Michalle Obama has said that young Gen Z workers need to endure tough times in boring, unfair jobs in order to become tough enough to lead
Michelle Obama has ordered Gen Z workers to learn from “bad bosses” and stop dodging “boring” jobs if they want to succeed.
The former US First Lady said young people need to endure tough times, unfair treatment and frustrating roles to become tough enough to become leaders.
Speaking at a live podcast recording in London, the 62-year-old said every disappointing job can teach valuable lessons.
She said: “That’s what I want young people to understand – that every experience, the bad boss, the boring assistant job, the job you thought that you weren’t appreciated, the one that didn’t give you the assignment you wanted when you wanted it – all of that is learning to be resilient.”
Mrs Obama added that young workers should learn how to do jobs they hate and still do them well.
She said: “You’ve got to earn that, carrying some bags and having some tough times and having people treat you unfairly.”
The comments come as youth unemployment in Britain hits a 12-year high and more than one million young people are now not in work, education or training.
Over the past two decades around 1.6 million mid and lower-skilled jobs have disappeared, while vacancies in hospitality have halved in just four years.
Mrs Obama, who was speaking alongside her brother Craig Robinson at a recording of their podcast in Shoreditch, said setbacks help build character.
She added that being snubbed for a pay rise or missing out on opportunities can help prepare people for becoming managers later in life.