Why do some young graduates thrive from their first day at work, while others struggle to find their way into the workplace? The answer often lies in a pivotal figure: the manager.

We sifted through nearly 2,000 responses from business school alumni and early-career engineers with less than six years of professional experience. Between massive statistics and unfiltered verbatim, a clear and modern composite portrait of a “good leader” emerges.

A good leader watches? Monitors? Awakens?

Role model

First lesson: The new generation places transparency and honesty at the top of its expectations of their superiors. This implies clarity in objectives:

“A manager must have clear ideas, know how to explain expectations to the team, create a work dynamic and ensure good flow of information,”

summarizes one of the graduates interviewed.

A facilitator for his team, the manager brings a large-scale vision. He must be able to engage his troops in the common project. He establishes his legitimacy through his exemplary behavior and his skills, both technical and human. Today, a manager whose authority is merely statutory has little chance of success.

In addition to all these qualities, 40% believe it’s very important for a leader to be inspiring. This need for a role model is more prevalent among recent business school graduates: 50% of them consider it very important to have an inspiring manager, while this is only the case for 34% of engineering school graduates. One of the respondents describes the profile of the perfect manager  :

“He must have been in my position, have solid technical expertise and demonstrate good communication skills on projects and the work to be done, while ensuring the well-being of his team.”

Fear of micromanagement

Trust is the other key element that young people strongly desire to find with their managers: they fear micromanagement , a real obstacle to their commitment, and call for managerial practices that promote a caring, empowering work environment where trust is a prerequisite. This is a double challenge for managers who must both delegate with serenity and be reassuring:

“For me, the ideal manager trusts me, doesn’t micromanage me, lets me be autonomous while giving me a framework.”

The perception of the manager as a watchdog rather than a supervisor is a consensus among these young graduates. They are relatively satisfied with their current situation: nearly 8 out of 10 of them say they benefit from this transparency, and 9 out of 10 from the trust that is so important to them.

Half of them also consider it “very important” to receive recognition from managers for their performance and the efforts they make in their roles. This recognition is more often sought by young people from management schools (54%) than those from engineering schools (45%).

This is a generation that has a strong desire to evaluate their impact not only within the company, but also more broadly in society. The manager becomes their compass for a job well done and its usefulness. They must be “frank about both successes and areas for improvement, recognizing the work accomplished,” says one of the interviewees, “they must give direction and meaning to the work of their employees.”

“Listening to us”

At the same time, listening is the quality most often mentioned in descriptions of an ideal manager: 4 out of 10 verbatim mention this attitude. It is often associated with a line manager’s ability to manage the workload well in order to “protect their colleagues from stress” and “take a stand with regard to external requests that are too demanding.” This protective role and their ability to defend the team’s interests are also considered very important by half of the respondents (49.4%).

The study also shows that these young professionals dream of a manager who is attentive to their career aspirations and desire to progress. Their primary professional objective is to continue acquiring skills and developing personally. Aware of the very rapid changes in the skills sought on the job market, they hope to be able to count on their line manager to play the role of coach/mentor by “listening to them, supporting their skills development and advising them on development opportunities within the company in terms of responsibilities and salary.”

Whether it’s to evaluate their performance or to advance professionally, young people today rely heavily on feedback from their managers.

A third of them believe that this is a very important role for their superior (86% if we add the terms “important” and “very important”). One young person explains to us that “the manager must take the time to review the work and give advice on how to improve.”

However, feedback still doesn’t seem to be fully integrated into managerial practices: 43% of respondents don’t receive it regularly, 36% of young professionals from management schools vs. 47% of those from engineering schools. Nearly half (47%) also don’t receive any help from their team leader to develop their employability, whether through skills sharing or networking.

“Both guide, mentor and protector”

Young graduates today paint an unambiguous picture of what they expect from their manager: an accessible leader who listens, inspires confidence, gives meaning to work and makes people “want to want” and commit… Too often, young employees tell us, managers complain of being caught between the objectives set by their superiors and the moods of their teams.

Gone are the days of the authoritarian and distant boss: make way for a manager capable of combining clarity of objectives, recognition of efforts, and support in professional development. For this generation in search of meaning and impact, the ideal manager is at once a guide, mentor, and protector, capable of creating a stimulating and caring work environment.

While many young people already report enjoying satisfactory managerial relationships, there is still significant room for improvement, particularly in terms of regular feedback and employability support. More than ever, the quality of management is proving to be a decisive lever for engagement and retention for young talent in the workplace.

Typical portrait of an ideal manager

“A person who trusts and allows complete autonomy in daily tasks. Who is aware of strengths and weaknesses and helps them improve and progress. Who values feedback and gives it regularly. Who manages by example, establishing a caring, ambitious, and intelligent culture themselves. Who plays a mentoring role, defending and representing their team. Who listens and is there when needed.”

Author Bios: Manuelle Malot is Director of Careers and NewGen Talent Center and Geneviève Houriet Segard is Doctor of Economic Demography, Deputy Director and Research Engineer at the EDHEC NewGen Talent Centre both at EDHEC Business School