Once upon a time, the path to success seemed clearly marked: work hard, climb the corporate ladder, and eventually earn that coveted leadership position. For generations, leadership roles represented the pinnacle of professional achievement – symbols of status, influence, and accomplishment. But something has changed. Today’s emerging workforce isn’t rushing to grab the leadership baton. In fact, many are deliberately stepping aside.
The Generational Leadership Divide
For those who grew up in the 70s, 80s, and early 90s, leadership positions were often the North Star guiding career aspirations. We equated leadership with success, viewing it as the natural progression for anyone ambitious enough to pursue it.
I remember as a boy growing up in a small town, leadership was the thing everyone seemed to chase. Whether it was becoming team captain, class president, or eventually climbing the corporate ladder – leadership was synonymous with “making it.” Not that I fully understood what leadership meant back then, but I knew it was part of the equation for success (unless my dreams of football stardom paid off, which they didn’t).
Today, my son and his peers entering the workforce view leadership roles very differently. Where I once saw opportunity, they see stress, corporate politics, and being caught between demanding executives and dissatisfied employees. Leadership hasn’t just lost its shine – for many young professionals, it’s become something to actively avoid.
What’s Changed? The Shifting Leadership Landscape
1. Witnessing Leadership Burnout
Today’s young professionals grew up watching their parents’ generation sacrifice health, family time, and personal wellbeing for leadership positions. They witnessed the toll of constant availability, stress, and burnout.
According to a 2023 Deloitte survey, 91% of executives reported feeling exhausted and 63% felt overwhelmed by leadership responsibilities. When nearly half of leaders report feeling burned out, it’s no wonder the next generation is questioning whether the corner office is worth the cost.
Unlike previous generations who may have hidden their struggles, today’s leaders often openly discuss the challenges they face. This transparency, while valuable, has inadvertently created a deterrent for those watching from the sidelines.
2. The Great Resignation’s Lasting Impact
The pandemic-era Great Resignation wasn’t just about people leaving jobs – it was about people reassessing what they value. When millions walked away from leadership positions to pursue more balanced lives, it sent a powerful message: maybe traditional leadership roles aren’t the ultimate prize.
A former banking executive I worked with made this point crystal clear: “I spent fifteen years climbing the ladder, got to the top, and realized the view wasn’t worth the climb. Now I work fewer hours, make slightly less money, but I actually see my kids grow up.”
3. The Rise of Alternative Success Models
Social media has democratized influence and created entirely new paths to impact and financial success. Today’s young professionals have witnessed YouTubers, entrepreneurs, freelancers, and content creators build wealth and influence without traditional corporate structures.
Why pursue a stressful middle management role when you could potentially build a personal brand, freelance business, or startup with greater autonomy and potentially higher rewards? The equation has fundamentally changed.
You might also like
Leadership’s Image Problem
The Perception Gap
When I ask my workshop participants about leadership, two starkly different narratives emerge depending on age:
Traditional view (typically older generations): Leadership as service, impact, growth opportunity, status achievement, financial reward.
Emerging view (typically younger generations): Leadership as overwhelming responsibility, constant pressure, being stuck between demanding executives and disgruntled employees, sacrificing work-life balance, and navigating office politics.
This perception gap explains much of leadership’s declining appeal. The way we talk about, structure, and reward leadership hasn’t evolved to match changing expectations.
What My Son Taught Me About Leadership’s Reputation
In a recent conversation with my son about his career path, he made a statement that stopped me in my tracks: “Why would I want to be a leader? From what I’ve seen, it’s just stress, meetings nobody wants to be in, and being pushed around by ‘the man’ while pretending you’re not pushing around everyone else.”
His perception – which I’ve since found is common among his peers – revealed that leadership isn’t just failing to attract talent; it’s actively repelling some of our brightest minds.
Reframing Leadership for a New Generation
If we want to revitalize leadership’s appeal, we need to fundamentally rethink what leadership means and how we structure these roles.
1. Leadership as Impact, Not Status
For younger generations, the title matters far less than the impact. Organizations need to reframe leadership positions around purpose and meaningful contribution rather than status and compensation alone.
Millennials and Gen Z consistently rank making a positive impact higher than traditional success markers. Leadership positions that emphasize genuine contribution to worthwhile goals will appeal to this motivation.
2. Flexibility and Boundaries as Core Features
![Image: Modern flexible workspace with people collaborating]
The leadership positions that will attract top talent moving forward will be those that respect boundaries and offer flexibility. The always-on, sacrifice-everything approach is specifically what’s turning people away.
In my consulting work, companies that have redesigned leadership roles to provide more autonomy, reasonable workloads, and clear boundaries are seeing dramatically higher interest from younger talent pools. One tech company I worked with doubled applications for leadership tracks after implementing a “leadership by design” program that allowed candidates to co-create their leadership roles.
3. Authentic Leadership Development
Leadership development needs to align with today’s realities. Young professionals are less interested in “how to manage difficult conversations” and more interested in authentic leadership approaches that honor their whole selves.
Rather than teaching people to fit a predetermined leadership mold, development should focus on helping individuals discover their unique leadership voice and style. This aligns with the value younger generations place on authenticity.
The Way Forward: Leadership Reimagined
The declining interest in leadership isn’t a crisis – it’s an opportunity to reimagine what leadership means for a new era. What’s happening isn’t the death of leadership but its necessary evolution.
As I write in 10 Leading Tools, “The modern world needs modern leaders.” The leadership models that served previous generations were designed for a different world with different values.
Today’s emerging workforce isn’t rejecting leadership – they’re rejecting an outdated version of it that no longer fits their values, aspirations, and vision of success. By adapting our understanding and implementation of leadership, we can restore its appeal for a new generation.
What This Means for Current Leaders
If you’re currently in a leadership position, you have a unique opportunity to reshape leadership’s reputation. By modeling healthy boundaries, demonstrating authentic leadership, and creating positive environments, you can help redefine what leadership looks like.
As one millennial manager told me, “I took this role because my boss showed me leadership could look different. She’s successful but also balanced. She’s changed my entire perspective on what leadership can be.”
What This Means for Organizations
Organizations need to fundamentally redesign leadership positions with modern values in mind: purpose, impact, flexibility, wellbeing, and authentic expression. This isn’t about cosmetic changes but about reimagining what leadership means within your organization.
Some practical starting points:
- Conduct candid conversations with emerging talent about their leadership perceptions
- Redesign leadership tracks with flexibility and boundaries built in
- Showcase diverse leadership models within your organization
- Create “try before you buy” leadership experiences
- Measure leadership success beyond financial metrics
Leadership’s Evolution, Not Extinction
Leadership isn’t dying – it’s evolving. What we’re witnessing isn’t the fading of leadership but the necessary transformation of an outdated model. By embracing this evolution and actively shaping what leadership means for the future, we can create leadership positions that don’t just attract the next generation but inspire them.
The key isn’t clinging to leadership as we’ve known it, but being willing to reimagine it for a world with different values, expectations, and possibilities. When we do that, leadership won’t just regain its shine – it will take on an entirely new luster that speaks to what truly matters now.
