New Report: Less Than 10% Of CEOs Are Leading Effectively

New data shows that employees believe that moral leadership from CEOs is more important than ever in 2025.

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Adobe Stock/Viacheslav Yakobchuk

A new study from The HOW Institute for Society finds the demand for moral leadership among U.S. workers is at an all-time high. It discovered that 95% of employees believe the need for moral leadership is more urgent than ever, up from 86% in 2020. Yet only 9% of CEOs and 11% of managers consistently demonstrate behaviors associated with moral leadership.

The 2025 State of Moral Leadership in Business report is the latest in an ongoing study that measures “the how” of leadership. In this year’s study, The HOW Institute for Society asked more than 2,000 U.S. workers to assess the presence, absence or frequency of a set of leadership behaviors and practices in their workplaces – from how their leaders put principles and values before self-interest in decision making, how they thoughtfully extend trust to colleagues rather than micromanaging them, and, how they listen and learn from perspectives that challenge their views and assumptions, to how they shape organizational culture, and how leaders in positions of formal authority wield their power with consideration for the concerns and aspirations of the people they lead.

“This is our fourth in an ongoing series of reports that study the presence of behaviors and practices associated with moral leadership and how, when present, they strengthen an organization’s performance, inspire elevated behavior in people, and forge deeper relationships within communities and society,” said Dov Seidman, Founder and Chairman of The HOW Institute for Society. “Our research this year demonstrates both the persistent scarcity of such leadership and its profound impact, when present, on everything – from the levels of trust within teams and employee loyalty to an organization’s ability to compete, innovate, and win.”

Among the headlines from this year’s report:

Moral Leaders Deliver Better Business Results

  • 74% of employees with leaders in the top tier of moral leadership report that their organization has satisfied customers, compared to 13% of those with bottom-tier leaders.
  • 69% report that their organizations are resilient in the face of economic downturn or market disruptions, compared to 9% of those with bottom-tier leaders.
  • 72% report that their organization is positioned to improve its business results in the next 12 months, compared to 8% of those with bottom-tier leaders.

Moral Leaders Inspire Loyalty

  • Only 10% of employees reporting to top-tier managers are actively job hunting, compared to 31% of those with bottom-tier managers.
  • 96% of employees with top-tier managers would recommend their workplace versus only 70% with bottom-tier managers.

Moral Leaders Can Express Themselves And Innovate

  • 71% of employees with leaders in the top tier of moral leadership report they are comfortable in engaging in respectful dialogue with colleagues about controversial current events, compared to only 7% of those with bottom-tier leaders.
  • 78% report the autonomy to structure their work in the way they think is best, compared to only 11% of those with bottom-tier leaders.
  • 80% report their organization encourages them to try new ideas, compared to only 5% of those with bottom-tier leaders.
Read more news and insights about workplace culture on Continuity Insights.

Business Continuity, Employees, Featured, News, Press Releases, Workplace Culture

Business, CEO, Decision Making, Dov Seidman, Employee Experience, Manager, Moral Leadership, Organizational culture, organizational resilience, The HOW Institute for Society, U.S. Workforce, Workers

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