Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting

What if the biggest barrier to Gen Z’s performance isn’t motivation but the absence of deadlines in their education?

In this episode, we unpack how schools’ shift to “no deadlines, no zeroes” created a generation that struggles with urgency, ownership, and time management. Now, those same students are your employees, and the consequences are hitting your bottom line.

As educators turned workplace consultants, we saw this shift firsthand. Well-meaning policies removed structure and unintentionally taught students that time is flexible, expectations are negotiable, and consequences are optional.

In this episode you’ll learn:

🔹 How deadline-free schooling trained Gen Z to wait for urgency rather than generate it
🔹 Why inconsistent accountability systems create ambiguity, anxiety, and missed goals
🔹 How to rebuild urgency through structured, fair accountability—not micromanagement
🔹 Practical tools for managers: checkpoint systems, post-mortems, and growth-based consequences
🔹 Why consistency and follow-up are more effective than pressure or scolding

Deadlines aren’t about rigidity they’re about rhythm. And when teams have rhythm, they move faster, with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

If your team is struggling with missed timelines and lost momentum, this episode will give you the roadmap to reset expectations and build a workplace where accountability drives results.

#LeadershipDevelopment #GenZWorkplace #AccountabilityAtWork #FutureOfWork #AscendEDWorkplace #PeopleManagement #DeadlineCulture

Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting
What if accountability isn’t just about performance but also about mental health, motivation, and retention?

In this episode, we break down the science-backed benefits of consistent accountability systems and explain why today’s teams, especially Gen Z, don’t just need feedback and goals. They need clarity, structure, and support to thrive.

As former educators turned workplace consultants, we’ve seen firsthand how structure reduces anxiety, boosts confidence, and creates space for growth. You’ll learn:

🔹 How clear expectations reduce stress and decision fatigue

🔹 Why accountability increases motivation, ownership, and team resilience

🔹 The link between structure, emotional safety, and innovation

🔹 What healthy accountability looks like in practice (hint: it's not micromanagement)

🔹 How to use accountability systems as retention tools, not just performance levers

Hosted by Rebecca Burtram & Adam Howard | AscendED Consulting
Gen Z is here, and leaders across industries are struggling to manage them.
Low initiative. High turnover. Fragile under feedback. Sound familiar?

In this episode, two former educators-turned-workplace consultants pull back the curtain on the real reason Gen Z is struggling at work: a school system that never taught them accountability. We reveal how the classroom culture of flexible deadlines, inflated grades, and consequence-free environments has created ripple effects across today’s workforce and how you, as a business leader, can fix it.

✅ What CEOs are getting wrong about Gen Z
✅ How a lack of accountability systems is costing your company
✅ What structure, clarity, and coaching can do to transform performance
✅ Why AscendED’s education-based approach works where others don’t

🔥 If you’re ready to stop blaming a generation and start solving the root problem, this episode is for you.

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