn’t work for this group while micromanaging only breeds frustration and disengagement. Instead, our younger colleagues thrive when given responsibility, space, and opportunities to grow. I’ve found the “see one, do one, teach one” method incredibly effective at building trust and confidence early in the relationship. Here’s how it works.

See one: allow team members to observe the process in action, maybe walk them through how you approach reviewing new data.

Do one: provide the tools and empower your team member to try it themselves. The first attempt may not be perfect — in fact, the first few tries might be a little rough — but that’s part of the learning process. Be supportive, offering encouragement while also giving constructive feedback and gentle corrections. Remember, we’ve all been in their shoes at some point. Teach them with the same patience and guidance you wish you had received.

Teach one: once they have done a few on their own encourage them to share their understanding by training a colleague or explaining the process back to you. It’s easy to simply nod along when working side by side or to stumble through the steps on their own, but having them articulate the process step by step as they complete it ensures genuine comprehension.

This model does more than transfer skills. It reinforces confidence, demonstrates trust, and creates natural opportunities for delegation. As managers, this method also ensures knowledge transfer is not unidirectional, it cultivates a team culture where everyone learns and contributes.

Embracing work-life balance

Another defining characteristic of Gen Z professionals is their expectation of balance. These team members are less willing to conform to the traditional model of remaining at a desk for eight consecutive hours. Rather than resisting this shift, managers can embrace it as an opportunity to foster healthier and more sustainable work habits across the team.

Encouraging short breaks for walking, stretching, or resetting after extended meetings benefits everyone. It promotes productivity, reduces burnout, and models an organizational culture that values employee well-being. For millennial managers, who often grew up in a culture of “always on” availability, adopting these practices can be a healthy correction that gives us an opportunity to model healthier practices for our team.

Adapting communication with care

Communication is an area where generational differences can be most visible. Gen Z professionals often write messages in a style that mirrors casual digital communication, which can seem too informal in a professional context. Instead of correcting tone in a prescriptive way, effective leaders provide guidance with flexibility.

I’ve found success in offering alternative phrasings that may be better suited to different situations. While “Warm Regards” may not resonate with this generation, we can certainly guide team members toward signoffs that are more professional than “I’m out” or “G2G.” Share your own experiences of learning professional communication, emphasizing that style naturally evolves with practice and experience. Encourage individuals to select wording that feels authentic to them while still meeting professional standards. This approach respects individuality while fostering growth, and it frames communication coaching not as criticism, but as an opportunity for development.

The reciprocal nature of leadership

Leading across generations is not simply about teaching; it is also about learning. Gen Z’s comfort with emerging technologies, openness to change, and insistence on balance can challenge established norms in constructive ways. Millennial managers, positioned between Gen X’s wealth of experience and Gen Z’s innovation, are uniquely suited to translate across generations.

By approaching leadership as a reciprocal process, managers can both strengthen their teams and enrich their own skills in the process.

From the “best of times” to a better future

As Dickens suggested, every era brings both opportunities and challenges. For millennial managers in clinical data management, the current moment requires balancing tradition and innovation, structure and flexibility, guidance and trust.

By focusing on empowerment, balance, and communication, we can help Gen Z professionals grow into the leaders and Clinical Data Scientists of tomorrow. At the same time, we strengthen our own leadership by embracing their fresh perspectives.

Ultimately, bridging generations is not about choosing the best of times over the worst — it is about ensuring that the best defines the future we create together.

Join us at SCDM 2025 in Baltimore, MD, where Jennifer Sustin will be presenting “Generations and Culture: How Prepared Are We to Welcome the Next Gen Workforce?” Stop by Booth 528 to connect with our team, explore live demos, and learn how we’re shaping the future of clinical data management.

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