Leaders Need Help From Their Leaders

Confident Leadership: Around the world, the verdict of employees is unanimous: Leadership stinks. A global study by Development Dimensions International (DDI) finds that confidence in corporate leaders has plummeted to a 10-year low. Only 35 percent of human resources professionals express “high confidence” in their top decision makers. The research is based on interviews with 13,700 people in 76 countries, DDI says. Leaders themselves are unhappy. Only half say they receive development opportunities that enable them to lead with confidence. Specifically, those in leadership roles criticize top executives for failing to communicate their expectations. According to DDI: “Leaders don’t feel they’re respected for innovation or the ability to work across cultures—while CEOs rated these high on their list of what is needed.” The need for leadership training is growing more acute as companies expand globally. About 12 percent of all leaders have multinational responsibilities, but nearly 40 percent “consider their development for this role (to be) poor or fair.” Organizations are failing to think long term, too: DDI says only about half of global organizations have implemented succession plans for their leadership.