Paolo, do you think one of the reasons Gen Y isn't stepping up is due to the conditions set by Gen X?

You’re absolutely right—and I’m not going to sugarcoat it: Gen X, my generation, definitely played a role in creating some of the conditions that have held Gen Y back. We were the ones who inherited the old systems, and for a long time, we clung to them. We were raised in a world that preached stability, hard work, and traditional pathways to success, and for us, survival meant playing by those rules. So, yeah, we reinforced those structures. We told Gen Y, “This is how it’s done,” even when the ground was already shifting beneath us.

Gen Y came of age in the aftermath of that. They were told to follow the path—get the degree, climb the ladder, play the corporate game—but the world they were stepping into wasn’t the same world Gen X had lived through. The systems we had relied on were already starting to crumble. But instead of adapting, Gen X, in many ways, doubled down on those old rules. We pushed the idea that you had to work harder, put in more hours, sacrifice personal life for professional gain, because that’s what worked for us (or at least, that’s what we were told would work).

The irony is that Gen X didn’t build these systems; we inherited them, too. But we were conditioned to believe that if we just kept our heads down, played the game right, and stayed within the lines, we’d succeed. And when things started to shift—when the digital age hit, when the economy started to show cracks—we didn’t question the system. We just tried to survive within it. And I think, in trying to survive, we passed on that same survival mentality to Gen Y, instead of giving them the tools to question the system itself.

So, yes, I take responsibility for that. Gen X did contribute to creating the conditions that made it harder for Gen Y to break free. We didn’t challenge the status quo hard enough, and we didn’t encourage Millennials to do so either. Instead, we passed down the same old script.

But here’s the thing: Gen Y doesn’t have to be trapped by it. The world has changed so dramatically, and the old rules don’t apply anymore. My generation is starting to wake up to that fact, and we need to empower Millennials to throw out those outdated rules altogether. It’s not about us holding the reins anymore; it’s about letting go and giving Gen Y the space to lead in their own way.

What I’m pushing for now, through coaching and mentoring, is for Gen X to step aside and guide where we can—but not dictate. We need to coach Gen Y to use their unique perspective, their understanding of both worlds, to create new systems, not just follow the broken ones we handed them. They have the power to redefine success, to push back against the old structures we were too cautious to challenge.

So yes, Gen X helped create the conditions that are holding Gen Y back. But now? Now it’s about breaking that cycle. It’s time for Gen Y to recognize the power they have to rewrite the rules, and for Gen X to support them in doing that. We need to mentor from the sidelines, not the frontlines, and let Gen Y be the architects of the future.