The role of a leader has never been more important as CEOs set their sights on growth through transformation in 2025 and yet the pipeline of managers is reducing. For many, the role has gotten too big, and numerous potential middle managers are opting out, which has recently been coined “conscious unbossing”, leaving CEOs and Heads of People and Culture challenged to fill these positions.
According to a recent survey by Korn Ferry, 72% of the youngest generation of workers say they’d rather be individual contributors than middle managers and 40% said they’d pass up a promotion to manager, citing workload, stress, and work-life balance as more important.
This is supported by the recent Gartner report on HR Trends for 2025, which found 75% of leaders and manager are overwhelmed by the growth in their job responsibilities.
Shanda Mints, Korn Ferry’s vice president for RPO analytics and implementation, says, “Gen Z is seeing the responsibilities, but not the rewards, so why move up?”
Growing great leaders is like nurturing a seedling to become a plant. In the beginning, we need to shelter the seedling from the harsh weather conditions, water it ‘just the right amount’, provide sufficient sunlight and protect it from nature’s predators (like slugs or snails). Nurturing ‘individual contributors’ to become leaders is quite similar.
In IBM’s "Basic Blue for IBM Leaders" program, they incorporate essential theories and proven strategies of effective leadership in multiple online simulations that provide interactive lessons so managers at IBM become well-versed in core leadership concepts. This approach lays the groundwork for leaders, ensuring they have a strong grasp of fundamental principles before they apply them in real-world situations. The goal is to create a solid knowledge base from which managers can grow into confident, competent leaders with the capability to later navigate the leadership challenges and drive success in their teams and the broader organization.
“My main job was developing talent. I was a gardener providing water and other nourishment to our top 750 people. Of course, I had to pull out some weeds, too."
Jack Welsh
As CEOs and Head of People and Culture, we need to be making the role of manager / leader more attractive by creating a supportive culture for new leaders that empathises the value and importance these roles play in our organisations. The future success of our organisations depends on the strength of our managers and leaders.
Here’s 5 ways to make leadership roles more attractive:
Growth the bench strength of your current ‘Individual Contributors’ to better prepare them for leadership roles. Expose them to new opportunities (projects) where they may gain experience communicating cross functioning, expanding their business knowledge and problem-solving skills while also adapting to changing and complex environments.
Foster a supportive culture that emphasizes mentorship: leveraging the wisdom of experienced leaders to support and mentor the new generation.
Invest in professional development – not just a 2 day course but a leadership program that builds capability over time, provides personalised coaching to aid the application of the learnings while also creating an environment for networking and relationship building.
Promote work-life balance – find creative ways to ensure personal commitments and mental health is prioritised.
Recognise and celebrate the unique contributions of managers. This should not be a thankless role as being seen and valued is important at all levels of an organisation..
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