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To be effective and inspiring, leaders need to know what’s expected of them – from the people they lead. To understand what people want from leadership, Gallup conducted an in-depth study of over 30,000 adults across 52 countries to better understand how people worldwide perceive the leaders in their lives.
What they found: after family members, those in the workplace are the next most influential force for adults. When asked what leader has the most positive influence on their daily lives, 57% of all adults said a family member – followed by 11% of all adults who said a manager. Zoom in on employed adults, though, and the number who say their manager has the most positive influence on their daily life nearly doubles – to 21%. All told, employed adults are only slightly less likely to name someone from their work environment (34%) – a manager, an organizational leader, or a colleague – than they are to name a family member (44%) as the leader who has the biggest positive impact on their lives. What this means: workplace leaders have a huge capacity – and huge opportunity – to influence and improve the lives of those they work with.
However, what employees want from each of these groups of workplace leaders differs by seniority. Gallup’s study found that the more senior a leader is within an organization, the more followers look to them for “hope” and inspiration. A full 64% said they need to see “hope” from their organizational leaders – compared to managers (59%) and colleagues (58%), where “trust” rose in importance.
Leaders striving to best meet their employees’ needs should learn what their employees want and expect of them – and lead accordingly.
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