The Baton Is Heavy: What We’re Missing About Early-Career Professionals

I’ve spent hundreds of hours coaching early-career professionals—across public service, healthcare, philanthropy, finance, tech, and engineering. They’re project managers, analysts, community leaders, software developers. Brilliant thinkers. Capable professionals. Some are building systems that impact thousands.

They show up polished, thriving on paper, “grateful to be here” in person.

But in the quiet of coaching, I hear the unfiltered version:

“I cry in my car before work.”

“I feel like I’m borrowing someone else’s life from Monday to Friday.”

“I just want to feel like myself again.”

These aren’t outliers. These are your high-potential hires, trying to thrive in systems that were never designed with them in mind.

They’re running fast—chasing what they were told would bring meaning: promotions, leadership roles, purpose-driven work. But more and more, it’s beginning to feel like an illusion.

They reach for advancement and legacy but question what’s waiting for them on the other side. They hear phrases like “culture fit,” “professional presence,” or “executive polish,” and quietly wonder if that means becoming someone they’re not.

They’ve grown up on Tim Ferriss podcasts and purpose-driven entrepreneurship, yet they find themselves embedded in traditional models that prize endurance over empathy, output over oxygen. They wonder:

Will this journey get me where I want to go?

And if it does—will I have the mental stamina to withstand it?

 
And it’s not just a feeling. The numbers validate what they’re carrying.

• Gallup’s 2023 report found that over 60% of Gen Z and millennials feel psychologically detached from work—and nearly **half are actively or passively job hunting.**¹
• In government and nonprofit sectors, early-career turnover is 2–3x higher than mid- or late-career staff, driven by poor onboarding, unclear growth paths, and lack of connection.²
• Deloitte’s 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey revealed that 70% of Gen Z professionals report consistent workplace anxiety, largely tied to burnout, pressure to perform, and misalignment with leadership values.³

They’re showing up.

They’re doing the job.

But many are slipping quietly, emotionally depleted long before they ever raise a hand or submit a resignation.

 
And while we offer them “balance,” what most are craving is something deeper.

They want peace.

They want clarity.

They want to know they can lead without losing themselves.

Some are managing million-dollar portfolios or public-facing programs by day—and maxing out travel cards for 48 hours of relief on the weekend.

They’re not looking for shortcuts.

They’re looking for permission to pause—to ask real questions, define their voice, and walk toward leadership with authenticity instead of armor.

 
Meanwhile, a generational handoff is underway.

Seasoned professionals—those who built these systems—are ready to pass the baton. But here’s the hard truth:

Legacy without context is weighty.

We cannot hand off leadership and expect alignment if we haven’t created space for connection, coaching, and clarity.

If we’re not slowing down to listen, mentor, and translate the wisdom we’ve earned—then the baton doesn’t get carried forward.

It gets dropped.

We’re not just losing talent.

We’re losing trust.

We’re losing cultural memory.

We’re losing the very people we say we’re building the future for.

Not everyone is looking for balance.

Some are trying to remember who they are during the workweek.

Some are hoping someone will walk with them—not just evaluate them.

Some are wondering if staying the course is worth it when the finish line feels blurry at best.

The baton is heavy.

Let’s stop handing it off like a deadline.

Let’s carry it together—with care, clarity, and a culture that can hold both legacy and evolution.

If your organization is losing early-career professionals and can’t name why—it may not be a pipeline issue.

It may be a connection issue.

That’s where I come in.

Sources:

¹ Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2023

² MissionSquare Research Institute, Public Sector Workforce Outlook 2023

³ Deloitte, 2023 Gen Z and Millennial Survey