As a new generation of business leaders rethink what success looks like, many are聽prioritising聽strategic skill building and having a meaningful impact over climbing the corporate ladder. Others are fast-tracking their own career paths 鈥 raising questions about what leadership of the future might look like.
When Emily Bobis (BA 鈥16, MCom 鈥19,聽DipLangStud 鈥21) reflects on the moment she realised聽she didn鈥檛 want a traditional corporate career, it聽comes back to a single internship. 鈥淚 had imagined a聽fairly standard career path. I didn鈥檛 ever plan to start a聽technology company,鈥 she says. 鈥淏ut I was interning聽at a large corporation, and I remember thinking,聽there鈥檚 no way I can do this now, let alone forever.鈥
That clarity galvanised her move into the start鈥憉p聽world. She had already helped to establish and sell聽bike鈥憇haring platform Airbike, with fellow student聽Angus McDonald (BA 鈥21), while at university 鈥 and聽they were already in discussions about their next聽venture. When she finished the internship, she聽decided to take the plunge and launch Compass IoT,聽a data intelligence company that uses data from聽cars to solve complex transport problems related to聽congestion, safety and city planning. 鈥淭hat was in聽2018,鈥 Emily says. 鈥淣ow we employ 27 people and聽have mapped over 20 million freight trips, reduced聽crashes, informed government policy and major聽infrastructure investment, and supported flood聽disaster recovery efforts.鈥
Her experience reflects a broader shift underway聽among Gen Z (generally considered to have聽been born between 1995 and 2012). For decades,聽leadership followed a familiar script, but for today鈥檚聽emerging workforce, that script no longer works.聽Many young professionals are stepping away聽from traditional management pathways 鈥 not out聽of apathy, but intention.
When people ask for my job title, I hesitate. Modern work culture isn't as tied to titles, especially in the start-up space.
Emily Bobis
The end of the old ladder
There was a time when the career ladder made聽perfect sense 鈥 you took a step, then another, steadily聽climbing toward seniority, a bigger pay cheque and聽perhaps even a corner office. But the workplace has聽shifted a long way from that tidy paradigm. Few of us聽still reach for the traditional 鈥榥ext rung鈥, as careers聽increasingly move sideways, diagonally, or even聽down in strategic plays to learn and grow before聽rising again. And now, yet another shift may be聽on the horizon.
Insights from recent studies, including Deloitte鈥檚聽2025 Gen Z and Millennial Survey, point to a聽generational rethink of leadership. In Australia,聽94 percent of Australian Gen Zs say that meaningful聽work is a priority, often choosing roles aligned聽with personal values and sustainability, while just聽7 percent aspire to senior leadership, favouring聽work鈥憀ife balance instead.
Sometimes described as 鈥榗onscious unbossing鈥,聽this trend raises questions about future聽management styles and the emergence of more聽collaborative forms of leadership.
Leadership without the labels
For Emily, leadership has always been about working聽independently and making a real impact, rather than聽power or status.
鈥淲hen people ask for my job title, I hesitate,鈥 she聽says. 鈥淢odern work culture isn鈥檛 as tied to titles,聽especially in the start鈥憉p space. It鈥檚 about what聽you deliver. And my generation is probably more聽accepting of accelerating staff.鈥
She has seen how quickly early鈥慶areer employees聽can grow when given responsibility and the right聽support. 鈥淵oung people come out of uni, and聽sometimes if they鈥檙e sucked into a corporate聽machine, they can feel as if they have no ability聽to make an impact,鈥 she says. 鈥淢y experience is聽that graduates really want the opportunity to make聽a difference. For example, we hired a student in聽her final year of university who was helping with聽copywriting tasks. Eighteen months later, she聽runs marketing in the UK,鈥 Emily says. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛聽overnight, but it was definitely a shorter lead time聽than she鈥檇 have at a bigger organisation.鈥
With a team spanning staff in their 20s to 60s,聽Emily believes that mindset matters more than age.聽鈥淲e look for adaptability and openness,鈥 she says.聽鈥淓mpathy matters 鈥 it鈥檚 not revolutionary, but it鈥檚聽meaningful. Our culture helps us retain people, and聽that builds knowledge over time. It鈥檚 carrots rather聽than sticks 鈥 that鈥檚 the way I would like to be led, so聽that鈥檚 the way I lead.鈥
Authenticity over authority
(BA(Hons) 鈥17, PhD 鈥21), a lecturer聽in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at the聽University鈥檚 Business School, believes that Gen Z鈥檚聽leadership mindset has been shaped by timing as聽much as temperament. 鈥淭hey lived through COVID聽at a significant moment in their lives,鈥 he explains.聽鈥淭hey鈥檙e entering the workforce with a very different聽perspective as a result.鈥澛
鈥淭he idea of 鈥榗onscious unbossing鈥 is interesting聽because this generation, I鈥檝e found, prioritises values.聽For many, the traditional trade鈥憃ffs of management 鈥撀爈ong hours, emotional labour and blurred boundaries聽鈥 no longer align with their values or capabilities. I鈥檝e聽heard young people say, 鈥業f you become management,聽you don鈥檛 get paid overtime.鈥 Taking on extra聽responsibility isn鈥檛 the lure it once was.鈥
Instead, Gen Z is reframing leadership expectations.聽鈥淭hey want authenticity,鈥 Nate says. 鈥淭hey want聽leaders who admit mistakes and show that they have聽overcome adversity. It鈥檚 not about being inspirational;聽it鈥檚 about being your 鈥榓uthentic self鈥.
