AI may be coming for the C-suite, but Gen Z isn’t scared—they’re inspired. While some executives fret that the rise of AI could make CEOs obsolete, 38% of young workers say they’re more ready than ever to take the top job, nearly double the rate of Gen X, per McKinsey.
And while the job may come with a corner office and a cushy salary, the CEO of the shoe company Brooks Running, Dan Sheridan, has a message for aspiring Gen Z corporate leaders: the job isn’t so glamorous all the time.
“Brooks isn’t perfect—no organization is,” Sheridan told Fortune’s Leadership Next podcast last month. “We’ve got our warts and bruises and things like that…. 80% of the time I love what I’m doing.”
The CEO admits that for around 20% of the time, his job is filled with “things that drive you nuts and things you can’t solve.”
As a company owned by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, the pressure for Sheridan to have his company succeed is high. The pressure is on and sometimes rough days make him want to give up. However, he says the most important thing he can do as a leader is keep a cool head, reevaluate, and move on.
