Will we have any workplace leaders left by 2030?

Our latest Work Remastered research suggests that leadership is losing its allure.

Only a quarter of workers (23%) say they are motivated by the promise of promotion into a senior role, and only 20% said they wanted to become a leader in the future.

You might assume this is a ‘Gen Z problem’; that younger workers don’t want responsibility. But the data tells a different story. In fact, The cohort most likely to aspire to leadership is 18-24-year-olds. At 40%, their number is double the average across all age groups. 

Let’s shift the thinking, because the issue lies less in motivation and more in perceptions.

Many are reluctant to step up because they see it as a burden. They see leaders under constant scrutiny, battling internal politics, highly stressed and on the verge of burnout. It’s no surprise that so few would want to be a part of that.

This presents a real challenge: organisations must make leadership appealing again, or risk having no one left to lead.

Changing the narrative

Traditionally, leadership roles were associated with hierarchy, power and control, but that’s not what defines good leadership today. According to Work Remastered, the traits people look for in today’s leaders are trust, consistency and integrity (46%), as well as active listening and valuing diverse perspectives (38%). 

If these behaviours are visible and grounded in the company’s values, leaders can create a culture of respect and trust, making the step up more appealing to the next generation of junior and mid-level employees.

Wellbeing and workload balance (27%) also rank highly among employees’ top priorities. Redefining leadership, then, is a balancing act. Organisations need to demonstrate that leaders can have influence without work taking over their entire lives, and authority without losing their humanity.

The problem is that this isn’t the reality in many workplaces.

Practicing leadership

Aside from pay (38%) and their colleagues (28%), the opportunity for growth (27%) has the greatest influence on how people feel about work. This presents a genuine opportunity: if organisations can connect leadership to growth, showing it as a path for development, they can start to shift perceptions. 

Career progression should feel embedded in the culture. Growth should feel part of the everyday employee experience.

Many organisations have well-established leadership programmes that get people on that track. But, really, leadership development should be embedded into everyday work. Organisations need to identify early those that have the traits of a great leader and grow them into the role.

By giving employees ‘try before you buy’ experiences, organisations can build leadership development into day-to-day tasks. Leading a small team on a specific project lets people test leadership skills in a low-risk environment and decide if it’s the right path for them. Leadership should be a journey, not a leap.

Even if it isn’t their preferred route, it still offers meaningful growth. One of the biggest myths in business is that there’s only one path forward. Organisations have to accept that not everyone wants to be a leader. And that’s okay.

Equally important are visibility and accessibility. People can’t aspire to what they can’t see.

Too often, those in the C-suite feel far removed from their junior colleagues. This is where mentoring programmes come in. By connecting the C-suite directly with junior and mid-level employees, they break down barriers and show what good leadership looks like in practice. 

The leadership pipeline won’t rebuild itself. Succession planning and the next tier of up-and-coming leaders is often missing, or not as planned into organisational development as it should be. Organisations need to act now – making leadership visible, meaningful and human – or risk running out of people willing to lead.

HR Magazine – Mavis Boniface