33 Key Leadership Statistics that You Should Not Miss in 2024

Quixy Editorial Team

February 2, 2024

It’s hard for any business to succeed without having solid digital leadership because it’s the leadership that drives the growth. However, if there is a skill gap in the leadership or if the leaders are not aware of the preferences of today’s workforce, there’s a chance that there may be high employee turnover or the leadership will fail.

To prevent such a scenario, staying updated about the latest statistics on leadership and trends is crucial. These stats on leadership will help you understand how the leaders are performing and what trends in leadership are coming up worldwide. 

In this article, we have curated 33 statistics about leadership that will help you understand how leaders of today are performing, what issues they are facing, and what’s the status of women in leadership diversity.

Leadership statistics: How do leaders feel and act?

What do leaders feel about leadership style? How are these leaders doing emotionally? Does this have any impact on employee turnover? Let us find out.

1. According to a Gartner survey, the vast majority (90%) of HR leaders believe that in order to thrive in the modern workplace, leaders need to prioritize the human elements of leadership.
2. Of the leaders who expressed feeling emotionally drained at the end of each day, 44% anticipated switching companies to progress in their careers.
3. Leaders who prioritize managing over interacting are 32% less engaged, 1.5 times more likely to feel burned out by the end of the day, and 2 times more likely to leave within 12 months.
4. In organizations where leaders actively practice and receive feedback from managers, the likelihood of having high-quality leaders and a strong talent pool increases by 4.6 times.
5. 78% of business leaders are committed to enhancing their employee engagement.

What does it mean?

Certainly, integrating human elements into leadership, prioritizing employee well-being, and fostering robust leadership development programs are crucial for leaders to establish a successful and sustainable workplace. Moreover, leaders must emphasize active engagement with their teams, as solely prioritizing management can lead to burnout.

Also Read: 10 Key Practices that can make a Successful Digital Leader 

Impact of leadership: How do employees react to their leaders?

Understanding how employees feel about their leaders, how they react to their leadership style, and how they are mentally affected by their immediate managers can help a business understand how its leadership is performing. It will also help you infer actionable insights that can help you mitigate any problems with the leadership style. Let us see what employees have to say.

1. Only 29% of employees perceive their leader as demonstrating human leadership.
2. 31% of employees concur that their leaders actively foster an inclusive team environment.
3. A significant 76% of employees state that work-related stress has adversely affected their relationships, while 66% admit to losing sleep due to work-related stress.
4. 35% of individuals recognize their boss as a primary cause of workplace stress, and a striking 80% believe that a change in direct management or leadership directly affects their stress levels.
5. As a result of inadequate employee and leadership engagement, one out of every five employees is susceptible to experiencing burnout.
6. Inadequate appreciation from their managers can cause 79% of employees to consider quitting.
7. A significant 69% of millennials express concern about the lack of leadership skill development in their workplace.
8. If Millennials perceive a lack of leadership skill development and no opportunities for growth, a considerable 71% of them will leave their job within two to three years.

What does it mean?

Work-related stress affects most employees, impacting their relationships and sleep patterns. Many employees identify their boss as a primary source of stress, emphasizing management’s significant role in stress levels. Moreover, employee appreciation is essential for retaining talent, as the lack of it can lead employees to consider leaving their jobs. Besides, millennials express concerns about the lack of leadership skill development and may opt to leave if they do not see growth opportunities provided.

Also Read: Digital Leadership in a New Era and How Workplace Culture Matters More Than Ever

Women leadership Statistics: How are they doing?

It took some time for women to get their place in corporate and even more time to find a seat at the leadership table. But now that we are seeing diversity in leadership, how are women actually doing at the top? Is there any residual gender-based discrimination left, or are we still far from an equally diverse leadership? Let us see what’s the position of women in leadership statistics is.

1. According to a survey conducted by Gartner, Inc. and AWESOME, women held 19% of C-level positions in the average supply chain organization.
2. Women in leadership stats represent 21% of VP-level roles, witnessing a decline from 23%. Additionally, women now make up 39% of the total supply chain workforce.
3. Women hold a mere 15% representation on boards of directors.
4. Studies indicate that females demonstrate higher resilience levels, scoring at the 54.7 percentile, compared to men, who score at the 49.3 percentile.
5. Fewer than 20% of startups seek female board members.
6. Women make up 47.7% of the global workforce.
7. A mere 27.1% of women hold managerial and leadership positions.
8. Over the past two decades, the number of women in software engineering has seen a mere 2% increase.
9. 42% of women state that they have experienced workplace discrimination based on their gender.
10. Nearly half of women, accounting for 48%, are in entry-level positions.
11. 72% of women experience conflict due to work-life balance.
12. In 2019, there was a 5% increase in the percentage of women in senior management positions.

What does it mean?

The female leadership statistics data reveals progress in women’s representation in C-level positions in the supply chain organization, but challenges remain for VP-level roles and board seats. It’s worth noting that women’s higher resilience indicates leadership potential. However, startups lack female board members, highlighting a diversity gap. While women’s workforce representation is significant, improvement is needed in managerial and leadership roles. The slow growth of women in software engineering is concerning. Additionally, gender discrimination at work and work-life balance conflicts persist. On a positive note, there was some increase in women in senior management in 2019, signaling progress. Nevertheless, continued efforts are vital to foster gender diversity and create an inclusive workplace.

Also Read: 7 Traits of Successful Digital Leaders

Leadership’s impact on the business: What do businesses need to do?

The ultimate aim of having strong leadership is to grow the company. But are today’s digital leaders able to contribute to growth? Are there any discrepancies or gaps that need to be addressed? Let us find out with these leadership stats & importance of leadership in business.

1. While 83% of companies acknowledge the importance leadership, only a mere 5% of corporations actually implement these improvements.
2. In 2019, 77% of corporations experienced leadership gaps.
3. Three in five (59%) employees and business leaders report that their organization has implemented some measures to guard against burnout. However, almost a third (29%) of employees express a desire for organizations to display more empathy in their actions.
4. There is a significant gap between leaders’ perceptions of their performance and HR’s evaluation. While 48% of leaders believe their company has high-quality leadership, only 28% of HR respondents share the same viewpoint.
5. A mere 14% of CEOs possess the required leadership talent to foster the growth of their businesses.
6. Due to millennials constituting 75% of the workforce by 2025, the nature of the workforce is expected to undergo significant changes.
7. Within the initial 18 months, 38% of new leaders experience failure.
8. By 2024, the corporate leadership training market is projected to achieve a value of $26.7 billion.

What does it mean?

Many companies acknowledge the importance of leadership development, but only a small percentage implement improvements. Leadership gaps are prevalent, and there is a notable discrepancy between leaders’ perception of high-quality leadership and HR’s evaluation, highlighting the need for leadership training investment. With millennials projected to represent a significant portion of the workforce by 2025, organizations need to adapt. The findings underscore the importance of prioritizing leadership development, addressing gaps, enhancing support mechanisms, and catering to the preferences of the millennial workforce.

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