Leaders overestimate the trust of their employees

Leaders overestimate their employees' trust Leaders overestimate themselves. This is shown by the second edition of the CEO Insomnia Index by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). Almost 90 percent of CEOs are convinced that their employees generally trust their leadership. However, only 46 percent of employees agree with this. This misjudgment is especially evident in the transformation process surrounding artificial intelligence. Not enough trust 15 percent of the surveyed CEOs are concerned that their handling of AI could affect their employees' trust. However, according to the study, four out of ten employees state that their CEO is not transparent enough about how AI could affect their role and career. "Historically, there has always been this perception gap," says Julie Bedard, Managing Director and Partner at BCG. "Leadership teams, including CEOs, sometimes overestimate this trust. I think this gap has widened further, as the relationship between employers and employees is becoming increasingly transactional in some companies." More trust would be very beneficial: Half of the employees who indicated that their CEO's handling of AI strengthened their trust are now more willing to go the extra mile and become more engaged. Less than ten percent of employees whose trust in their CEO's AI leadership has decreased could say the same. A difference of more than 40 percentage points. More than words are needed "CEOs assume that it is enough for employees to hear their words to build trust," criticizes Matthias Tauber, Managing Director and Senior Partner at BCG. However, employees also judge CEOs by their actions. "CEOs must be realistic and consistent in their statements and actions," he says. And this starts with issues such as the well-being of the teams. Almost 70 percent of CEOs believe that their employees trust them to keep their well-being in mind when making important business decisions. However, only 36 percent of employees agree with this. Nevertheless, 58 percent of leaders do not worry about increasing dissatisfaction among employees. CEOs even report a lower stress level. Prefer to step back The stress level of the "CEO Insomnia Index" has decreased from 66.7 to 64.2 out of 100 points at the beginning of this year. Nevertheless, 34 percent of CEOs report having thought about resignation at least over the past six months. They name better health, more time for family, a better work-life balance, and a happier life among the reasons for a possible withdrawal. Comments