Healthcare feels different now—because it is. Workforces are smaller, demand is rising, and culture expectations have changed. In a recent episode of the Healthcare Plus Podcast, Dan Collard and Dr. Katherine Meese introduce Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce, new from ACHE Learn. 

The authors describe Genfluence as a research-grounded guide to leading across generations, written without relying on cliches or doom narratives. They took all the research and myths and distilled the best content in one place, providing a practical resource for leaders trying to navigate a world in which four very different generations with very different perspectives, values, and communication styles.

A few insights drawn from their conversation:

Busting myths (with data). Rather than treating generations as caricatures, the book starts with evidence. Dr. Meese cites researcher Jean Twenge and the role of technology: She illustrates how tech reshaped daily life, from porches to contactless delivery, and therefore habits, expectations, and work preferences. 

The book’s myth-busting chapter challenges online narratives designed to “sell doom.” Dr. Meese points out that some beliefs don’t match long-run data: millennials, for example, “are actually making more inflation-adjusted income than our Boomer counterparts at the same age, and are positioned for an $84 trillion wealth transfer.” 

Collard adds that myth-busting also reframes well-being behaviors: younger staff taking PTO isn’t laziness; it’s sustainability. “You come back and are better able to take care of the team and take care of the patients,” says Collard. In fact, “lazy” is the label he’s most eager to retire.

What younger clinicians need now. “Over 40% of Gen Z in high school as 12th graders says, I can’t do anything right,” says Dr. Meese. In a high-stakes care environment, that mindset—paired with thin onboarding or lack of psychological safety—can become dangerous: People’s lives are at stake.

That’s where leaders come in. “It was once said, leaders are dealers in hope,” shares Collard. In practice, that looks like building skills, modeling respect, and creating the conditions for new clinicians to speak up early and often. We are what he calls “Encouragers in chief.” 

Control+Alt+Lead: a usable “reboot” for leaders. Genfluence culminates in a practical framework inspired by a familiar keystroke. “We call the framework Control+Alt+Lead, which essentially gives an opportunity for a leadership reboot when it comes to leading a multi-generational workforce,” explains Collard. “The framework puts the focus on you instead of the other person.” 

What does Control + Alt + Lead mean?  

• Control means to control yourself.
• Alt means to alter your view of other generations—your mindset and heart set, in other words.
• Lead means to lead differently.

 The business case: retention, safety, and the pipeline. The workforce shocks since 2020 have not normalized: “It would take 1.75 million years of education and training just to replace the physicians that we lost between 2020 and 2022,” shares Dr. Meese. In parallel, shortages persist in almost every major category of the healthcare workforce, which means retaining younger clinicians is a strategic imperative, not a nice-to-have. 

But the signals from Gen Z are mixed. “57% of Gen Z indicates that their top career choice is to be a social media influencer,” Dr. Meese notes—hardly ideal for rural nurse recruitment. More concerning: “22 % of Gen Z individuals that are currently working in healthcare, so we need these people to stay for a long time, are planning to leave in the next one to three years, and they cite toxic corporate culture,” she adds. “And we know from other research that the number one predictor of toxic corporate culture is disrespect.”

This is a serious issue. Collard connects disrespect to patient safety: “When you look at the root cause of the vast majority of sentinel events, according to the Joint Commission, it’s not medication errors, it’s not medical device errors, it’s gaps in communication,” he says. 

In other words, if younger staff feel unsafe speaking up, risks at the bedside rise. 

 is available now, with copies shipping mid-December—and a live co-presentation planned for ACHE Congress in March in Houston, TX. “I would love a room full of genfluencers or potential genfluencers,” says Collard. 

Genfluence: The Leadership Reboot Healthcare Needs with Katherine Meese and Dan Collard shares more insights on Genfluence and how to lead a multigenerational workforce. Click here to listen!  

About Dr. Katherine A. Meese and Dan Collard 

Dr. Katherine A. Meese and Dan Collard are co-authors of Genfluence: How to Lead a Multigenerational Workforce (ACHE Learn 2026).

Dr. Meese has fifteen years of experience in healthcare management, leadership and research, and is an award-winning scholar and author in organizational behavior, well-being and leadership. Most importantly, she is on a mission to use science to help healthcare leaders keep their people and keep them well. She is the author of five books including The Human Margin: Building the Foundations of Trust with Quint Studer.

Dan Collard’s thirty-one years in the industry include hospital and health system operations, technology start-up transactions and consulting. He has been described as a “change agent, builder, mentor and developer of others.” His lens-of-the-operator view continues to guide his leadership practice. Dan is the cofounder of Healthcare Plus Solutions Group and the coauthor of Rewiring Excellence: Hardwired to Rewired and Rewiring Leadership in Post-Acute Healthcare.