Everything we’ve ever been taught about ambition and success has completely shifted, and we’re seeing that play out in real time in Corporate America.
Now don’t get me wrong, are people still looking to grow in their careers and make more money? Absolutely. But the shift really has to do with how Gen Z professionals are looking at management roles. And truthfully, they’re just not sold on it.
Before you form an opinion one way or another, ask yourself first: would you be? The answer is likely a resounding no.
Recent research reveals that 52% of Gen Z workers prefer individual contributor roles over management positions, viewing leadership tracks as high-stress commitments with questionable returns. According to Deloitte, only 6% of Gen Z professionals express any desire to reach executive leadership.
And if I’m being honest, I completely feel them.
Gen Z’s hesitation comes down to three things: burnout, endless red tape, and losing touch with the work they actually love. And today, in this economy, during this presidency — all completely valid points! A lesson that I’ve personally learned throughout my career (and advice I give to mentees) is that “these companies do not care about you”. And while it’s a broad statement, it’s a reflection of what we’re seeing in real life, as the country — and economy — move towards an impending recession.
Actually, Gen Z’s management reluctance coincides with “The Great Unbossing,” where major corporations including Meta and Citigroup eliminated thousands of positions, with middle management roles comprising 30% of cuts. The message was clear: you can climb the ladder all you want, but there’s no guarantee the rungs will still be there tomorrow. It’s one of many reasons Gen Z (and let’s be real, millennials too) are choosing to work smart, not just work hard.
For a lot of young professionals, the math isn’t mathing. Take for example, a marketing coordinator making $55,000. They might see a promotion to marketing manager paying $70,000, but if that role requires 60-hour weeks instead of 40, the hourly compensation actually decreases. Gen Z has watched millennial managers navigate impossible expectations, constant reorganizations, and the mental health toll that comes with middle management responsibilities. Whether or not it’s actually worth it depends on the individual, but if you look at the facts strictly on paper, it’s looking like a hard no for most.
This generation approaches career decisions with a different framework and mentality, period. Having grown up during multiple economic disruptions, they prioritize stability and personal well-being over hierarchical advancement. They’ve seen how quickly companies can restructure or eliminate entire departments, making individual expertise feel more secure than managerial authority.
Technology makes this choice easier than ever—something older generations couldn’t even picture. Dale Carnegie research shows that 20% of Gen Z workers credit workplace technology with making them more efficient, compared to just 10% of Gen X professionals. As digital natives, they can often accomplish more individually than previous generations could with larger teams.
The shift reflects changing definitions of impact and influence. Where previous generations equated leadership with formal authority over teams, Gen Z professionals prefer to drive change through individual expertise and collaborative influence. They’ve seen how individual contributors with specialized skills can shape company direction without carrying management’s administrative burden.
For millennials (waving a yellow flag as an elderly millennial myself), the case against management is equally compelling. Many entered the workforce during the Great Recession and now question whether traditional career advancement is worth the personal cost. To say that we are stressed, overworked and underpaid is an understatement. Those who pursued management roles during the pandemic found themselves managing remote teams through unprecedented challenges while dealing with their own stress and isolation.
This generational shift forces a broader conversation about what we value in professional life. Gen Z has grown up with greater awareness of mental health and work-life boundaries. They’ve watched previous generations, like mine, sacrifice relationships and health for career advancement, and many are choosing different priorities.
Companies that get it are already rethinking what success really looks like. Rather than assuming all talented employees want to manage others, they’re creating multiple pathways for growth that acknowledge different strengths and preferences.