Young Leaders and Burnout
Emerging Patterns
Several people we spoke with noted a trend of younger Executive Directors leaving after brief tenures or with minimal notice. Some viewed this as a sign of less commitment from the younger generation: “Lately, I would say that I am observing that younger people are less committed to announcing their transition with enough time and just leave the organisation with very short notice. And that is really putting a lot of pressure on the boards and the teams of the organisations. And Iʼve been witness to this in two or three places.”—Anonymous
This perceived difference in commitment levels was attributed to a generational divide between millennials and boomers: “There is a generation in their early thirties mostly, that even if they are committed, they have a kind of consciousness that they deserve more, that they need more, that they want to grow, that my generation didnʼt have at all. And I think in the feminist arena–maybe itʼs less, I donʼt know– but I think to me, I donʼt know if itʼs because the millennial generation has so much self-esteem that they want to have boundaries and they think they are doing much more than they should do.”— Anonymous
It seems simplistic to label this as a generational difference, with the older generation being more willing to take on more demanding roles with higher stress and young folks being less willing to do this. The core issue might involve insufficient care and support for young leaders as they transition into executive roles, combined with the older generationʼs tendency to work until burnout. The corporatisation of the NGO sector, particularly in the USA, has contributed to practices such as rewarding people who work overtime and do not take their annual leave allowance.
