Management Careers

Gen Z does not want to be your next manager. And before you panic, it is worth asking why. Korn Ferry research reveals that Gen Z, born between 1996 and 2010, is one of the most motivated age groups at work. They are tenacious, fast learners and deeply driven to maximise their potential. The issue is not ambition. It is what they are being asked to do with it. In my experience working with this generation, a few things stand out clearly. Gen Z is not fixated on a single profession or career stream. They are open to experimenting, trying different paths, acquiring new skills and pursuing executive education until they find work that genuinely aligns with who they are. They are not building a career in the traditional linear sense. They are building a life, and they want their work to fit into it, not consume it. They are also remarkably clear about what they expect from an organisation. And what they will not tolerate.They do not navigate office politics. They do not manage upwards for the sake of visibility or favour. They do not build relationships strategically to protect their career. They show up, they deliver, and they expect to be recognised for the quality of their contribution rather than for how well they have learned to manage perceptions. In short, they refuse to play games that previous generations accepted as simply part of how organisations work. This is not immaturity. It is clarity. And it is deeply uncomfortable for organisations built on hierarchy, political capital and traditional notions of who is ready for leadership. The reluctance of Gen Z to step into management roles is not a talent problem. It is a mirror. They are reflecting back everything that is broken about how most organisations define and practice leadership. The burnout they have watched in their managers. The ambiguity they experience around expectations. The politics they are unwilling to perform. The gap between what organisations say they value and what they actually reward. If organisations want Gen Z in the leadership pipeline, they need to earn that willingness.That means creating workplaces with clear expectations and fair practices rather than unspoken rules and invisible hierarchies. It means offering reverse mentoring, coaching and buddying to help them ease into managerial roles on their own terms rather than pushing them into structures designed for a different generation. It means showing them a version of leadership that looks like something worth becoming, not something worth surviving. Gen Z will lead. But they will do it on their own terms. The organisations that understand this early will have a significant advantage over those still waiting for this generation to simply fall in line. They are not disengaged. They are discerning. There is a difference. And it matters enormously for the future of your leadership pipeline.

🚨 Why is Gen Z Rejecting Middle Management? And What Can We Do About It? 🚨 The latest Financial Times article highlights a growing workplace crisis: Gen Z is turning away from middle management roles. For years, middle management has been the backbone of organisations—translating strategy into action, developing talent, and keeping teams motivated. But today’s young professionals (myself included) are saying "no, thank you." Why? Here are some hard truths: 🔥 Burnout Culture – Many saw their millennial predecessors crushed under the weight of long hours, poor work-life balance, and unrealistic expectations. They’re asking: Why would I step into that? 🔥 Lack of Meaningful Leadership – Gen Z wants impactful work and authentic leadership. They don’t just want to "manage" for the sake of it—they want to drive real change. Too often, middle management is tasked with bureaucracy over innovation. 🔥 Limited Autonomy & Growth – Rather than climbing the traditional corporate ladder, Gen Z is creating their own paths—starting businesses, freelancing, and opting for roles with more flexibility. Middle management often comes with more responsibility but little real power. 🔥 The Pay Doesn’t Justify the Pain – Many see middle managers taking on huge emotional burdens (handling layoffs, toxic work environments, and high-pressure KPIs) without adequate compensation or recognition. 💡 So, what’s the solution? If businesses want to attract and retain young leaders, the system must evolve. Here’s how: ✅ Redesign Middle Management – Make it a role that fosters creativity, strategic thinking, and leadership development, rather than just a "buffer" between executives and staff. ✅ Empower Managers with Real Influence – Give middle managers decision-making power to drive meaningful change. No one wants to be stuck enforcing policies they have no say in. ✅ Invest in Leadership Development – Provide mentorship, coaching, and training to equip Gen Z with the skills (and motivation) to lead. ✅ Rethink Pay & Benefits – If we want to attract top talent, compensation must reflect responsibility. Higher salaries, equity options, and mental health support should be non-negotiables. ✅ Flexible Career Paths – Not everyone wants to follow a rigid corporate trajectory. Companies should create alternative leadership paths that allow for lateral moves, innovation projects, and entrepreneurial ventures. Gen Z isn’t lazy or afraid of hard work. They’re simply rejecting broken systems. If we want to nurture the next generation of leaders, we need to fix the leadership pipeline. What do you think? Have you seen this trend in your workplace? How can we make middle management a role that excites, rather than exhausts? Let’s discuss 👇🏾 #Leadership #FutureOfWork #GenZ #MiddleManagement #WorkplaceCulture #Careers Photo Credit: Financial Times

