What If the Best Don’t Want to Lead?

This question emerged powerfully as we worked on our book Navigating Your Career: A Young Professional’s Guide to Why, Where, and How You Want to Work. In our research and conversations, we found a growing disconnect between behaving responsibly and a willingness to take responsibility—a rising reluctance among younger generations to pursue top-tier or public-facing leadership roles. 

And yet, leadership is more crucial than ever. The world faces unprecedented complexity and urgency: geopolitical tensions, climate crises, technological disruption, and declining trust in institutions. Innovation and investment alone won’t solve these challenges. We need a new generation of leaders—in business, government, academia, civil society, and beyond—who are committed, courageous, and ready to step up. 

We’re not referring here to general career ambition or advancement—many young professionals remain deeply driven to succeed in their fields. What’s at stake is the willingness to pursue the highest levels of leadership: the roles that shape institutions, set agendas, and influence society at scale. 

Without a broad and motivated leadership pool, we risk narrowing the range of ideas, perspectives, and talent just when the world needs them most. 

A growing body of evidence suggests that fewer young professionals today aspire to traditional leadership roles. For example, in Deloitte’s 2025 Global Gen Z and Millennial Survey, which heard from over 23,000 Gen Z and Millennial professionals across 44 countries, only 6% identified reaching a leadership position as their primary career goal, despite expressing high value for meaningful work, development, and social impact. 

To grasp the shift in leadership attitudes, we must understand how each generation has approached work and ambition. The Silent Generation (born ~1925–1945) was defined by duty, discipline, and conformity. Shaped by war and economic scarcity, they valued job security and hierarchy. Baby Boomers (born ~1946–1960) were driven by growth and prosperity. Their careers followed linear paths marked by loyalty and long-term organizational commitment. Generation X (born ~1960–1980) introduced a more individualistic and flexible career mindset. Entering the workforce during early digitalization, they favored competence and autonomy over status. 

Then came the Millennials (Gen Y born ~1980-1995) and Gen Z (born ~1995-2010), born into a world of abundance and acceleration. Their lives have been shaped by global connectivity, systemic uncertainty, and constant change—from 9/11 and financial crises to climate change, Covid-19, and social justice movements. Their values have shifted accordingly. These younger generations tend to prioritize meaningful work, flexibility, inclusion, well-being, and purpose. They embrace portfolio careers, question traditional authority, and measure success not just by position, but by impact and balance. 

This shift isn’t about apathy or lack of potential; it’s about whether they choose to lead. Here are five key reasons many high-potential young professionals hesitate to pursue true leadership roles:

Older generations have often equated success with climbing the corporate ladder and reaching the top. But for younger generations, that equation has changed. Top leadership roles, often associated with personal sacrifice, bureaucracy, and long hours, feel increasingly out of sync with what they value. Rather than advancing through traditional hierarchies, many prioritize autonomy, mental well-being, and meaningful work over conventional career paths. They are also drawn to alternative models of leadership, leading through influence, collaboration, or purpose rather than position—a shift sometimes referred to as “Conscious Unbossing.”

Millennials and Gen Z have grown up in households where both partners pursue careers. For them, this is non-negotiable. Leadership roles that demand singular focus and constant availability don’t easily align with dual-career households. Many opt out not because they can’t succeed, but because they won’t accept the tradeoffs.

Today, success is no longer defined solely by a corner office, a prestigious title, or a high income. Younger generations value being respected by their peers, making an impact, and working in environments that reflect their beliefs. "Cool" roles are often in NGOs, startups, or purpose-driven ventures. As prestige has shifted, so has the gravitational pull of traditional leadership.

Today’s leaders operate under intense visibility. One misstep can lead to reputational damage in a matter of hours. In an era of “cancel culture” and real-time judgment, many young professionals are acutely aware of the risks. Leadership, once seen as aspirational, now carries a reputational hazard label, one that deters even the most capable from stepping forward. 

Closely linked to public scrutiny is the increasingly politicized environment leaders now operate in. They’re expected to speak out on issues ranging from climate justice to international conflicts, often beyond their remit. For many, this expanded scope feels risky and overwhelming—not just a test of skill, but of identity.

These patterns reflect a generational preference for leadership that is empathetic, collaborative, and purpose-driven rather than hierarchical or directive. As a result, many hesitate when it comes to the latter: asserting authority, taking visible responsibility, and navigating the weight of power. What we’re seeing is not a rejection of leadership itself, but a redefinition away from hierarchy and toward harmony. Yet the world still demands leaders who can do both. 

This isn’t a crisis of competence; it’s a crisis of aspiration. And addressing it requires a shared commitment across generations. If we want tomorrow’s leaders to rise, we must reimagine leadership through their eyes — and understand what it demands of all of us. 

History and research show that, in any field—from politics and business to sports and culture—larger talent pools consistently produce better leaders. Competition drives excellence, and diversity of thought improves decision-making. If too few are willing to lead, we don’t just face a talent gap; we risk losing the fresh thinking, adaptability, and resilience that leadership today demands. 

Creating a compelling future for leadership will depend on what both generations are willing to both contribute and compromise. While today’s senior leaders (specifically Baby Boomers and Gen X) must reshape leadership to reflect the values of a new era, younger generations must recognize that stepping into leadership requires trade-offs. Leadership roles will never be perfectly tailored or entirely risk-free nor should they be. Progress demands compromise and the occasional sacrifice of personal comfort for collective gain. 

Senior leaders should not just pass on the baton, but play their role in mentoring, modeling, and making leadership a path worth stepping into. But it’s up to the next generation to walk that path, even when it is imperfect. 

Today’s leaders have a vital role in making leadership both meaningful and attractive. That begins with anchoring leadership in the defining issues of our time—climate change, inequality, AI ethics, and democratic resilience—so that stepping into senior roles means shaping the future, not just managing the present. Organizations must become vehicles for societal progress, with purpose embedded not as decoration, but as a defining principle. 

Future leaders also need help navigating the moral complexity of today’s world. That requires space for civic courage, support to confront dilemmas, and role models who lead with integrity across divides. 

Equally important is rethinking what gets rewarded: not just short-term output, but long-term outcomes and legacy-minded leadership. And above all, today’s leaders must inspire — not with titles or perks, but with clarity, humility, and conviction. 

But leadership cannot be made so attractive that all tension disappears. Today’s younger generations often act responsibly, prioritizing sustainability, inclusion, and fairness. Responsible behavior, however, is not the same as taking responsibility. The latter requires action, visibility, and resilience in the face of criticism. 

As political scientist and writer Dominique Moïsi once observed in an interview with one of the authors, “The problem is that Europe has become, for the younger generation, a place to be and not a place to do—and this has to be changed.” Increasingly, this holds true not only for Europe, but for much of the developed world. We need a new generation of leaders with the courage not to inhabit, but to shape, protect, and advance the world we live in. 

To do so we must make leadership not only accessible, but worth aspiring to. Because when the most thoughtful and capable step up, not despite the complexity, but because of it, leadership becomes a force for connection, progress, and hope.