5 things younger leaders aren't saying (but feel deeply)

Reader,

For more than a year now, I’ve been leading live sessions with rising leaders: smart, capable people in their late 20s to mid-30s who are hungry to lead well.

When they struggle, it's not because they lack ambition or commitment. It's because leadership feels so different from everything that made them successful as individual contributors... and many haven't been shown what it looks like to lead well.

The gaps they experience say a lot about how the next generation of leadership is forming.

I've distilled everything I've heard rising leaders say this past year into five nuggets.

1. They don’t fully trust their own leadership yet.
They know they’re capable, but confidence wavers. They hesitate to speak up, second-guess their instincts, and worry they’ll overstep. One said, “I don’t know if my team even wants what I bring.” What looks like “uncommitted” from the outside is often self-doubt on the inside, rooted in a desire to do things right in a world where the rules keep changing.

2. They’re leading without authority.
They’re responsible for outcomes but can’t always move work forward. They wait for validation from a boss or leadership, unsure when to act. They’ve been told leadership is about collaboration, but the reality of hierarchy still shapes their every move. As one put it, “It’s not my business. Who am I to decide this?” That gap between responsibility and authority is where many young leaders get stuck.

3. They’re burned out from working outside the limits of their strengths and energy.
Most can’t name the conditions they need to thrive. They don’t realize that competence and energy aren’t the same thing. Just because they can do something doesn’t mean they can do it endlessly—or should do it at all. Without this clarity, they push through, wondering why they feel depleted. They struggle to know when they should pick up the slack and when they should set boundaries so they don't burn out completely.

4. They’re craving alignment, not control.
They don’t want to be told what to do or micromanaged. They do want to know what alignment looks like to their boss or leader. They want everyone to be clear on what “good” looks like, because misalignment frustrates them more than hard work. One rising leader said, “We finish the week exhausted, but I'm not sure if we did the things that mattered most.” Another added, “My boss says one thing one day and another the next, and I’m the one trying to figure out what he actually wants.” When clarity’s missing, they waste energy guessing.

5. They’re ready to lead, but they don’t have a model for how to do it well.
What they need isn’t another pep talk about confidence. They need a framework that helps them know what to do, why it matters, and how to take action with others (without doing the work for their team). That’s agency. When they know what the priorities are (and why), what excellent work looks like, and the boundaries of their authority... the hesitation lifts.

The real insight for senior leaders?
Younger leaders aren’t resisting accountability. They're looking for clarity, communication, and partnership. They want to move forward, but they need help translating vision into action they can own. They need to know where you trust them, and where you still want to make the decisions. The more clarity you give them, the better their decisions will be. The more you trust them, the more you’ll see them lead with confidence.

Making this practical.
What do you notice in your team?
What will you do to overcome these challenges and support your team in new ways?
What will you do to be a better leader in the coming year?