I started my career as an investigative journalist. The first lesson they teach you: the most important story is usually the one no one is talking about yet. Right now, that story is happening inside your leadership pipeline. Gen Z professionals, the people you're banking on to become your next wave of GMs, CEOs and CFOs, are quietly opting out of management. Not because they lack ambition but because they're doing the maths. "I watched my manager age ten years in two. No thanks." "High stress, low reward, and everyone blames you when the strategy doesn't land. Ill skip." A recent survey cited in the FT found half of Gen Z professionals are uninterested in middle management, with nearly 70% viewing those roles as exactly that: high stress, low reward. In financial and corporate services, this has real consequences: → Succession pipelines are thinner, → The 'high potential' list is full of people who may quietly just want to step sideways or stay where they are, → Leadership development ROI collapses if no one wants it. The organisations winning this right now are redesigning what leadership looks like. If you're building a C-suite team in APAC and want a frank conversation about what the pipeline actually looks like, my DMs are open. What's the most compelling reason you've seen a top performer turn down a leadership role?

🐤 Is Gen Z the Canary in the Coal Mine? Thoughts on Leadership, Empathy, and the Human Cost of Caring Last Friday, I had the opportunity to watch the new Jacinda Ardern documentary. What stood out to me was that she described herself as a "reluctant leader," but I noticed she was never a reluctant politician. She genuinely cared about the work itself. The issue seemed to be that her deep pastoral care for New Zealanders, which drove her to politics, seemed almost incompatible with the leadership demands of the Prime Minister. The early praise she received for how she handled the pandemic gave way to relentless criticism and even death threats. 🌸 The same empathy that made her effective ultimately led to her stepping down—this was both honest about burnout and strategically smart. But she didn't, and doesn't, lack ambition. She just rejected a leadership model that extracted more from her than she was willing to continue to give. ❓ ❓ This raises an uncomfortable question: Can leaders care this deeply, give so greatly, and survive our current systems? And I'm not just talking politics. In my work with Gen Z, I'm not seeing a lack of ambition. Nor am I seeing a lack of passion or care. But I do see a lot of fear around what work will take from them and how they will sustain themselves. Because (and read this part out loud if you are a current leader): 🚨 🚨 They don't see anyone they look up to and want to emulate in leadership. 📉 This is backed by research. Deloitte found that only 6% of Gen Zs say their primary goal is to reach a leadership position, and 70% dismiss manager roles as high stress and low reward. Gen Z is rejecting the old "success at all costs" model en masse. What does this all mean? Your grads will walk away from organisations that don't reward empathy, normalise burnout conversations, and create systems that support sustainable leadership. 👀 If this causes you to roll your eyes, ask yourself honestly: Is this sort of human-centered leadership something you would have liked once? What would it mean for you to have had leaders willing to be vulnerable about their limits? In pushing us to examine our current leadership models, Gen Z might just be the proverbial canary in the coal mine, letting us know what we all need. 📈 The question is, will we respond? #Leadership #Empathy #GenZ #TalentWar #FutureOfWork

Can we really blame Gen Z for not wanting the middle manager role? I mean… look at it 😬 The title used to mean stability, status, proof that the climb was worth it. What we’re calling Gen Z’s disengagement from the ladder is really just the first generation to say out loud what the data has been showing for a while: the middle manager role asks for a lot and is offering less than it ever has in return. No real decision-making power. Administrative and political work masquerading as leadership. A 10% raise in exchange for absorbing everyone’s frustration from every direction. And a front-row seat to watching that same role get eliminated first when companies decide to flatten their layers. The generation that grew up watching their parents get laid off after decades of loyalty isn’t interested in the same fate. If organizations want ambitious people to want these roles again, the conversation can’t start with “how do we get Gen Z to value the ladder.” It has to start with “what would make this job actually worth wanting.” That’s a much harder question, but it’s actually worth our time.

