Trish's Blog

What if Gen Z isn’t rejecting leadership… they’re just rejecting our version of it?

We keep saying, “They don’t want to lead.” Maybe what they’re actually saying is, “Not like that.”

They’ve watched burnout dressed up as ambition. Seen status chased at the expense of purpose. Been told to climb a ladder they didn’t build and don’t believe in.

And honestly, can you blame them?

This generation isn’t anti-leadership. They’re anti-performative, anti-pointless, anti-power-tripping leadership.

What if we stopped asking, “Why won’t they lead?”
And started asking, “What kind of leadership do they actually value?”
What are they already modelling; influence without title, action without ego, change without credit?

Maybe they’re not the leadership problem. Maybe they’re the blueprint for something better.

Curious to hear from you. What shifts have you noticed in how younger people show up at work, and what do you think leadership should look like now?