Gen X keeps getting passed over because we built careers as the fixer, and boards promote vision, not maintenance. Colby Morris calls it the Tactician Trap, and there are four ways out of it.

The average American CEO is now 61, a full decade older than in 2000. The Boomers held the top seats longer than anyone planned, and now that they're letting go, the torch is going straight to Millennials. But the reason isn't age. Recruiters keep saying the same thing about our generation: tacticians, not visionaries. That's a reputation, and we built it ourselves, one fire at a time. This one is personal. Colby has spent his career as the operations guy, building startups from scratch and walking into companies that were on fire, and he's heard "we need you right where you are" more than once. Here's what that sentence actually means, and what to do about it.

Colby Morris: "We need you right where you are is not a compliment. It's a ceiling somebody painted a real nice color."

What is the Tactician Trap?
The Tactician Trap is Colby Morris's name for the Gen X version of the competency trap: you get so good at fixing things that fixing things becomes the only thing anyone can picture you doing. Four ways out, covered in the episode: lead with direction instead of maintenance, say your take in the meeting instead of the hallway, own the human side of AI, and build the person who can take your chair.

Why is Gen X getting passed over for promotions?
The average US CEO is 61 now, up from about 51 in 2000, and new CEOs were getting named at 48 then versus 55 by 2023. The Wall Street Journal found the share of large-company CEOs in their fifties fell from roughly 51% to 43% in eight years. About one in five workers over 40 say they get skipped for challenging assignments. Boards cite AI readiness, but the recurring word from recruiters is that Gen X reads as tactical rather than visionary.

What does "we need you right where you are" really mean?
It means you are too useful in that seat to be let out of it. The follow-up Colby heard, "who would take your place, we don't have anyone like that," is the tell. That isn't a reason. It's a to-do list, and the episode covers what to do with it.

Research and references
Colby Morris: "Who would take your place isn't a reason. It's a to-do list." · Wall Street Journal reporting on CEO age and Gen X succession · Herminia Ibarra, Act Like a Leader, Think Like a Leader (the competency trap and outsight) · Marshall Goldsmith, What Got You Here Won't Get You There

Related episodes
The Gen X Leader's Guide to Managing Millennials and Gen Z · Debunking the Myths of Psychological Safety for GenX Leaders · GenX, You Figured It Out Alone. Stop Expecting Them To. · What Gen X Gets Wrong About Leadership

Connect with Colby Morris
Colby Morris is the founder of NXT Step Advisors, building people-first leaders through keynotes, executive coaching, and leadership training. NXTStepAdvisors.com, or connect with Colby on LinkedIn.

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