The Great Management Dodge: Why Gen Z Is Saying "No Thanks" to Being the Boss I had coffee with a brilliant 25-year-old software engineer last week. When I mentioned a team lead role at a top firm, she looked at me like I'd suggested she volunteer for root canal surgery. "Why would I want that headache?" she asked. "More meetings, office politics, and responsibility for other people's mess-ups? I'd rather focus on actual work." She's not alone. Gen Z professionals are increasingly turning down management opportunities, a phenomenon researchers call "conscious unbossing." They're watching millennial managers burn out from endless Zoom calls and performance reviews, and they're thinking: "Hard pass." Here's what's fascinating: it's not laziness or lack of ambition. These folks want meaningful work, not PowerPoint presentations about quarterly targets. They've seen managers work 65-hour weeks whilst their teams clock off at 6pm sharp. They've observed the stress, the constant interruptions, the thankless position of being caught between senior leadership demands and team needs. One candidate told me: "I want to be really good at what I do, not mediocre at managing people who are good at what they do." Fair point. This shift creates interesting challenges for organisations. We need leaders, but we can't force people into roles they don't want. Smart companies are adapting by creating senior individual contributor tracks, offering leadership training that actually prepares people for reality, and recognising that not everyone needs to climb the traditional ladder. The irony? Gen Z might actually make excellent managers precisely because they understand work-life balance and authentic leadership. They just need convincing that management doesn't have to mean misery. Perhaps it's time we stopped treating management as the only path to success and started showing what good leadership actually looks like. #CareerAdvice #HiringTips #TalentAcquisition

Deloitte's newest Gen Z and Millennial survey finds only 6% of workers in both generations say becoming a leader is their primary career goal. Those quick-to-the-draw might think these people simply lack ambition and drive. But the research not only directly refutes that, it shows 76% of Gen Z and 67% of Millennials still want to reach senior leadership one day. So how do we make sense of this? Deloitte's conclusion carries a punch: after watching what leadership demands today, many younger workers have simply decided the role isn't worth it. What they see are leaders who are stressed and burned out, carrying excessive responsibility, constantly connected, and struggling to maintain any semblance of work-life balance. For many of us who made it up the ranks in an organization, we sacrificed our health, our family and our personal time in exchange for the status, compensation and responsibility that enhanced our careers. But today, the expectations of a being leader have grown even more extreme – always being on and needing to be on – is just one straw that makes the deal undesirable. Realistically, it's gonna be very hard for companies to grow senior leaders if people who could ascend into them never climb onto the first rung. So, if organizations want people to actually raise their hands, the job itself has to change. It can't mean unlimited availability with no boundaries. It can't mean absorbing everyone else's workload while no one absorbs yours. And it can't be the one role in the company where nobody checks whether the person in it is okay. The 6% isn't a talent shortage. It's a reflection of what workplace leadership has become.

