What Happened to Leadership? And How We Get It Back

I once heard about an employee who interviewed for a full-time role inside their company. They were strung along for weeks without much feedback. Then one day, while poking around the company’s org chart online, they saw someone else’s name listed in the box where they had hoped to land. Stunned, they called their manager.

“Oh, I’ve been meaning to call you,” the boss said. “Can you meet tomorrow?”

The next day, the employee logged on to a virtual call where HR was waiting with the boss. The meeting lasted five minutes. They were informed that their role had been eliminated and were offered four weeks’ severance.

Really? Is that what leadership has become? This is what happens when leaders focus only on what gets done and forget how they show up. The tasks may get checked off, but the dignity of leadership erodes.

Moments like this explain why people have such a dim view of leaders. Titles and perks may still exist, but the meaning and weight of leadership are fading. It is no wonder many people respond to dysfunction by shrugging, stepping back, and hoping someone else will fix it. John Mayer even gave that posture a soundtrack with his song “Waiting on the World to Change.” The lyric resonated because so many feel powerless in the face of broken systems. But here is the problem: waiting never changes anything. Leadership does.

What Happens Without Leadership

You can see why people hesitate. Leadership today looks stressful, thankless, and unsustainable. But here is the reality: when leadership disappears, things do not stay neutral. They unravel.

Without leadership, entropy takes over. Teams drift toward disorder, vision fades, and cultures decay. Without leadership, a vacuum opens up. And nature abhors a vacuum. If principled leaders remain silent, unhealthy ones rush in, driven by ego, fear, or a desire for control.

I have seen this play out in organizations where no one was willing to take the lead. Meetings became endless. Decisions stalled. The loudest voices won by default. Eventually, talented people walked out the door.

All it takes for dysfunction to spread is for good leaders to stay quiet.

Why Leadership Still Matters

That is why we need to revalorize leadership. By revalorize, I mean bringing leadership back to what it was always meant to be: something worth aspiring to, not avoiding. It means restoring the value, credibility, and weight of leadership. Right now, too many people see leadership as a burden, a burnout trap, or worse, a joke.

And the generational stakes are enormous. An estimated 10,000 baby boomers retire every day in the U.S., a trend expected to continue through 2027. As they exit the workforce in record numbers, Millennials and Gen Z are moving into positions of influence. The future of organizations will be defined by how this next wave chooses to lead.

The data paints a sobering picture. Trust in leaders has collapsed. Large numbers of young professionals believe organizations care more about profits than people. Only about three in ten employees describe themselves as engaged at work, while most are checked out or actively disengaged. When trust disappears, commitment disappears. When leaders are credible, people lean in.³

Here is the truth: when leadership loses value, the wrong people step in. Toxic cultures spread. People disengage. Trust erodes. Talented coworkers walk out the door. If you have ever worked for a bad boss, you know what that feels like. Multiply it across a generation, and you see why revalorizing leadership is not optional.

The Misunderstanding of Leadership

We have been sold a shallow definition of leadership. Too many people mistake it for a bigger title, a bigger paycheck, or a corner office. Others see it as being the loudest voice in the room or the smartest person at the table. That misunderstanding has led to burned-out managers and disillusioned teams.

Real leadership is not a status symbol. It is a stewardship. It is not measured in quarterly reports, but in the trust and resilience of the people you lead.

No one tells stories years later about a boss’s spreadsheets. They tell stories about whether you showed up when things were hard, whether you honored your word, and whether you made people feel like they mattered.

We have confused leadership with achievement. Charisma may draw a crowd, but character builds a legacy.

A Generation’s Leadership Test

The center of gravity is shifting. The workforce is changing fast, and younger leaders are stepping into influence. The question is not whether this next generation will lead, but how.

Here is the challenge: too many already distrust the leadership they have seen. Only about three in ten workers say they are engaged at work, while the rest are checked out, largely because they believe organizations care more about profit than people. When trust is missing, commitment disappears.

You do not have to accept the worn-out models of leadership: burnout, distrust, empty titles. You can choose to lead differently, to restore leadership’s weight and credibility by showing up intentionally.

Because here is what happens if you do not step in: others will. And history shows that when good people stay silent, poor leadership fills the void.

What Revalorized Leadership Looks Like

So how do we revalorize leadership? Begin by restoring the vision of leadership as a calling, not a consolation prize. These shifts are not optional. They are essential:

Redefine Success. Leadership is not about title or perks. It is about influence, service, and environments where people thrive.

Reconnect to Meaning. Leadership should look like wholeness, not stress; flourishing, not burnout.

Equip Before Elevating. Many get promoted before they are ready. That is a disservice to organizations and people.

Model Sustainable Leadership. Show that effective leadership and living a full life go hand in hand.

Celebrate Everyday Leaders. Influence happens at all levels, not just by title.

Rebuild Trust. People do not want to follow roles. They want to follow credibility.

A Plea to Lead

Let’s be honest: leadership is hard. It stretches you, breaks you, and reveals your flaws. That is why many resist it.

However, leadership is also an opportunity to shape the future rather than merely inherit it. You can rebuild workplaces where people are seen, integrity matters, and trust is the operating system.

If you do not step in, someone else will. And they may lead toward a direction you will not recognize.

Stand Up and Lead

So here is your invitation. Revalorize leadership in your sphere. Lead with influence, not authority. Lead with hope, not hype. Lead from a place of trust, meaning, and impact.

The mantle is being passed to a new generation of leaders. Will you cling to the broken models or restore what leadership can be at its best?

Because the future will not build itself. It will be shaped by leaders who show up. And it will be shaped not just by what they do, but how they do it.

Remember this truth: How is always greater than What.

Notes

LHH. “From Silver to Gold: Harnessing the Silver Tsunami.” LHH.com, 2023.

Edelman. Edelman Trust Barometer 2022.

Gallup. State of the Global Workplace: 2023 Report.

Jim Clifton and Jim Harter. It’s the Manager. Gallup Press, 2019.

About the Author

Preston Poore spent 30 years in leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies, including The Coca-Cola Company and The Hershey Company, learning firsthand how character shapes results. He’s served on corporate and nonprofit boards—from the defense industry to higher education—helping leaders grow from the inside out. Preston is the author of How Is Greater Than What: Master the Growth and Leadership Skill Everyone Else Ignores, a field guide for becoming the kind of leader people trust.