The Seesaw of Power: Is Your Firm’s Generational Divide Really About Changing Influence?

Shift happens. 

As industry consultants love to remind us, the dynamics between leadership and talent in public accounting are changing. But rather than fret about why younger generations think and act differently, we need to recognize this for what it is—a shift in the dynamics of power.

“The Way We Do Things Around Here”

For decades, firm partners and directors held the cards; candidates and staff had little choice but to fall in line with “the way we do things around here.” The talent scarcity wrought by the Great Resignation, however, has upended the chessboard. Recruits now scrutinize culture, work styles, and leadership rather than accepting whatever’s on offer.

This reversal understandably irks long-timers accustomed to dictating terms. The “Why can’t they conform?” lament exposes a raw nerve: Discomfort with loss of control. In truth, generations have always cared about culture. Leaders simply didn’t have to care about their caring because talent had few options. Until now.

Rather than resentment, we need adaptation. Market changes demand flexibility, not rigidity. The firms that thrive will embrace this seesaw realignment of influence rather than fighting it. Client service depends on understanding stakeholder needs, no? Well, job candidates are stakeholders now, too, bringing their own priorities shaped by a vastly different backdrop of norms.

Parachute Pants and Skinny Jeans

This isn’t about right and wrong ways of operating but accepting that environments change. Culture evolves. Just as fashion trends flux with the times, cultural values shift from cohort to cohort. Neither seniors nor juniors have the “right” perspective; they’re all just doing what fits their context.

Generational tension thrives when problems get personalized rather than recognized as situational. Labels like “entitled,” “inflexible,” and “not a team player” reflect projection more than meaningful difference. Stripping emotion to see circumstances clearly is key.

Firms That Thrive

The firms that will thrive are those that respond to today’s talent marketplace as the wake-up call it is. Like any change, this power shift brings growing pains. But framing it as healthy adaptation rather than group condemnation is the first step. 

Let’s lead our people by the needs-based, service-focused example we set with clients every day. Culture change is just another business evolution to guide. The choice is ours on how to frame it.

For help or even just a great conversation about the seesaw, hit me up at bruce@chiefseconds.com