A recent study found that 𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗵𝗮𝗹𝗳 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗲𝗻 𝗭 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 don’t aspire to take on middle management roles. And honestly? Can we blame them? 😅 🔺 70% of them said they see leadership as high stress, low reward, a position that demands more responsibility without offering the flexibility, purpose, or work-life balance they value. If we're being honest, it makes sense. They've watched previous generations burn out, work long hours for limited recognition, and struggle to set boundaries in cultures that reward overwork. ➡️ So instead of climbing the corporate ladder, they’re opting out. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝘄𝗲’𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗴𝗼𝗮𝗹. The natural next step. The thing you should want if you’re ambitious. But Gen Z isn’t blindly subscribing to that narrative. They want to grow and have impact, but they’re not willing to sacrifice their well-being to do it. And if companies don’t recognize that shift, 𝘄𝗲’𝗿𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘁 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗴𝗮𝗽 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲. 🔸 So what do we do? ➔ 𝗪𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹. No one wants to step into a role that comes with 24/7 availability, constant pressure, and no personal life. We need to start making leadership a role people can thrive in, not survive in. ➔ 𝗪𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙡𝙮. Most first-time managers aren’t trained for leadership, they’re thrown into it. They go from excelling in their roles to suddenly being responsible for a team, with little to no guidance. If companies want strong leaders, they need to stop assuming leadership skills come naturally and start equipping people with the tools, mentorship, and emotional intelligence training they actually need. ➔ 𝗪𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗰𝘀. Gen Z values impact, connection, and purpose. If leadership is just about hitting numbers and putting out fires, it’s not going to attract them. They need to see leadership as a role that’s about empowering people, driving meaningful change, and creating environments where teams can thrive. 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻’𝘁 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗶𝗳 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗵𝗮𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁. 🔹 If companies don’t adapt, they won’t just struggle to fill management positions, they’ll lose out on some of the most 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱, 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱-𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 individuals who simply refuse to lead the way it’s always been done. Are we ready to change and adapt the way we lead? 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗺𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘁...

2025 is shaping up to be the year of the "manager crash." according to a Capterra study, 75% of millennial middle managers feel overwhelmed, stressed, or burned out, with nearly half considering leaving their roles as a result. middle managers are getting crushed from both sides. pressure from executives above, demands from teams below. they're implementing strategies they didn't design while managing people through changes they can't control. according to a study by Perceptyx, 39% of managers report increased pressure from leadership, while 37% note a rise in pressure from direct reports compared to the previous year. and the next generation? Robert Half found approximately 75% of Gen Z professionals prefer advancing as individual contributors rather than pursuing management roles. they're watching current managers burn out and saying "no thanks." we're creating a leadership vacuum at the exact moment we need strong middle management the most. the ripple effects are already starting: ↪️ teams without clear direction as managers struggle to keep up ↪️ innovation stalling because managers are too overwhelmed to think strategically ↪️ company culture eroding as the people responsible for maintaining it check out ↪️ teams often experience increased stress, weakened support systems, and uncertainty about priorities, which in turn heightens the risk of burnout across the entire workforce this isn't about adding wellness programs or giving managers more PTO. it's about fundamentally rethinking what we're asking them to do. the companies that survive 2025 will be the ones who realize that middle managers aren't just employees with fancy titles—they're the infrastructure holding everything together. if that infrastructure collapses, everything else goes with it.

🔥 Leadership’s Most Avoided Role. Leadership carries weight. But the roles carrying the most weight are often the least protected and least accepted. 📉 The data speaks clearly: Globally, over one-third of employees decline promotions into management. In the US, it’s 42%. In the UK, nearly half say no to the title. In France? 56% flat-out refuse. And this isn’t just institutional. It’s generational: Gen Z makes it even clearer: nearly half say they won’t pursue a manager title. They understand the tradeoffs. They see what the role has become: ⚠️ All the responsibility, none of the authority. ⚠️ Culture custodian, but stripped of cultural power. ⚠️ First to burn out. Last to be heard. 🔍 Why it matters: Every organization depends on leadership strength. When the most pivotal role becomes the least desirable, the system weakens at its center. Where structure compresses without support, culture loses integrity. 🛠 What we can do about it: ✅ Redesign the role Position managers as strategic connectors and cultural leaders and not delivery agents. ✅ Equip with tools Support with coaching, clarity, and authority that matches the demands. ✅ Expand growth paths Reward depth and expertise alongside formal leadership tracks. ✅ Reframe leadership Don't only reward managers who escalate. Celebrate managers who shape culture, solve conflict, and build capacity.. 🧭 The path forward: Strong leadership grows from strong design. When roles are clear, supported, and meaningful, they attract the right people at every level. #HumanCenteredLeadership #LeadershipRedesign #GenZWorkforce #CulturalStrategy #MiddleManagerCrisis #DisruptionWithEmpathy