CEO: One stunning data point explains the 'Gen Z stare'—and why it's going to backfire on them

CNBC

17-07-2025

If you've worked with Gen Z — or managed them — you've probably seen it: that facial expression that somehow manages to mix disdain, defiance, and utter disinterest all in one (oddly) blank look.
It's been dubbed the "Gen Z stare," and it's the facial equivalent of an eye-roll. Managers everywhere are letting out a sigh of relief because, finally, there's a name for the behavior that's left them scratching their heads since "quiet quitting" became a badge of honor during the pandemic.
I've been studying intergenerational dynamics in the workplace for years as the director of the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, and even among academics (who tend to avoid stereotyping generations), there's an unspoken consensus: Older managers find Gen Z ... well, frustrating.
When I first heard about the stare on TikTok, I thought: But then I remembered something else that does, too — a striking data point from my own research.
As part of my research, we developed a scientifically validated tool called The Values Bridge, which ranks an individual's core values from 1 to 15. Since May, over 30,000 people have taken the test. (You can take it yourself here.)
While we are in the process of publishing conclusive findings on generational differences in values, early statistical trends are emerging strongly, and I have come to believe one of them explains The Gen Z Stare all too well.
Gen Z ranks Achievement, defined as the desire to be seen as successful or impressive, shockingly low. On average, they place it 11th out of 15 values. Even more telling? 65% of Gen Z respondents say Achievement already plays too much of a role in their lives.
Let that sink in. Not only is Gen Z less motivated by winning, competition, and status — they're actively pushing it away.
The stare usually shows up at work when a Gen Z employee is asked to do something, or told there's something they don't yet know but need to.
They rarely respond with words. But if the expression could talk, it might say: "Don't impose your value of Achievement on me, boss. I don't want it near me already, and I'd have less of your workaholic, winner-take-all BS in my life if I could."
Yes, I'm generalizing. But I've heard versions of that sentiment countless times from the thousands of Gen Zers I've interviewed and surveyed. In a recent college focus group I ran, one student asked me, "Not to be confrontational, but … why does business need to win all the time?"
That same group ranked Achievement as a bottom-tier value. So what Gen Z value? Instead of Achievement, they are leaning into values like Eudaimonia (which we define as self-care and inner balance) or Voice (our term for self-expression and authenticity).
According to our early results, up to 85% of Gen Z respondents rank one of those two values in their top five.
During the "quiet quitting" wave, companies scrambled to accommodate Gen Z's demand for boundaries and better work-life balance. This time, I'm not so sure the workplace will bend so quickly.
Here's why: AI is reshaping the labor market. Official employment numbers might look steady, but anecdotally, the job market feels different, especially for early-career workers. It's shifting from a buyer's market to a seller's market, and employers are noticing.
Many hiring managers, the same ones who now finally have a label for this phenomenon, are starting to adjust their filters. Achievement-driven candidates might have once been seen as overly ambitious. Now? They're the ones companies will chase.
There may not be many Gen Zers out there who value Achievement, but managers are likely going to be looking for them now more than ever.
And one way they will know them is by how they look back.