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Senior leaders and the gap, 2026 edition

Most senior leaders I meet think the distance they feel from themselves is personal. These numbers say it comes with the job: the stress goes up with the role, the top of the organisation is thinking about leaving, and fewer of the people leading teams are engaged than a year ago.

Each number below is from published research. For every one you get what was measured, who was asked, how many, and a link to the source, so you can check it yourself.

Published research

71%

of leaders report a significant increase in stress since stepping into their current role, up from 63% in 2022.

Source: DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2025
Who was asked: Leaders across organisations worldwide
Sample: 10,796 leaders from 2,014 organisations, in more than 50 countries

40%

of stressed leaders have considered leaving their leadership roles to improve their well-being, against 20% of less-stressed leaders.

Source: DDI Global Leadership Forecast 2025 (The Impact of Stress and Burnout, page 9)
Who was asked: The 71% of leaders who reported a significant increase in stress since stepping into their current role
Sample: 10,796 leaders from 2,014 organisations, in more than 50 countries

75%

of C-suite executives are seriously considering quitting for a job that would better support their well-being, up from 69% the year before.

Source: Deloitte and Workplace Intelligence, Well-being at Work, 2023
Who was asked: C-suite leaders, managers and employees in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia
Sample: 1,050 C-suite leaders, of 3,150 people surveyed

22%

of managers worldwide are engaged at work, down from 31% in 2022 and 27% a year earlier. Gallup finds managers are increasingly only as engaged as the people they lead.

Source: Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026 (2025 data)
Who was asked: Employed adults in more than 140 countries and territories; managers are reported as a group
Sample: 263,810 respondents in 2025 (141,444 employed). Gallup does not publish a separate manager sample.

3 yrs

A study that followed 565 employees for three years found that changing jobs was not linked to any change in their burnout.

Source: Hirva, Mauno and Mäkikangas, Work & Stress, 40(1), 2026
Who was asked: Finnish employees, followed over three years
Sample: 565 employees. A general workforce sample, not senior leaders only.

How this page works

When the numbers change, this page changes, and the date in the title moves with it. If anything here looks out of date, write and tell me.

If the numbers sound like you, start with your biggest challenge, or see what each engagement includes.