There's a major disconnect on leadership qualities
The leaders being promoted in organisations may not always be the ones that employees want, according to a new report, which called for a better vetting process for leadership.
Findings from Hogan Assessments revealed a glaring disconnect between the qualities employees want their leaders to show, and the qualities that leaders actually embody.
Personality assessment data from more than 21,000 executives in Hogan's global database revealed that executives usually exhibit the following competencies:
- Inspiring others
- Competing with others
- Presenting to others
- Taking initiative
- Driving innovation
However, its poll among over 9,000 respondents across 25 markets revealed a different set of qualities that employees want their leaders to display. They include:
- Effective communication
- Effective decision-making
- Accountability
- Integrity
- Leadership ability
"Surprisingly, we find absolutely no overlap between the top five competencies global executives display and the top five competencies global respondents say they want leaders to display," the report read.
Additionally, 48% of the report's respondents believe that it's good or very good for leaders to value networking, teamwork, and belonging to a group.
However, these values were not present in Hogan's personality assessment data findings. Instead, the executive data revealed that leaders tend to value quality and aesthetics, tradition and convention, authority and impact, earning a profit, as well as experience-based decision-making.
"This matters because a leader's values determine what they prioritise and incentivise," the report read. "When leaders don't signal that the values most important to the team matter, workers lose a key reason to invest in the team's success."
Addressing the leadership gap
The report warned that this major disconnect in leadership qualities can lead to disengagement, stalled productivity, and even the loss of key talent.
"Closing this gap requires rethinking how you identify, develop, and evaluate leaders," the report read.
It advised organisations to look past emergent leadership characteristics, such as impressing executives or networking with ease, and instead focus on finding leaders who can build trust and drive performance.
Some practical steps to carry this out include assessing personality and values through valid and reliable assessment, as well as performing interviews that can reveal a potential leader's behaviour.
"Ask for examples of past actions in specific situations that could showcase an individual's data-driven decision-making, accountability, communication skills, or ability to foster a sense of belonging," the report read.
Organisations should also design development programmes around what employees consider are effective leadership characteristics, according to the report.
These programmes may include coaching for self-awareness, scenario-based workshops, and guidance for self-management.
Recognition programmes and evaluation frameworks should also be redesigned to reward decision quality, follow-through, and ownership of outcomes, the report added.
It is also crucial that organisations redefine what they consider is "high potential" in the context of culture, strategy, and market.
"Leadership pipelines are strongest when organisations align how they identify and develop leaders with what employees actually value," said Allison Howell, CEO of Hogan Assessments.
"These findings show that trust, accountability, and sound judgment are not secondary qualities. They are central to team effectiveness and long-term performance."
