Gen z may have built a reputation for valuing balance. 44% of Gen Zs ranked work–life balance as their top job priority, ahead of pay, advancement, or purpose (Deloitte’s 2024 Gen Z and Millennial Survey). Gallup shares study that says workers that 68 % of Gen z / younger millennials say they feel stressed “a lot of the time”.

At the same time, sales performance across the board has dropped. Objective Management Group’s analysis of 5,000 sales forces found that only 46% of reps hit quota in 2023, compared with 63% a decade earlier. HubSpot’s Sales Trends Report shows similar results, with average attainment between 43–50%. 

Gen z or younger millenial? 

From 1970 to 2022, the number of dual-income households double. 

It’s fair to note that many Gen Zs grew up watching two parents working long hours.
By 2022, 59% of U.S. households had both parents employed (Bureau of Labor Statistics). Add a constant feed of social media “highlight reels” — best cars, beaches, bodies, products — and you have a generation that’s deeply aware of what success looks like, but not always what it costs. The result: more people asking how to earn more without burning out. Hence the rise of “work smarter, not harder” creators preaching efficiency, automation, and “blueprints for freedom.”

Bank of America’s 2024 Gen Z Report found that 55% already earn income outside their main job.
They’re not anti-work — they’re diversifying. The line between ambition and burnout has simply moved.

Still, in sales, drive remains the differentiator.
Harvard Business Review’s 2022 study on 2,500 sales professionals found intrinsic motivation and clear personal goals were the strongest predictors of quota attainment. Napoleon Hill wrote nearly a century ago that “desire is the starting point of all achievement.” Data keeps proving him right.

So maybe the real challenge isn’t that Gen Z lacks drive — it’s that the world around them keeps testing what they’ll drive for.