Measure of Leadership: CEOs and Directors on Navigating Change | Harvard Law School Forum on Corporate Governance

This article shares survey results based on responses from 1,036 CEOs and 1,285 directors in Spencer Stuart’s network. Leaders represented all major industry sectors. Also, more than 1,200 employees in the U.S. and U.K. were surveyed, comparing their responses and leaders’ views. Among the findings is that company culture is the top priority of leaders, with 75% of CEOs and directors saying it is a priority they are actively working on in their organizations. However, just 51% of surveyed employees believe that leaders are prioritizing culture. Also at the top of the list of priorities for leaders (69%) is the changing workforce and access to talent. One topic mentioned is hybrid work, with 72% of leaders saying their companies have adopted hybrid work, 19% reporting that they have a policy that requires workers to be in the office, and 9% saying their companies are fully remote. “Nearly one-quarter (24%) of leaders were still undecided about whether they planned on changing their in-office policies, indicating at least some leaders are keeping options open.” Other ideas are discussed, including AI in the workplace, where only 40% of leaders call generative AI a priority they are already addressing; another 27% have plans to address it.