Survey: Countries that admire their CEOs and other C-suite leadership teams the most, 2023
Job satisfaction is a widely pursued goal, yet only 65% of employees report being satisfied in their current roles. A crucial element in fostering a positive workplace culture is the relationship between CEOs, other C-suite leaders, and employees. When bosses are seen as leaders and figures of admiration, it contributes to a thriving work environment. Recognizing the significance of these dynamics, CEOWORLD magazine conducted a study to identify the countries where employees have the strongest affinity for their CEOs and other C-suite leaders and to uncover the factors that contribute to these flourishing relationships.
The experts at CEOWORLD magazine analyzed survey data provided by employees. This data offered valuable insights into the employees’ perceptions of their bosses and shed light on the underlying factors influencing these sentiments. By examining these findings, CEOWORLD aimed to understand the key drivers behind successful CEO-employee relationships and the elements contributing to positive workplace cultures in different countries.
CEOWORLD magazine can reveal that employees from Germany like their CEOs and other C-suite members the most, with a significant 68.6% expressing a favorable opinion, with good management being cited as the primary reason.
Top countries that admire their CEOs and other C-suite leadership teams the most, 2023
| Rank | Country | GDP | Main reason | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Germany | $3.693 trillion | Good Management | 68.62 |
| 2 | France | $2.583 trillion | Good Management | 67.22 |
| 3 | Canada | $1.647 trillion | Good Communication | 65.15 |
| 4 | Australia | $1.323 trillion | Well Paid | 64.31 |
| 5 | China | $12.238 trillion | Good Management | 60.53 |
| 6 | United Kingdom | $2.638 trillion | Personality | 59.76 |
| 7 | Italy | $1.944 trillion | Good Communication | 59.76 |
| 8 | Japan | $4.872 trillion | Well Paid | 57.77 |
| 9 | South Korea | $1.531 trillion | Good Management | 57.65 |
| 10 | Spain | $1.314 trillion | Good Management | 57.38 |
| 11 | Indonesia | $1.015 trillion | Good Management | 56.31 |
| 12 | Netherlands | $831 billion | Good Management | 56.29 |
| 13 | Switzerland | $679 billion | Good Management | 56.2 |
| 14 | United States | $19.485 trillion | Personality | 55.98 |
| 15 | Sweden | $536 billion | Well Paid | 55.89 |
| 16 | Belgium | $495 billion | Good Communication | 55.73 |
| 17 | India | $2.651 trillion | Good Management | 55.46 |
| 18 | Austria | $417 billion | Personality | 55.37 |
| 19 | Brazil | $2.054 trillion | Well Paid | 55.31 |
| 20 | Norway | $399 billion | Good Management | 55.19 |
| 21 | Ireland | $331 billion | Good Management | 54.95 |
| 22 | Singapore | $324 billion | Good Management | 54.92 |
| 23 | Denmark | $330 billion | Good Management | 54.69 |
| 24 | United Arab Emirates | $383 billion | Good Management | 54.63 |
| 25 | Mexico | $1.151 trillion | Good Management | 53.99 |
| 26 | Russia | $1.578 trillion | Personality | 53.74 |
| 27 | Finland | $252 billion | Well Paid | 53.59 |
| 28 | Hong Kong | $341 billion | Well Paid | 53.55 |
| 29 | Portugal | $219 billion | Good Communication | 53.41 |
| 30 | Chile | $277 billion | Good Management | 53.28 |
| 31 | Czech Republic (Czechia) | $216 billion | Good Management | 53.25 |
| 32 | Philippines | $314 billion | Good Management | 53.13 |
| 33 | Israel | $353 billion | Good Management | 53 |
| 34 | Poland | $526 billion | Well Paid | 52.83 |
| 35 | New Zealand | $204 billion | Good Communication | 52.52 |
