Reimagining Masculinity & Leadership in 2025: Jack Myers On Why It’s Time To Replace Boss Culture with Builder Culture
Download the FREE white paper, "Countering the Boss Culture Comeback: Leadership in the Age of Disengagement and Distraction"
As AI transforms the workplace and return-to-office mandates tighten their grip, “boss culture,” or top-down leadership styles, are making a comeback. At the same time, we are experiencing a masculinity crisis as men may be experiencing a loss of identity in the face of changing gender roles.
In the new white paper, Countering the Boss Culture Comeback: Leadership in the Age of Disengagement and Distraction, media ecologist and cultural strategist Jack Myers exposes the resurgence of outdated, top-down management styles and their ties to a deeper masculinity crisis. The white paper unpacks how we define leadership and masculinity itself—and sheds light on a new path forward. It’s not just an analysis—it’s a rallying cry for more human-centered leadership that embraces emotional intelligence, empathy, and inclusivity.
A Crisis of Identity—and Opportunity
The white paper says, "We are witnessing a cultural undercurrent that is reinforcing this return to Boss Culture: the masculinity crisis. As explored in Jack Myers’ prescient 2016 book The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century, men in particular are grappling with a sense of lost identity in a world increasingly defined by emotional intelligence, collaborative leadership, and evolving gender roles."
Myers draws a sharp line between the cultural backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts and the unease many men feel in a rapidly changing world of work. “What I called ‘false masculine energy’ in The Future of Men has resurfaced,” writes Myers, noting how rigid gender roles and performative strength are making their way back into executive decision-making.
This regression isn’t just showing up in leadership rhetoric—it’s shaping policy: from return-to-office mandates to legislative rollbacks on DEI programs. Myers argues that these moves are not signs of strength, but fear—fear of change, of irrelevance, of letting go of control.
Watch Jack Myers’ 2016 TED Talk On “The Future Of Men”
The Tao of Leadership: A New Blueprint
Rather than push back with more pressure, Myers invites us forward—with care. He offers an evolved model of leadership based on Taoist principles: Harmony, Flexibility, Simplicity, Balance, and Integrity. (Myers goes into great detail about these principles in his new book, The Tao of Leadership). This approach isn’t “soft,” as some critics might assume—it’s resilient. It fosters cultures where performance flows from purpose, where innovation is born from trust, and where masculinity isn’t defined by control, but by coherence.
“You don’t need to become less male to lead more effectively,” Myers writes. “You need to become more whole.”
Why This Matters Now
As workplaces navigate AI anxiety, disengagement, and burnout, the old ways of leading are no longer enough. If we’re serious about building future-ready organizations, we must go beyond optics and address the deeper systems at play—including the outdated stories we tell about what it means to be a man, a leader, and a contributor.
This white paper—and the conversation it’s sparking—is a blueprint for a different kind of power. One that invites more people in, rather than keeping them out.
The white paper says, "The future will not be led by bosses. It will be built by leaders who understand that productivity is born not from pressure, but from purpose.”
Join the Conversation
Want to learn more and help drive a discussion in your own workplace about leadership that’s more about engaging human potential than relying on command and control?
The topic is so important that Jack Myers and Media Village is offering the white paper, “Countering the Boss Culture Comeback: Leadership in the Age of Disengagement and Distraction” free of charge.
Read the Full Report:
Download the white paper at MediaVillage
LinkedIn Live on “The State of Men 2025”
To help amplify this important conversation, Consciously Unbiased is hosting a LinkedIn Live broadcast called “The State of Men 2025” with Jack Myers and other leaders speaking on masculinity on Thursday, June 26 at 12 PM ET.
Our panelists will discuss the new definition of masculinity, the key issues impacting men today, and what some possible solutions may be moving forward.
We are witnessing a cultural undercurrent that is reinforcing this return to Boss Culture: the masculinity crisis. As explored in my prescient 2016 book The Future of Men: Masculinity in the Twenty-First Century, men in particular are grappling with a sense of lost identity in a world increasingly defined by emotional intelligence, collaborative leadership, and evolving gender roles."