You Don’t Need to Be Senior to Lead an ERG: Here’s What Actually Matters

Do Employees Need to Be At A Senior Level to Lead an ERG?

Short answer: No.

And it’s a strong no—whether it’s a global ERG or a large membership base.

Here’s the thing: ERGs are largely passion projects, led by volunteers. In a well-structured volunteer program, anyone should be able to step up. Think about it—children can volunteer at places like soup kitchens because the tasks are made simple enough for anyone to contribute. ERGs should follow the same principle.

Ideally, an ERG program manager should structure and bake out ERG roles so that anyone, regardless of their job level, can succeed based on their interests.

For example, you may have see a post that was viral a few months ago that said “if you’ve ever successfully planned a group trip, go ahead and become a Project Manager.” Taking that to the next level, I’d even say “go ahead and lead an ERG as a Chair” since the same skill set is needed. But, an ERG PM needs to fully outline expectations and SOPs to shorten the learning curve on the specifics of the role.

Roles within an ERG are less about seniority and more about personality, interest, and skillset (a lot of which are transferable from non-work interests). ERG leadership offers a chance for growth, and a way to apply external skills within a workplace and community-building context.

This topic is personal for me. As someone who led a global ERG while being “just” a support agent, I’m grateful that I wasn’t limited by others’ beliefs about what I could or couldn’t do. I hope you aren’t placing those same limits on others (a form of bias).

And if you’re an ERG Program Manager, please don’t default to thinking that only senior leaders should lead ERGs. This often comes from a place of wanting to avoid doing the work of creating clear guidelines and specific SOPs. But here’s the truth: having a senior leader won’t excuse you from the work required to build a strong, effective ERG program.