2021 Connected Leadership Research

Research Highlights

We asked readers of financial publications and employees of companies with more than 1,000 employees – groups emblematic of the external stakeholders business leaders want to reach – about their communications expectations of corporate leaders across 13 different countries and markets.

From misinformation to employee engagement to crisis, the data is clear. Stakeholders expect executives to adapt to the changing circumstances they face. They expect a Connected Leader.

	5 to 1 By a more than 5 to 1 ratio, employees prefer to work for a CEO who uses digital and social media.
	9 out of 10 9 out of 10 financial readers cite the importance of social media communications by CEOs during a crisis.
	60% 60% of employees considering joining a company will research a CEO’s social media accounts.
	9 to 1 By a margin of 9 to 1, financial readers trust a Connected Leader more than a CEO who does not use social media as part of their work.

The 2021 Connected Leadership Survey was conducted by Brunswick Insight. The 6,500 employees surveyed were individuals across major global markets who are full-time or part-time employees at a for-profit company with over 1,000 employees. The margin of error for the overall sample is +/- 1%, but increases per specific markets and subgroups. Data was collected from September 28 to November 29, 2020. The 5,200 financial readers surveyed were members of the public across major global markets that regularly read at least two financial news publications. The margin of error is +/- 1% and the data was collected from September 28 to November 24, 2020.

The survey was conducted among respondents that had affirmatively opted into participating in a pre-existing GDPR-compliant online sample. The survey did not collect sensitive personally identifiable information. Surveys for both audiences were fielded in English with the option of the market’s native language, where applicable.