Has leadership lost its appeal?

As leaders, it is prudent that we are continually thinking about succession planning. Developing future leaders is essential to ensuring business continuity, preserving organizational knowledge, and sustaining long-term performance.

But what happens when leadership itself has become undesirable?

Across many organizations, fewer employees appear interested in stepping into leadership roles. While it may be tempting to attribute this to shifting workforce expectations or a lack of ambition, I believe there is another very important question.

Rather than asking why employees no longer aspire to lead, perhaps we should ask whether we have unintentionally designed leadership roles that few people actually want. Leadership expectations have evolved significantly, yet the design of leadership roles has remained largely unchanged. We continue to add accountability, complexity, and responsibility without rethinking capacity, authority, or support. It should come as no surprise that talented employees are questioning whether the rewards of leadership still outweigh the demands.

Increased complexity, accountability for leadership

Leadership has evolved dramatically over the past decade. Today’s leaders are expected to deliver business results, lead through constant change, coach employees, champion culture, manage increasingly complex people issues, embrace technology, and remain continuously available. At the same time, many have less autonomy than ever before and are held accountable for outcomes they can’t fully control.

Employees notice. They see leaders working longer hours, absorbing organizational pressure, and carrying the weight of difficult decisions while often receiving little recognition for their efforts. For many high-performing employees, leadership no longer represents career progression — it represents personal sacrifice.

If talented employees are deliberately choosing to remain individual contributors, we should resist the urge to label it a workforce problem. Instead, we should examine whether it is a leadership role design problem.

Investing in leadership capability

Organizations need to rethink what leadership looks like. Are expectations realistic? Are leaders equipped with the authority, resources, and development they need to succeed? Are we investing in leadership capability before promotion, or expecting people to learn through trial and error?

Leadership should be challenging, but it should also be sustainable. The organizations that will succeed in the future will not simply identify high-potential employees, they will create leadership roles that talented people genuinely aspire to. Because if fewer people want to lead, the issue may not be the leadership pipeline. It may be leadership itself.

Janet Bray is Vice President, Human Resources at Pier 4 in Toronto.