Future Leaders Remain Scarce in Workplace
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Satisfied Status
Only 34% of workers aspire to leadership roles, and just 7% want a senior or C-level management position. -
Leadership Aspirations
40% of men would like a leadership role, compared to 29% of women. -
Deciding Factors
52% of employees who don't want leadership roles say they're happy in their current one, and 34% don't want to sacrifice their work-life balance. -
No Limits
Overall, 20% of workers say their organization has a glass ceiling, while 24% of those who aspire to managerial roles feel this way. -
Diversity Deficits
One-third of women say there's a glass ceiling at their workplace, as do 40% of African Americans and 34% of Hispanics. -
A Blind Eye
Only 9% of males who do not represent any group of diversity say there's a glass ceiling for women and minorities at their organizations. -
Few Leadership Efforts
Just 17% of employers have launched initiatives for women to pursue leadership positions, and only 26% have done the same for minorities. -
What to Look for in Future Leaders: Trustworthiness
Credibility with colleagues is a must. As the late Richard Heckert, retired chairman of DuPont, has stated: "If you always tell the truth, you won't have to remember what you said." -
What to Look for in Future Leaders: Lead by Example
Future senior executives lead by example, and then graciously share what they've learned. They neither call attention to their successes with arrogance, nor do they convey false humility. -
What to Look for in Future Leaders: Focus
A strong leader doesn't allow unexpected business shifts, personality conflicts or personal emotions get in the way of delivering on organization-benefiting objectives. -
What to Look for in Future Leaders: An Active Listener
A future influencer doesn't shut off any point of information, realizing that anything that anyone has to offer could translate to value.
CIOs and other top managers are often evaluated based upon their ability to develop future leaders. However, barriers loom large in these efforts, including the fact that the vast majority of workers don't want to advance to an executive role. A recent survey from CareerBuilder reveals that a great number of employees are happy in their current jobs, and many don't want to sacrifice their work-life balance for a higher-level position. Unfortunately, the road to the top is a different journey for different types of people, especially when it comes to gender and race, say the respondents. Three in 10 women, for example, say a glass ceiling exists at their organization. Ditto for three in 10 Hispanics and four in 10 African-Americans. "While most workers don't want a top job, it is important for organizational leaders to promote a culture of meritocracy in which all workers—regardless of gender, race or sexual orientation—are able to reach senior-level roles based on their skills and past contributions alone," says Rosemary Haefner, vice president of human resources at CareerBuilder. To help CIOs assess the next generation of organizational influencers, we're also providing the following best practices to spot future leaders. They were adapted from various online resources, including those from McKinsey & Company and the University of California, Santa Cruz. More than 3,620 employees participated in the CareerBuilder research. For more about the survey, click here.
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