C-suite executives are looking for leadership support in 2025 as they face increasing levels of stress, burnout and turnover, according to a Feb. 27 report from LHH, a talent solutions provider and global business unit of the Adecco Group.
More than 40% of leaders reported a turnover of more than half of their leadership team during the past year. That rises to 73% in sales, media and marketing.
As a result, 75% said they need additional leadership assistance to manage their responsibilities effectively.
In this uncertain business environment, workers are leaning on leadership more heavily, John Morgan, president of LHH’s career transition and mobility and leadership development businesses, said in a statement.
“Our research found that in the face of this pressure, many leaders are feeling unprepared, leading to a crisis of confidence,” Morgan said. “This underscores a vital need for organizations to play an active role in facilitating leadership success and strengthening C-suite pipelines, as executives are eager for support and seeking opportunities to learn and grow.”
In the survey of 2,675 C-suite executives across 10 countries, 56% reported burnout, which has increased from 52% in 2023. Gen X and millennial leaders reported even higher rates, citing stressors linked to turnover, inflation and rapid adoption of artificial intelligence tools.
Executives named team effectiveness as the top internal leadership challenge, with 26% pointing to a lack of team cohesion and 25% reporting misalignment between critical roles and the people filling them.
In addition, 33% of new leaders said they lacked confidence in their personal ability to succeed in their roles, and 31% said they don’t feel confident in their leadership team’s ability to perform.
As more leaders leave, CHROs are struggling to stop the exodus of C-suite members, according to a Gartner report. However, few C-suite executives believe their CHRO effectively manages the tension between their C-suite members.
As companies increasingly focus on retention, CHROs are playing a larger role in guiding the C-suite, according to an iCIMS report. Most CHROs said internal mobility has become a major priority for their organization, and more than a third said they’re investing in new tools to support internal mobility initiatives.
