Leaders need to 'lead with confidence and conviction and maintain an empathetic and listening ear'
While most workers do not commonly work hand-in-hand with their CEO, these business leaders have a huge impact on employees, according to a recent report.
One in three (33%) professionals in Canada would rethink accepting a job offer based on a company’s CEO – even if they ‘liked’ their line manager, reports Robert Walters Canada.
And 15% would outright decline a job offer based on who the CEO is.
Members of Parliament had some pointed questions for Bell Canada CEO Mirko Bibic at a meeting of the House of Commons heritage committee back in April.
Why don't employees trust their leaders?
Over a third (35%) of professionals do not trust the leaders of their organization to do what is right, according to Robert Walters Canada’s survey of more than 2,000 white-collar professionals.
The two most common factors that lead to employees distrusting CEOs are leaders delivering unclear and inconsistent messages (43%) and having a “hidden agenda” and playing into corporate politics.
Another factor that leads to employees distrusting are CEOs who lack a strong voice (17%). Just 4% are swayed based on their CEO’s reputation.
“Anyone who has a significant ‘voice’ is feeling the pressure to use it wisely – and increasingly are expected to comment or provide a perspective on a host of different issues,” says Martin Fox, managing director of Robert Walters Canada.
CEOs are "cautiously optimistic" about business, according to a previous report.
How leaders can gain trust of employees
Over half of professionals feel that a CEO has the biggest impact on a company’s culture (52%) – with a further third (34%) stating mid-management are just as influential.
In comparison, just 14% feel that it is the overall employees of an organization that have an influence on the workplace culture, finds the Robert Walters survey.
How can CEOs win the trust of their workers? Over a third (36%) of professionals believe that CEOs who “lead by example” bring the most value to a company, and 31% put CEO success down to being empathetic and a good listener.
Employees are looking for leaders who “lead with confidence and conviction – as well as maintain an empathetic and listening ear to their employees, and even wider society,” says Fox.
“It’s all about being in touch with the people around you, having a diverse team, and hearing a host of different opinions and mediating on the single best solution to any problems that may arise. No matter how experienced a leader may be – they should never assume they have all the answers.”
