What is Pass the Baton for Generation X?

As Boomers may retire on a slower than previously expected schedule, the very talented members of Generation X face two particular Pass the Baton issues. Both are related to their unique place in the demographic universe, which has 83 million Booomers, 43 million Xers and 73 million Millenials. Their skills will be in demand, and there aren't really enough of them to go around, assuming that Xer leaders will be demanded by employers everywhere.

1. Without appearing to shove the Boomers out the door and onto an ice flow, how do they develop the management and leadership skills that they will need to manage their organizations? This might be perceived as "grab the baton" instead of "pass the baton."

2. For the significant number of Xers who want only to be perceived as valuable contributors to their organizations with high professional profiles, how can they successfully avoid the mantle of leadership? Some far-sighted Boomers are beginning to ask their Xer colleagues to take on leadership roles, and there are Xers who would rather have their fingernails pulled out with hot pokers. How can they preserve their professional identities despite pressure from Boomers and the specter of a generation of Millenials who will soon enter their spaces, label non-leader Xers as "slackers" and throw them under a bus?