Over 52% of Gen Z and young professionals are looking at management roles and saying, "No thanks, keep it." They call it "conscious unbossing," but let's call it what it actually is—spotting a scam before you sign the contract.

The Reality: Climbing the traditional corporate ladder used to be the ultimate prize. Now? Young professionals look at middle management and see a trap. You are stuck in a corporate sandwich—squeezed by executive demands from above and personnel issues from below. You trade your actual skill set for endless spreadsheets, babysitting adults, and sitting in meetings that could have been emails.

The article says managers spend all day babysitting and looking at endless spreadsheets. Let’s look at the other side of that coin. If you have a middle manager who has completely lost the plot because they have nothing real to do, We’ve all had an older relative or a career counsellor tell us, 'You need to pay your dues, climb the ladder, and manage a team if you want to be successful' . Knowing what you know now about the middle-management trap, what is the single worst piece of career advice you were ever given?