Trust in leadership erodes amid widespread disruption

Less than half of employees (43%) also said their own leaders can be trusted, while two out of three employees have low confidence in the quality of today’s leaders overall.

Most employees also described their leaders’ management style as outdated (62%). Four in five characterise their manager’s approach to AI leadership as “hands-off” (80%).

“Drawing from our proprietary global research, leadership surveys, and interviews with executives across industries, this timely report identifies a widening gap between the type of leadership organisations need to thrive, and what most employees experience today,” said Adam Merrill, EVP of market and customer intelligence.

Challenges faced by leadership

The findings come as turnover among chief executive officers reaches a record high in 2025, according to data from the Russell Reynolds Associates (RRA).

The RRA report underscored that the CEO role has become “materially more complex and harder” than ever amid ongoing economic and political uncertainty, as well as scrutiny from investors.