Organizations and Employees Want Different Things From Leaders, Study Finds

Why It Matters

When promotion criteria diverge from employee expectations, organizations risk eroding trust, lowering engagement, and compromising long‑term productivity. Aligning leadership development with the qualities workers value is essential for building effective, high‑performing teams.

Key Takeaways

• Top five executive competencies differ from employee‑desired traits
• U.S. firms reward visibility, ambition, not communication or integrity
• 89% of U.S. employees cite emotional volatility as harmful
• Employees prioritize trust, accountability, data‑driven decisions over hype
• Misaligned promotion criteria risk long‑term performance decline

Pulse Analysis

The Hogan Assessments report, based on responses from more than 21,000 senior leaders and 10,000 frontline employees, highlights a global leadership paradox: companies continue to elevate individuals who excel at self‑promotion, competition and initiative, yet workers consistently rank clear communication, integrity and accountability as the hallmarks of effective leadership. In the United States, the gap is especially pronounced, with 89% of respondents flagging emotional volatility and unpredictability as major detractors. This divergence suggests that traditional promotion metrics—visibility, confidence and ambition—may no longer serve as reliable predictors of long‑term success.

For talent‑management professionals, the findings signal an urgent need to recalibrate assessment tools and promotion pathways. Organizations that persist in rewarding the wrong behaviors risk higher turnover, reduced employee engagement and a leadership pipeline that lacks the relational skills needed for modern, collaborative workplaces. Integrating employee‑centric criteria—such as trustworthiness, transparent decision‑making and team‑building—into performance reviews and succession planning can help close the gap and ensure that newly appointed leaders are equipped to sustain performance beyond the initial hype.

The broader industry context reinforces this shift. Recent surveys, including a 2025 American Management Association report, show that while managers believe engagement is rising, a majority of employees report stagnation or decline. Aligning leadership development with employee expectations not only improves morale but also drives better business outcomes, as teams led by trusted, accountable leaders tend to outperform those led by charismatic but disconnected executives. Companies that act now to embed these values into their culture will likely see stronger retention, higher productivity, and a more resilient competitive edge.