Great leadership is defined not by authority alone, but by how much the people who follow leaders trust and support them. The best leaders -- of countries, organizations or other groups -- keep their followers in mind when making decisions, because without them, even the most capable leader lacks true influence.
In a rapidly changing world of technological advancement and geopolitical uncertainty, Gallup set out to learn what people around the world need from their leaders -- simply by asking them. The full results from what we found are detailed in the newly released Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want.
The Universality of Hope
Across 52 countries and territories -- accounting for 76% of the world’s adult population and 86% of global gross domestic product -- Gallup asked two questions:
- What leader has the most positive influence on your daily life?
- Now, please list three words that best describe what this person contributes to your life.
The three words that people use to describe the most positive leaders in their lives fall into four themes. Hope stands out as the dominant need, accounting for 56% of all attributes tied to positive leaders, far outnumbering mentions of the next key need, trust (33%). Compassion (7%) and stability (4%) combined account for about one in nine positive leadership traits mentioned.
Family members and managers are the leaders mentioned most often, but people’s needs from leaders are consistent regardless of the type of leader people choose.
There are some slight variations based on factors such as age and geography. Despite these subtleties, the most important quality followers seek in their leaders is remarkably consistent worldwide: the universality of hope.
The Link Between Leadership and Follower Wellbeing
There is a connection between people’s ratings of their lives and the presence of positive leadership traits.
Among those who do not mention hope in relation to the leader they identified, 33% are classified as thriving (meaning they rate their current life a “7” or higher out of 10 and their anticipated life in five years an “8” or higher), and 9% are classified as suffering (meaning they rate both their current and future lives a “4” or lower).
However, once the need for hope is met, thriving rises to 38%, and suffering dips to 6%. As hope is the need with the highest prevalence, this suggests a link to a reduction in suffering.
Followers with leaders who provide trust and hope are just as likely to be thriving as those with leaders who provide hope only. But when hope -- the foundational need -- is combined with trust and either compassion or stability, rates of thriving increase again (39% and 43%, respectively).
This suggests a link between people’s wellbeing and having a leader in their daily life who meets several of their needs. Suffering is higher with low hope but decreases as numerous needs are met. Although the base rate of suffering is low, the decline in suffering is significant, as even slight differences in suffering mean a lot to the people who experience it.
What This Means for Leaders
Today’s leaders, and those destined to lead in the future, face many profound challenges, not the least of which are recent developments in artificial intelligence. To face the evolving challenges of our time and succeed in this changing world, leaders must ultimately know three things to succeed.
First, leaders must understand the needs of their followers. This not only strengthens the follower-leader relationship but also increases the likelihood that their leadership will have a lasting, positive impact. But not all leaders will naturally fulfill the four needs of hope, trust, compassion and stability.
As such, leaders also need to know themselves. Understanding one’s natural talents, and developing them into strengths through knowledge and skill, can unlock individuals’ unique leadership styles and allow them to capitalize on what they do best. When leaders lead with their strengths, it helps create sustainable, high-performance practices that bring out the best version of themselves -- and those who follow them.
The most successful leaders also have a deep understanding of the demands of their specific role and the expectations attached to it. The best leaders achieve success -- despite varied roles, organizations and industries -- by bringing multiple teams together and making great decisions, driving the purpose and performance of their organization. The more leaders can provide their followers with hope, trust, compassion and stability by leaning on their unique strengths and applying them to the specifics of their role, the more successful they will be.
Learn more about leadership and the needs of followers by downloading Global Leadership Report: What Followers Want, launched at the World Governments Summit.
