“Conscious Unbossing”: Are Young People Shying Away from Management, or Showing Us a New Way to Exercise Leadership?- an article by Anne-Marie Deblonde for Focus RH

Younger generations appear to be turning away from traditional hierarchical management. At least, that is what the phenomenon known as ‘conscious unbossing’ seems to suggest. This trend raises questions, given that management has traditionally been seen as the primary route to positions of significant responsibility, or even to the top executive role. Behind this shift, two distinct developments are emerging: younger employees are becoming more demanding in their relationships with their line managers, particularly when it comes to being listened to, autonomy and mutual respect, while also becoming less inclined to view managing others as an essential step towards a successful career.

According to a study published by Apec in January 2026, only 47% of non-managerial professionals under the age of 35 wanted to become managers in 2025, compared with 63% in 2022 – a decline of 16 percentage points over three years. Does this mean that management is no longer an attractive career prospect? That would be a rather hasty conclusion. For behind this decline, something else may be at play: a questioning of the way management is currently conceived and practised, but also the emergence of alternative, equally fulfilling paths through which individuals can pursue their ambitions.

What if this trend ultimately presented an opportunity to rethink leadership?

Young People Remain Committed, but in Different Ways

First, we need to dispel a common misconception: that younger generations are shying away from work and, with it, any form of responsibility. Rather, they seem to want to redefine the terms of their engagement, favouring a working environment built on listening, trust and collaboration. They aspire to work in an environment that fosters success and provides a sense of purpose, where they have genuine freedom to take action and make an impact.

Their understanding of professional fulfilment no longer necessarily revolves around a job title, status or position in the hierarchy. Instead, it is increasingly shaped by stimulating projects, regularly reassessed objectives and opportunities to work with multidisciplinary, or even multicultural, teams. They see all these elements as essential to their professional development and their ability to create value.

These young professionals also seek greater flexibility, flatter organisational structures and freedom, in contrast to working environments they sometimes perceive as overly rigid. The persistence of micromanagement, alongside the diminishing scope of middle management roles, whose tangible benefits appear to have gradually faded, is fuelling this sense of distrust.

Yet the Apec study reveals that the desire to move into management remains stronger among younger professionals than among their older counterparts: 47% of those under 35 want to become managers, compared with 34% of non-managerial professionals aged 35 to 54.

This is the paradox: the desire to manage remains, but the model on offer is becoming less appealing. What puts young professionals off is less the prospect of managing others than the nature of a role that no longer sufficiently fulfils their intellectual and professional aspirations, while placing managers at the centre of conflicting demands: relentless reporting, sometimes with little apparent purpose, disproportionate pressure, constant availability and limited autonomy.

Far from abandoning their ambitions, younger employees therefore seem intent on reshaping the boundaries of a framework they consider overly restrictive, replacing it with a model that allows them to learn, develop and contribute fully to collective success.

They lack neither ambition nor leadership. They simply want to express both differently.

It Is the World of Work That Is Changing First and Foremost

To understand these aspirations, we must also consider the professional environment in which these younger generations are working. An environment undergoing rapid and far-reaching transformations, where the boundaries between professional and personal life are becoming increasingly blurred. A world in which the traditional figure of the ‘boss’ is being challenged, artificial intelligence is reshaping jobs and organisations, and intergenerational relationships sometimes struggle to find a new balance.

In this world of work, where almost everything is being reshaped, management must evolve too. A framework remains essential, but it must now provide security without imposing restrictions, offer direction without constant supervision, and empower people without leaving them to fend for themselves.

The problem therefore lies less in the role itself than in the conditions under which it is still too often performed.

Managers are still expected to balance the demands of their organisations with employees’ expectations, while taking on an increasing burden of responsibilities and constraints, without always having the corresponding decision-making authority or deriving sufficient satisfaction from their role.

Perhaps this is where the real source of disillusionment lies: not in responsibility itself, but in the gap between the responsibilities managers are given and their actual ability to act.

Read the full article on the Focus RH website (available in French only)