Most workers don’t aspire to leadership roles.

That’s the key finding of The 2022 Everywhere Workplace Report by Invanti. In fact, well over the majority at 71% of employees are saying no to a promotion preferring working from anywhere instead.

This is interesting data for organizations and leaders everywhere.

First, it might settle the nerves of managers and supervisors because it confirms that not every employee is looking to rise up through the ranks. My research with Beverly Kaye found that one of the key reasons managers don’t engage in career conversations with their employees is fear. Fear that everyone will want a promotion. Fear that they can’t deliver on those expectations. And fear of the disappointment and disengagement that will ensue when these two conditions collide. But the good news is that two out of three employees aren’t coveting the manager’s – or any other leaders’ – job.

At the same time, this data is also unsettling because it demonstrates a fundamental challenge with the way organizations are structured. Unfortunately, some of that 71% of employees who are disinterested in leadership positions will be encouraged to pursue them anyway.  That’s because in too many organizations, ‘up’ is the only way to develop. And in today’s hiring market, talent pipelines are running dry. So those without a genuine appetite to lead will be encouraged into these roles anyways.

So, what’s an organization to do?  Plenty!

• Get clear about what your employees really want. Ensuring job satisfaction, engagement, and, ultimately, results demands that you understand employees, their motivations, and their aspirations.
• Work with those who possess an authentic desire to lead, finding ways to cultivate these skills and talents – even before opportunities for promotion open up. Leadership isn’t reserved for certain levels. It’s a state of mind and a set of skills that can be practiced regardless of role.
• Don’t assume that just because people don’t aspire to leadership, they’re happy where they are. Many aren’t. Many of your 71% are bored, going through the motions, and not contributing to their greatest capacity. Figure out what interests them, where their passions lie, and what they would like to accomplish. Then work collaboratively to help facilitate opportunities for development and Growth in their current roles.
• Find ways to reward employees for deepening their knowledge and skills… without changing roles. (Let’s be honest, most people who pursue promotions do so because of the potential pay raise.)
• Consider treating leadership as a discipline rather than a level. What if advancing to leadership was a lateral rather than vertical move? What if it didn’t come with an automatic raise? What if people moved into leadership because they really wanted to do that kind of work?

Information like that generated in the Invanti study can be a powerful tool for organizations to look differently at leadership roles, who want them, and why.  It also helps organizations produce better results by ensuring that 100% of employees are doing the work they want to do most.

Updated September 2022

The post To Lead or Not to Lead: Most Employees Say “Not”… but Many Go For It Anyway appeared first on Julie Winkle Giulioni.

Julie Winkle Giulioni Author, Speaker and Consultant

Julie Winkle Giulioni is a champion for workplace growth and development and helps executives and leaders optimize talent and potential within their organizations. One of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 speakers, she’s the author of Promotions Are So Yesterday: Redefine Career Development. Help Employees Thrive and the co-author of the international bestseller, Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Organizations Need and Employees Want, translated into seven languages.

Julie is a regular columnist for Training Industry Magazine and SmartBrief and contributes articles on leadership, career development, and workplace trends to numerous publications including The Economist.