Every generation inherits a unique set of circumstances, expectations, and challenges that shape its leadership. The Silent Generation rebuilt nations and institutions after war. Baby Boomers rode a wave of postwar prosperity, social upheaval, and cultural expansion. Millennials and Gen Z are reshaping work, technology, and justice in real time. But where does that leave Generation X? Too often, it feels like we are the lost generation of leaders, not because we lacked talent, drive, or vision, but because we spent our formative leadership years squeezed between two very different worlds: the dominance and excess of the Baby Boomers above us and the new perspectives of of Zs and Millennials below.

Generation X leaders are experiencing a decline in their representation for top roles, particularly CEO positions, with a “barbell phenomenon” where companies favor retaining Baby Boomers or promoting Millennials, squeezing Gen X out of the middle. In the Russell 3000 index, Gen X’s share of CEO roles dropped from 51.1% to 43.4% between 2017 and 2025, while older leaders’ representation increased and Millennials’ share grew.

The experience of Gen X in leadership is defined first and foremost by negotiation. We were the generation caught in a paradoxical position: tasked with leading organizations, teams, and institutions while operating within structures designed by Boomers who were often resistant to change. The Boomer leadership style, broadly speaking, leaned into hierarchy, control, and institutional preservation. Innovation was tolerated if it came within the parameters of tradition, and risk was rarely encouraged. Many of us in Gen X learned quickly that questioning the system, proposing new approaches, or advocating for equity often earned labels like “too impatient,” “too radical,” or “not a team player.” We are expected to conform to structures designed decades before we entered the workforce, even as those structures were failing to adapt to modern challenges.

Meanwhile, Millennials and Gen Z were entering the workforce with expectations that fundamentally differed from those of Gen X. They were drawn to collaboration, transparency, and ethical engagement, often pushing organizations to rethink leadership models. Many Gen Xers instinctively resonated with those shifts. After all, we came of age during eras of disruption: the end of the Cold War, the rise of personal computing, economic recessions, and the increasing visibility of social inequities. But by the time Millennials arrived in force, Gen X leaders were already worn down from years of managing Boomer resistance. Instead of being the natural bridge between tradition and innovation, we were often sidelined, bypassed, or left to manage conflict between the generations without recognition or authority.

This dynamic has significant consequences for organizational leadership today. Gen X leadership pipelines in many industries are underdeveloped. Universities, corporations, and nonprofits often feature Boomer leaders who remain in position past traditional retirement age, followed by Millennials stepping into leadership roles with cultural momentum and energy. Gen X, expected to carry forward institutions into a new century, frequently finds itself invisible in formal hierarchies, responsible for maintaining continuity, yet rarely empowered to set vision or strategy. Our leadership contributions often go unrecognized, and our potential influence is diluted by systemic inertia.

The paradox of being squeezed between generations has taught Gen X resilience, adaptability, and a strong sense of skepticism. We are the generation of latchkey kids, of first internet users, of students navigating school systems while parents worked long hours. We learned to be resourceful, self-reliant, and adaptive. These experiences produced leaders capable of navigating complexity, managing ambiguity, and making difficult decisions under pressure. Yet, too often, our skills were underappreciated because we lacked the traditional markers of leadership that Boomers valued: formal authority, hierarchical recognition, and the desire for visibility in high-profile roles.

One of the most challenging aspects of this generational dynamic has been mentorship, or the lack thereof. Boomers were rarely effective sponsors for Gen Xers because they often saw leadership through the lens of control and conformity rather than innovation and empowerment. Gen X leaders had to teach themselves how to lead in this new era, often making mistakes and learning through trial and error. This absence of structured guidance created a generation of leaders who are quietly competent, pragmatic, and deeply ethical, but who sometimes struggle to claim the visibility and credit they deserve.

Yet calling ourselves “lost” should not imply a lack of agency. Instead, it reflects the complexity of our generational moment. Gen X learned to navigate dual realities: upholding institutional expectations while quietly pushing for innovation. We learned to advocate for justice, equity, and inclusion in environments that were still heavily resistant to those values. Some became leaders who could operate effectively in the shadows, creating change without fanfare, and preparing the next generation of leaders to thrive where we often could not.

This positioning has taught important lessons about leadership itself. True leadership is not always about public recognition or visible accolades. It is about stewardship, mentorship, and the courage to uphold values even when the environment is unsupportive. Gen X has honed these skills precisely because we were never offered the easy path to authority or recognition. Our leadership may be waning, but it is enduring. We have maintained organizations, coached colleagues, and inspired teams in ways that are often invisible to outsiders.

Ultimately, being the “lost generation of leaders” is less a curse than a unique calling. We have learned to lead without validation, to innovate without permission, and to inspire without fanfare. While Boomers may dominate formal hierarchies and Millennials may command cultural energy, Gen X holds the quiet power of experience, adaptability, and ethical grounding. Some may never have the flashiest titles or the most public accolades, but our leadership shapes the world nonetheless.

In the end, perhaps our greatest contribution is to show that leadership does not require constant visibility. It is measured in the organizations we kept alive, the bridges we built, the Boomer mistakes we fixed, and the people we empowered to lead after us. Generation X may have been lost in recognition, but we are not lost in impact. We have carried leadership across a generational fault line and, in doing so, have prepared the way for a more inclusive, adaptive, and resilient future.

If history remembers us at all, let it be for the quiet courage we demonstrated, the ethical frameworks we upheld, and the Gen Z and Millennial leaders we nurtured. Generation X may be overlooked in the larger narrative of leadership, but we are the quietly transformative generation—the bridge, the stabilizer, the mentor. Now, as the oldest among us enter our 60s and approach traditional retirement thresholds, we carry that steadiness into a new season: handing off wisdom, sponsoring rising leaders, and preserving institutional memory. Unlike the Boomers, who often held tightly to their roles beyond their prime, we are already thinking about transition and retirement. I suspect we won’t work until the very end—and perhaps that willingness to step aside is exactly the kind of transitional leadership the world needs most in an era of uncertainty and rapid change.

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Julian Vasquez Heilig is a nationally recognized education leader, scholar, and advocate for equity whose career spans seven senior leadership roles in higher education, including dean and provost. Known for driving innovation and measurable results, he has led institutional transformations that strengthened academic programs, advanced diversity and inclusion, expanded community partnerships, and elevated national rankings. A proud member of Generation X, think recording mixtapes off the radio, surviving dial-up tones, fixing the VCR clock stuck on 12:00, rewinding cassettes with a pencil, printing MapQuest directions, and racking up Blockbuster late fees—he blends pragmatism with resilience and humor. His leadership is grounded in the belief that true progress requires both bold vision and fearless action.