Gen Z: Called to Lead
Pursuing leadership demands a self-identity and personal mindset with great urgency. Much research has shown that seeing yourself as a leader is required for the path toward becoming one and taking on leadership responsibilities. Hesitation and reluctance are critical factors that prevent people from taking on leadership roles and becoming what they are called to be; yet, why are so many fearful of embracing this call to leadership?
Perceived risk in people’s reputation can hinder people to take the helm, and reputational concerns can negatively impact the active pursuit of goals while in the workplace. In a series of research reflections, it was evident among full-time employees, MBA students, and Air Force cadets that those that worried more about their reputational risks actually were less likely to identify themselves as leaders.
There are three common fear-based expressions that hold people back from becoming leaders.
Fear of being seen as controlling.
Many authentically are fearful about stepping into leadership since they do not want to be seen as authoritarian, domineering, and autocratic (i.e. bossy). As one reflection with a student indicates, “I don’t want to be seen as a push-over. I don’t want to be cold and take advantage of weak people.” Across the American school landscape, students do not desire to come across in this manner.
Fear of being different.
Even if the attention was positive, many do not desire to step into leadership for the fear of being noticed, receiving too much attention, and being singled out as different. These young leaders want to be on the same level as everyone else; yet, they do not desire to be looked up to or idolized for the influence that they carry. At times, if they step into leadership they worry about needing to sacrifice a place of belonging in their original community.
Fear of being unqualified.
People within these studies were captured to think that they were afraid of being seen as unfit and unqualified for leadership among others in their community. Not being taken as serious among others in their group context has a very legitimate place of fear in leadership circles.
Yes, there are very real and lived experiences that confirm these fears, especially for the underrepresented and marginalized groups of people. Whether actually justifiable or not, we must understand the impact of these fears on the view of ourselves and the direction that we are going as a generation.
The research is clear: the people that were fearful about reputational risks were less likely to see themselves as leaders. Consequently, they are less likely to act like leaders and be seen as leaders among their supervisors and managers.
Why would the perception of risk deeply impact your identity as a leader? No one typically enjoys being driven by fear. Leadership often comes with various challenges. When pursuing leadership seems risky, challenging, and rigorous - people often redefine their identity in order to justify avoiding the embrace of leadership’s call. It can be more comfortable and unburdening to support your unwillingness to lead with, “I’m just not a leader” than confront the fear of what others may think. We can have psychological interventions in place to counteract these fears.
“Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
It is possible to directly influence your perception of leadership and its reputational risks. In one study, people who listened to a podcast that framed leadership as risky were less likely to identify and act as leaders. In another group of participants in the same study, they listened to a podcast that framed leadership as low-risk were more likely to act as leaders and identify with its call.
Clarifying that leadership mistakes are expected and will not become a blemish on someone’s record will encourage people to more comfortably see themselves as leaders.
People in the general public do not want to be associated with an identity that is stereotypically linked with being domineering, pushy, different, and unqualified. Anyone can become a leader; gurus now agree that leadership is influence.
Accept and own your limitations.
Many leaders across industries are discovering that owning and accepting their personal limitations and weaknesses can lead to feeling less defensive, more authentic, and readily connect with other colleagues in their spheres.
There are four steps that will be key in this leadership journey:
Begin to notice what you’re feeling in your body under stress. Any time you feel “less than” or “better than,” for example, it’s a sign that your child self is feeling threatened, and you have moved into fight or flight. Strong negative emotions such as fear, frustration, impatience, and anger are another sign that your stress response system is activated.
When you sense in your body that you’re triggered, slow down to self-regulate. Take a deep breath. Name your emotions out loud, which helps you move from being at their mercy to observing them with more objectivity. Movement — especially oscillating or pendulating — can also help. Think of the way you instinctively hold and rock a child to calm them down.
Rather than judging or criticizing yourself, acknowledge and embrace your negative emotions and shortcomings. Yes, they’re part of who you are, but they’re not all of who you are. The more you can accept yourself, the less you have to defend. As you self-regulate and bring your more adult self online, you’ll be able to think more reflectively, compassionately, and wisely about how to address whatever challenge you happen to be facing.
Get more comfortable with your discomfort. Discomfort is a prerequisite to growth and change, but we are taught to equate it with danger. Author and Cultural Interventionist Resmaa Menakem makes a distinction between “dirty pain” — the chronic pain of seeking to suppress, deny, and blame others for our fears and vulnerabilities — and “clean pain” — the inevitable discomfort that comes from questioning our assumptions, facing our fears, and taking responsibility for our missteps.
As author, educator, and activist Parker Palmer compellingly writes, “Leadership is a concept we often resist. It seems immodest, even self-aggrandizing, to think of ourselves as leaders. But if it is true that we are made for community, then leadership is everyone’s vocation, and it can be an evasion to insist that it is not. When we live in the close-knit ecosystem called community, everyone follows and everyone leads.”
Establishing a culture that celebrates leadership and makes it truly accessible, regardless of our backgrounds, can help everyone feel more comfortable seeing themselves as - and acting like - a leader.
Start true change in your culture. In humble boldness, be driven to lead.
