4 things we need in a boss

by Dave Miller/Co-Founder

Austin Rockwell

How do we find and keep young 20 somethings on our team? What does Gen-Z need in a boss? We asked these questions of a 25 year old leader whom we can all learn.

Austin Rockwell is a 25 year old non-profit leader from Phoenix. He’s had bad experiences and great experiences working for local churches. He has started a non-profit that is experiencing fast growth. It’s called Kamp Love. It is a dynamic, volunteer-led ministry to college students that is spreading across the country

We recently got an hour with him on a First Thursday Webinar. Our topic was how to keep young twenty-somethings on our teams. I think we’d all agree that that keeping our staffs young and a pipeline of youth is critical to future success of the local church. They will reach their generation just as millenials, x-ers, and boomers reached theirs.

Austin says a young 20 something Gen Z is looking for four things from a boss. I’d add none of these are complex, but they’re just difficult to do.

1. Ask questions / get to know them personally. We speak to this often around Lp, but we have to approach this generation similarly to the way we’d approach a different culture. We must think cross-culturally. When we cross cultures we don’t immediately begin telling them like it is and imposing on them our beliefs, our rituals, and our understandings of how things are. It’s never about getting them to do it our way.

2. Listen / learn from them. Of course, it’s not enough to just ask. We’ve all probably had a situation where we sensed someone was acting like they cared, vs actually caring and listening. Listening implies learning. Are we learning? Leadership residency is a two-way street. We have much to learn (yes, I’m talking to even those old veteran 31 year old leaders who I hear complain about “the kids these days…” not just those in their 40s and 50s need to listen and learn.

3. Serve them. What a concept. Is their leadership of any kind unless it is servant-leadership? Jesus modeled this for us 2,000 years ago. The current and best leadership people we read like Godin, Rockwell, Birch, and Groeschel all say similarly.

4. Pastor them. In his 25 year-old wisdom Austin says he’s learning that one of his chief jobs is to apologize. “I’m apologizing for things that I know are not my fault and that’s ok.” Ultimately Austin knows the success of those around him are his responsibility.

As usual, there’s nothing tricky here and most of it has been around thousands of years. The best, simplest advice is always the hardest to follow.

I’d challenge you to set an hour a side and listen to the Kamp Love story if you missed First Thursday Webinar. It’s a God-sized story of him bringing something beautiful out of a tragedy.

I met Austin at a Masterclass in Denver in the fall of 2023. I listened to him for about 10 minutes and became a monthly donor. Then I went to Phoenix and observed 700 college students at a Kamp Love event. I heard the stories and saw the impact as over 70 were baptized that weekend.

Perhaps you could join me in making an investment in what is happening on college campuses?