Why the Next Generation Isn't Interested in Leadership

Some senior leaders are puzzled: why don’t high-potential younger employees want the promotion? The answer many emerging leaders give is simple and honest—what they see doesn’t look like a life they want. Seventy-hour weeks. Four job descriptions glued together. Little delegation. Chronic stress. Low trust.

In this episode of You’re the Boss, Now What, Tessa Campin and I unpack why the next generation appears uninterested in leadership roles and how to redesign leadership so people actively aspire to it. Spoiler: they aren’t anti-leadership. They’re anti-burnout.

What younger leaders actually want

They are interested in leadership, not as a position, but as impact. They want to co-create, share knowledge, challenge stale assumptions, and make work better for people. They are less motivated by status and more motivated by purpose, boundaries, and growth. If leadership looks like a 24/7 sacrifice of health and relationships, they will opt out.

The scarcity trap senior leaders fall into

Many seasoned managers quietly admit they hold work close to the vest. They fear being replaced, so they avoid mentoring and even under-hire to protect their seat. That is positional leadership and it creates exactly what they fear—a fragile culture, shallow bench, and zero pipeline.

Leadership is a verb. It is action, not a title. If it does not flow through you to others, it stagnates. The cost is high: when knowledge stays in one head, the entire company is at risk the moment that person leaves.

Build the bridge, not a wall

This is not a story of old versus young. It is a call to blend the best of both. Experience, craft, and context from senior leaders. Curiosity, speed, and digital fluency from emerging leaders. When both groups sit at the table, you get a healthier culture, better Team Dynamics, and a leadership pipeline that lasts.

Five moves to make leadership attractive again

Make mentoring part of the job
Tie manager performance to how well they teach. Measure how many people they develop, not just what they personally deliver. This is how to be a better manager and how to build trust as a manager.
Replace hoarding with systems
Document the work. Record decision logs. Shadow and cross-train. If someone left tomorrow, could a new hire find what they need within an hour? That is how to fix a toxic culture of gatekeeping.
Share power through real delegation
Give decision rights with guardrails, not tasks with strings. Clarify outcomes, constraints, and what success looks like. Review together. That is how to delegate and how to hold employees accountable without micromanaging.
Normalize boundaries and humane pace
Model sustainable calendars. Protect deep work. End meetings with decisions and owners so work moves without heroics. That is how to lead effective team meetings.
Rebrand leadership around impact, not image
Drop the myth of the flawless boss. Invite challenge. Reward integrity, learning, and ownership. If leadership is influence, make it positive, visible, and shared.

Scripts you can use this week

Mentorship opener
“I want your growth to accelerate here. What skill do you want to build in the next 90 days and what project would make that real?”
Delegation with decision rights
“The outcome we need is X by Y date within Z constraints. You own the how. Let’s set two checkpoints and remove blockers.”
Scarcity to abundance reset
“I’ve been holding too much. Here are three areas I’m transferring. I’ll document what I know and be your sounding board as you take them.”
Invite challenge
“If you were leading this, what would you change first and why? Tell me where my plan has blind spots.”

For senior leaders

Mentor at least two emerging leaders this quarter and measure progress.
Teach the playbook you wish you had at their stage.
Celebrate successors. The more replaceable your seat, the more invaluable your leadership.