The leadership tradeoff Gen Z won't make

OMG. How about growing a pair!

Is that sexist? Inappropriate? Good! That's how I roll.

The leadership tradeoff Gen Z won't make

By Matthew Fray, Quartz Media

Jan 19, 2026

More than half of Gen Zers don’t want to advance their careers if it means moving into management and overseeing teams. Many are rejecting the idea of the traditional career ladder entirely.

Some call it “conscious un-bossing,” a play off the term “conscious uncoupling,” popularized a decade ago when Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin used it to describe their amicable breakup.

Gen Z is redefining promotions and leadership, according to consulting firm Robert Half, whose recent survey found that 40% of Gen Zers only want promotions if they don’t involve becoming a manager.

“This shift is prompting companies to rethink their approach to career development, making room for dual career ladders that support both managers and individual contributors,” the Robert Half report said.

Dovile Gelcinskaite, an HR business partner at marketing automation platform Omnisend, said she doesn’t believe this objection to moving into management is specific to Gen Z professionals.

“I’d be willing to bet they’re just the most vocal about it,” Gelcinskaite said. “Who hasn’t seen a manager absorb endless meetings, pressure, and responsibility — only to burn out?

“The job itself has also changed quite a bit over the past decade,” Gelcinskaite added. “Managers have become a kind of therapist, conflict resolver, and shock absorber for decisions made higher up. That can be a lonely place to be, stuck between leadership and your team, without much support in either direction.”

‘Constant disruption, change, and economic pressure’

There is a misconception that Gen Zers just want things easier and on their terms, said Olivia Haywood, CMO at Sponge, a strategic consultant and maker of custom digital learning solutions for global brands.

“These workers have endured overwhelming noise and extreme digital saturation throughout their lives inside and outside work, so what they’re craving is a sense of meaning and community,” Haywood said. “Organizations cannot guarantee a stable future — but they can shape roles and environments to help high performers find meaning in their work again, through creativity, imagination, a sense of individual contribution and, most powerfully, through real human connection.”

Many Gen Z workers are focused on security and stability rather than growth, Haywood said.

“We used to count on young workers to pour disproportionate energy, effort, and time into building their careers, with a view that such investment would lead to long-term career results,” she said. “But today, chronic uncertainty is the operating backdrop of modern work. There’s no longer a sense that there will be a payoff at the end — constant disruption, change, and economic pressure are eroding the sense of potential rewards in a risk-heavy world that’s already exhaustingly hard work.”

“There are a multitude of issues on a multitude of levels,” said Therise Edwards, a K-12 career options consultant and CEO of Teshley Solutions. But a particularly important factor, she said, is that many Gen Zers “lack the requisite communication skills needed for management roles.”

“Gen Z has grown up almost entirely digital,” Edwards said.

CBS News reported in 2023 that 90% of Gen Z are anxious about speaking on the phone, and it reported last year about the rise of “telephobia” educational courses to help students who struggle with phone calls.

“Strong mentors, with a plentiful amount of patience, are needed to help them clear the communication hurdle,” Edwards said. “It’s not that Gen Z isn’t capable — they haven’t been required to hone the skill.”

‘The trade-off simply no longer feels worth it’

But independent of any perceived or actual skill gaps, many Gen Zers simply don’t view management as rewarding.

“Additional responsibility is seen as a burden, and in some cases, almost like punishment,” said George Atuahene, founder and CEO of Ataraxis, a company that helps businesses hire MBA-level virtual assistants and offshore talent. “A managerial position usually means more stress, accountability for others. Early in their career, many Gen Zers have seen their managers burn out, so the positive aspects of leadership are often overwhelmed by the fear of constant pressure, mental health issues, and sacrificing their personal time.”

Atuahene said these young workers are more interested in becoming an individually skilled professional than someone’s boss.

“They would take a lower salary if it meant more freedom, less stress, and proper appreciation of their skills,” he said. “They also value transparent companies where expectations and communication are clear.”

Social media has exposed how demanding leadership can be, removing the mystery around it, Atuahene said.

“Another important point is that highly skilled professionals are more likely to find a new job after a layoff, or just to hunt for a better offer than a manager would,” he said. “Technology made it easier to earn well without managing others. Leadership lost its status appeal because the cost became more visible. For many Gen Z workers, the trade-off simply no longer feels worth it.”

Leadership roles would become more attractive to Gen Z if management were to stop being associated with stress and burnout, Atuahene said.

“Right now, many in Gen Z see the role of manager as the ‘overseer’ type of person who has to work after hours and is constantly under stress,” he said. “When it is transformed into a more ‘mentor’ type of person, the one who has unique experience and is ready to share it with less experienced employees, Gen Z would start pursuing advancement as managers. Since Gen Z values leadership that feels more human, it’s a good idea to give young managers smaller teams to manage at the start.”

Kate Wexell, a 21-year-old student at Imperial Business School in London, said that unlike many of her peers, she aspires to management and leadership in an organization one day.

“I see it as providing leverage and impact across a wider expanse of people,” she said.

But Wexell described “disinterest or existential dread” in her peers.

“Many are just not the kind of person who desires leadership due to not being an assertive person, or being more introverted,” she said. “Others have no interest because it requires more commitment while we still likely won’t be able to buy a house or spend time with our children.”

Wexell said she has also observed current managers be critical of young workers, which she perceived as those managers feeling threatened by Gen Z’s presence and innovation.

“This kind of domineering would make anybody not want to be in leadership,” she said. “I also think we desire to be the leader of our own startups, brands, or small businesses instead of somebody else’s.”

— Matthew Fray