鈥淭here are actually a lot of misconceptions about聽generational differences at work, and something聽I鈥檓 keen for people to know is that, in fact, recent聽research shows there is no strong evidence聽supporting systematic differences between different聽鈥榞enerations鈥. There are, however, often perceptions聽of differences. You feel there is a difference, you make聽your own assumptions 鈥 and in an organisation, that鈥檚聽where we see issues stemming from.鈥
He points to bi鈥慸irectional mentoring as a聽powerful opportunity. 鈥淲e often think of mentoring聽as a one鈥憌ay street 鈥 older workers training聽younger team members,鈥 Nate says. 鈥淏ut younger聽workers are tapped into trends, they鈥檙e AI literate聽and native to new technologies, while senior staff聽offer institutional knowledge and context. If that聽diversity is well managed, it can be incredibly聽productive. It鈥檚 a real chance for organisations to聽advance collectively.鈥
We're proactive about our careers and try to make things happen for ourselves instead of letting them happen to us.
Ricky Rangra
Ambition on new terms
Not all Gen Z professionals are stepping away聽from senior leadership. Ricky Rangra (BCom/聽BAdvStudies 鈥24), an associate with a multinational聽consulting firm, represents a cohort that is ambitious聽鈥 but on its own terms.
Ricky sees a shift away from more conventional聽ways of navigating the corporate hierarchy, with聽young people creating their own pathways. 鈥淎s聽a generation, I鈥檇 say we鈥檙e high鈥慳gency and聽outcomes鈥慸riven,鈥 he says. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proactive about聽our careers and try to make things happen for聽ourselves instead of letting them happen to us.鈥澛
That mindset emerged early for Ricky. Straightout of high school, he worked full time at Westpac聽and later AMP, while studying at university. At 18, he聽emailed the then鈥慍EO of Westpac asking for a chat聽over coffee. The following week, the CEO鈥檚 chief聽of staff invited him in for a meeting. 鈥淢y biggest聽takeaway early in my career was the importance of聽being active in your own career development and聽seeking out the right people to learn from.鈥
Ricky chose consulting with a clear strategic goal聽鈥 to build a strong leadership toolkit. 鈥淐onsulting聽requires you to develop an informed point of view聽grounded in data, then convey it clearly 鈥 often at聽critical moments for a client,鈥 he says. For Ricky, who聽hopes to work in senior leadership in government,聽these foundations matter. 鈥淢y future success will be聽built on the skills I鈥檓 developing now. People my age聽definitely want to get to senior levels earlier, though.鈥
Among Ricky鈥檚 peers, ambition often means聽moving sideways rather than up. He sees his peers聽embracing flexibility 鈥 moving between start鈥憉ps,聽sustainability ventures and established firms, often聽across borders 鈥 to gain broader, global experience.聽
鈥淕etting ahead doesn鈥檛 always mean moving up聽in your current role,鈥 he says. 鈥淪ometimes it means聽moving sideways for new experiences.鈥澛燜or Ricky, management today is not necessarily聽about traditional hierarchy, it鈥檚 about influencing聽organisational change and the ways you can serve and聽lead. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about developing institutional knowledge,聽and using that to build a narrative to inspire diligence,聽work and change. That, to me, is really exciting.鈥
Redefining what's next
Taken together, these perspectives point to a聽generation not so much opting out of leadership聽but rather expanding its definition, and questioning聽inherited assumptions about power and success.
鈥淚t used to be work, work, work, retire,鈥 says Nate.聽鈥淭hat鈥檚 changing. It鈥檚 not about being anti鈥憌ork聽or anti鈥憁anagement, but we have to admit this聽generation has grown up in an anxious time and聽they have a different mindset of life and how聽they want to work.
鈥淭his generation is showing that there鈥檚 a different聽way to approach life and career, and even in big聽organisations, individual needs matter,鈥 he adds.聽鈥淢anagers need to understand their own leadership聽style, but also pay attention to what their employees聽need. It might sound trite, but it鈥檚 true 鈥 everyone聽brings something different to the table.
鈥淭hat said, you can鈥檛 perfectly adapt to every聽employee or every generation. But leaders who聽are open to listening, learning, and meeting聽their teams halfway will make the workplace聽stronger for everyone.鈥澛
What can different generations learn from each other
Up to five generations are currently working side by side in the workplace聽鈥 each influenced by different values, expectations, experiences and ways聽of working. So what can we learn from each other?
Generational trends can聽offer clues, but they鈥檙e just聽assumptions that shouldn鈥檛聽replace understanding聽people as individuals.
Move away from rigid聽hierarchies to more聽collaborative leadership聽so that decisions are聽guided by expertise,聽rather than job titles.
Be open to different working聽hours, communication styles聽and ways of getting things聽done. Ask team members聽what motivates them and聽how they like to work 鈥 and聽adjust where possible.
Bring people of different聽ages together to exchange聽ideas and experiences.
Encourage mentoring and聽reverse mentoring across聽generations, so that knowledge聽flows in all directions.
Source: Dr Nate Zettna, lecturer in Leadership and Organisational Behaviour, University of Sydney Business School
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