A special thanks to our survey partner, First Sun EAP for promoting our survey to their client companies. This survey affirms that organizations of all sizes have a heightened interest in and plans to invest more (52.2%) in leadership development. We also found that while the demand for executive coaching and mentoring is on the rise (Sherpa 2011), companies still rely on internal training programs as their primary development methodology for equipping top talent.
MOST PRESSING LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES (In Order of Importance:)
- Improving overall quality of leadership in the organization
- Motivating employee performance
- Recruiting and retaining top talent
- Developing the next generation of leaders
- Creating a culture of innovation
MOST IMPORTANT SKILLS FOR SENIOR EXECUTIVES/SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM MEMBERS?
- Promoting a sense of responsibility across the organization
- Developing trusting relationships, promoting teamwork, acting authentically and demonstrating optimism
- Serving as a role model and inspiring employee excellence
- Communicating the organization’s mission, vision and values
- Recognizing and rewarding employee performance
SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICS
We received 152 respondents, mostly from small and mid-size companies in the Southeast USA. The company size ranged from 7 full time employees to 19,000 with an overall average of 453. Respondents were 50% CEO or Equivalent, 18% COO, 9% CFO and 23% “Chief Human Resource Officers.”
(Click the image above to download the survey results PDF)