I want to table a question that has serious implications for businesses in the not so far future.

Why are younger generations, specifically Gen Z and the emerging Gen Alpha, turning away from leadership roles?
And more importantly… what must we learn from this?

This isn’t a passing trend. It’s a signal.
It’s not a leadership gap, it’s a leadership wake-up call.

Gen Z Isn’t Just Opting Out. They’re Redefining the Game.

Let’s talk facts.

According to a recent Robert Walter survey, over 50% of Gen Z in the UK don’t want to move into middle-management roles. The reason? High stress. Low return.
Development Dimensions International (Business Insider) reports they’re 1.7x more likely than previous generations to skip leadership in order to protect their mental health.
Korn Ferry (Forbes) says 72% of Gen Z prefer to remain individual contributors.

This isn’t passivity, it’s intentional disengagement from outdated leadership models.

There’s even a name for it now: Conscious Unbossing.
It’s the act of stepping away from authority roles that feel more draining than meaningful.

And it’s not just the “would-be” leaders.
Gallup’s 2025 State of the Global Workplace report shows that even current managers under 35 are rapidly disengaging. Female managers? Down 7 points.
If we don’t address this, the ripple effects will gut future productivity, trust, and innovation.

Gen Z: Purpose Over Power, Autonomy Over Authority

So what does Gen Z want instead?

They want work-life integration, not burnout disguised as ambition.
They see mental health as a boundary, not a bonus.
They prioritize mastery and autonomy, not climbing org charts.
They want meaning, not just money.

For Gen Z, being a leader isn’t about title or control, it’s about having a voice, contributing to purpose, and living with alignment.

If leadership doesn’t feel authentic, regenerative, and people-first they’re not interested.

Gen Alpha: The Entrepreneurial Generation Will Not Obey

Gen Alpha (born 2010–2025) may just finish what Gen Z started.

Visa research shows that over 75% of Gen Alpha already want to be their own boss or run a side business.
They’re being raised in a tech-saturated world, comfortable with AI, collaboration tools, and creating their own digital platforms.
They’re not just influenced by values, they demand values.

They will not follow leaders who operate on control.
They will follow leaders who create space, resonance, and transformation.

What This Means for Business

Let’s be blunt.

If businesses don’t rethink leadership, they’re going to face:

• A leadership vacuum
• Broken succession pipelines
• Even more rising disengagement and turnover
• Cultures that feel irrelevant or unsafe to rising talent

This isn’t a problem that strategy decks will solve.
This is a business culture-level transformation.

So What Do We Do Now?

Evolve leadership. From the inside out.

Let’s stop making people management the only path to growth.
Let’s create dual ladders for influence: one for leaders, one for specialists.
Let’s build cultures of autonomy, not control.
Let’s teach empathy, emotional intelligence, feedback literacy, and active listening.
Let’s embed purpose into everyday work, not just the mission statement.
And let’s invite Gen Z and Alpha to co-create the next generation of leadership design.

Let them help build what they’ll be willing to grow into.

Rethinking Leadership – From Enforcement to In-Powerment

The future doesn’t need more managers.
It needs more mentors.
More guides.
More facilitators of authentic growth.

It needs people who lead not by authority, but by energy and intention.

The traditional path to leadership is burning out even the willing.
It’s time to light a new one, rooted in purpose, power, and personal alignment.

Final Thoughts: A Conscious Leadership Challenge

Here are my questions to you.

Are you still designing leadership roles that reflect 1995… or 2025?

Are you building your next generation of leaders by teaching performance metrics, or emotional intelligence?

Are you cultivating in-powered leadership… or enforcing outdated structures?

Because Gen Z and Alpha aren’t the problem.
They’re the solution—if we’re ready to listen.