Lead Like an Adult: Stop Babysitting Your Team
If you’re the kind of boss who treats your employees like children — knock it off. When you infantilize your employees, you behave like a babysitter, not a leader. Infantilization is a toxic leadership habit where bosses treat their team like helpless children. This behavior crushes morale, stifles innovation, and drives top talent to the exit. If you’re guilty of this — you’re the problem, not them.
Every generation has been called lazy, entitled, or unprepared by the one before it. Boomers heard it. Gen X heard it. Millennials heard it. Now, Gen Z is the target. It’s a tired, lazy narrative lousy leaders cling to because it’s easier to blame a perceived generational flaw than to examine their leadership failings.
In reality, employees of all ages thrive when they’re trusted, empowered, and supported.
How Lousy Leaders Infantilize Their Teams
- Micromanagement — Hovering over every task, dictating details, and refusing to relinquish control is not leadership; it’s paranoia. If you can’t trust your team to do the job you hired them for, why are they there?
- Lack of Autonomy — Does every decision need your stamp of approval? That’s not leadership; it’s ego. When you don’t allow employees to solve problems independently, you’re broadcasting that you don’t believe in their capabilities.
- Over-explaining — Stop treating your team like they can’t grasp complex ideas. Overloading them with unnecessary details only proves your lack of confidence in their intelligence.
- Excessive Praise or Criticism — Employees don’t need participation trophies or punitive lectures. Over-the-top praise or constant nitpicking infantilizes adults, making them feel like you’re their disgruntled parent rather than their leader.
Why Does This Happen?
- Insecurity in Leadership — Leaders unsure of their abilities often resort to micromanagement or hand-holding, mistaking control for competence. They fear autonomy because it threatens their authority.
- Mistrust and Stereotyping — Some leaders paint entire generations with broad, negative strokes. It’s easier to dismiss “kids these days” than to adapt and meet employees where they are.
- Failure to Adapt to Change — Rapid technological and cultural shifts leave some leaders scrambling. Rather than keeping up, they resist, clinging to outdated methods and demeaning newer approaches.
- Power Dynamics — Infantilizing employees reinforces hierarchical structures. Leaders who make others feel small think they can maintain control.
Why This Type of Lousy Leadership is a Problem
- It Demoralizes Your Team — Treating adults like children is disrespectful. Disrespect breeds disengagement. Disengagement tanks productivity. See where this is going?
- It Stifles Creativity — Employees who don’t feel trusted stop taking opportunity risks, which is bad for them and worse for your organization. Innovation dies when fear of micromanagement thrives.
- It Drives Turnover — Talented professionals don’t stick around to be coddled or controlled. If your team is fleeing, the problem might be staring back at you in the mirror.
Generational Strengths
Younger employees bring fresh perspectives that are vital to the workplace. Although they may have different values or communication styles, they are incredibly adaptable, tech-savvy, and hungry for growth.
- Adaptability: Younger generations thrive in change. Gallup (2023) shows that Millennials and Gen Z embrace workplace shifts faster than older generations, driving innovation and agility for organizations willing to adapt.
- Tech-Savviness: Gen Z’s tech fluency is unmatched — 87% prefer environments with cutting-edge tools (McKinsey, 2022). Their comfort with digital platforms makes them invaluable assets for leading your organization’s digital initiatives.
- Entrepreneurial Mindset: Younger employees don’t wait for permission — they create opportunities. Their entrepreneurial spirit, side hustles, and comfort with uncertainty fuel innovative solutions that can push your organization forward.
Stop Blaming, Start Leading
If you want your employees to act like adults, treat them like adults. Here’s how:
- Shift Your Perspective — Recognize that generational differences are strengths. Each group brings unique perspectives, skills, and priorities. Instead of stereotyping, seek to understand and learn from them.
- Delegate Meaningful Work — Give employees opportunities to own projects and make decisions. A Deloitte study found that 61% of Millennials say meaningful work is one of their top priorities, yet many report not having enough autonomy in their current roles.
- Emphasize Outcomes, Not Methods — Yes, younger employees work differently — embrace it. Focus on results, not whether they follow your outdated playbook. As a leader, you must set clear goals and let your team find its path to success.
- Ask Questions and Listen — Instead of assuming they can’t handle something, ask: “What support do you need?” Trust their responses and act accordingly. A study from PwC showed that employees who feel their opinions are valued are more engaged, leading to a 21% increase in productivity.
- Challenge Your Own Biases — If you blame “this generation,” stop. Reflect on what that says about your leadership. Are you adapting to new working methods or holding onto outdated norms?
- Trust and Empower — Delegate tasks, set clear expectations, and get out of their way. Trust isn’t a weakness; it’s the cornerstone of strong leadership.
- Communicate Like a Grown-Up — Create an environment where employees can voice concerns and share ideas without fear of being dismissed or patronized. Respect goes both ways.
Listen First — Then Lead
Take a moment to consider how your leadership style has impacted your team:
- Have you noticed lower engagement or enthusiasm among your team members? What might your actions or habits be signaling to them?
- Are employees hesitant to take initiative or make decisions without your input? Reflect on whether you’ve unintentionally stifled their independence.
- What innovative ideas or solutions might your team have missed because they feared micromanagement or excessive scrutiny?
- How do you think your leadership behaviors have shaped the overall culture of your workplace? Are you enabling growth and trust, or fear and dependency?
An infantilizing leadership style is a bad practice — and a leadership failure. If you recognize these behaviors in yourself, fix them. Leadership is about empowerment, not control; trust, not suspicion; and respect, not condescension.
A New Leadership Standard
Effective leaders don’t make excuses; they adapt, empower, and grow alongside their teams. Infantilizing employees is a failure of imagination and trust, and it’s beneath worthy leaders. If you want to drive performance, stop holding people back. Recognize their strengths, honor their potential, and help your organization transform.
This week, pick one task to delegate fully. Empower your team to own it and only ask, ‘How can I support you?’ Watch the difference. Leadership transformation begins with a single, intentional action. Start today.
At Karl Bimshas Consulting, we help leaders develop empowering leadership that transforms teams and delivers results without becoming jerks.