| 36 | Romania | $212 billion | Good Management | 52.5 |
| 37 | Qatar | $167 billion | Personality | 52.4 |
| 38 | Hungary | $140 billion | Good Communication | 52.35 |
| 39 | Luxembourg | $62.32 billion | Good Management | 52.24 |
| 40 | Estonia | $26.61 billion | Good Management | 51.85 |
| 41 | Kuwait | $120 billion | Well Paid | 51.8 |
| 42 | South Africa | $349 billion | Personality | 51.7 |
| 43 | Malaysia | $315 billion | Good Management | 51.61 |
| 44 | Argentina | $637 billion | Good Management | 51.41 |
| 45 | Turkey | $852 billion | Personality | 51.34 |
| 46 | Thailand | $455 billion | Good Management | 50.88 |
| 47 | Iceland | $24.49 billion | Personality | 50.73 |
| 48 | Saudi Arabia | $687 billion | Good Communication | 50.59 |
| 49 | Croatia | $55.21 billion | Good Management | 50.39 |
| 50 | Greece | $203 billion | Good Management | 50.28 |
| 51 | Vietnam | $224 billion | Well Paid | 50.13 |
| 52 | Nigeria | $376 billion | Good Communication | 50.04 |
| 53 | Peru | $211 billion | Good Communication | 49.97 |
| 54 | Cyprus | $22.05 billion | Personality | 49.9 |
| 55 | Malta | $12.52 billion | Well Paid | 49.87 |
| 56 | Uruguay | $56.16 billion | Good Communication | 49.64 |
| 57 | Bulgaria | $58.22 billion | Good Management | 49.6 |
| 58 | Egypt | $235 billion | Good Management | 49.25 |
| 59 | Bangladesh | $250 billion | Well Paid | 49.17 |
| 60 | Angola | $122 billion | Personality | 49.15 |
| 61 | Oman | $70.78 billion | Good Management | 48.96 |
| 62 | Serbia | $41.43 billion | Good Management | 48.94 |
| 63 | Latvia | $30.46 billion | Personality | 48.93 |
| 64 | Lithuania | $47.54 billion | Good Communication | 48.92 |
| 65 | Seychelles | $1.50 billion | Good Management | 48.86 |
| 66 | Bahrain | $35.43 billion | Good Management | 48.84 |
| 67 | Jordan | $40.07 billion | Personality | 48.71 |
| 68 | Slovenia | $48.77 billion | Good Communication | 48.66 |
| 69 | Macao | $50.36 billion | Good Management | 48.62 |
| 70 | Lebanon | $53.58 billion | Good Management | 48.58 |
| 71 | Dominican Republic | $75.93 billion | Good Communication | 48.54 |
| 72 | Ethiopia | $80.56 billion | Good Management | 48.15 |
| 73 | Sri Lanka | $87.36 billion | Well Paid | 48.14 |
| 74 | Slovakia | $95.62 billion | Personality | 48.1 |
| 75 | Morocco | $110 billion | Well Paid | 48.05 |
| 76 | Paraguay | $39.67 billion | Personality | 47.27 |
| 77 | Bolivia | $37.51 billion | Good Communication | 47.14 |
| 78 | Nepal | $24.88 billion | Good Management | 47.02 |
| 79 | Zambia | $25.87 billion | Well Paid | 46.74 |
| 80 | Uganda | $26.00 billion | Good Communication | 46.67 |
| 81 | El Salvador | $24.81 billion | Good Management | 46.57 |
| 82 | Bahamas | $12.16 billion | Good Communication | 46.54 |
| 83 | Albania | $13.04 billion | Good Management | 46.21 |
| 84 | Montenegro | $4.84 billion | Well Paid | 46.15 |
| 85 | Mauritius | $13.27 billion | Personality | 46.03 |
| 86 | Moldova | $8.13 billion | Good Management | 45.96 |
| 87 | North Macedonia | $11.28 billion | Good Communication | 45.86 |
| 88 | Armenia | $11.54 billion | Good Management | 45.84 |
| 89 | Brunei | $12.13 billion | Well Paid | 45.42 |
| 90 | Namibia | $13.25 billion | Personality | 45.39 |
| 91 | Georgia | $15.08 billion | Good Management | 45.29 |
| 92 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | $18.05 billion | Good Communication | 45.28 |
| 93 | Zimbabwe | $22.04 billion | Good Management | 45.23 |
| 94 | Kazakhstan | $163 billion | Well Paid | 44.85 |
| 95 | Azerbaijan | $40.75 billion | Personality | 44.75 |
| 96 | Tunisia | $39.95 billion | Good Communication | 44.62 |
| 97 | Ukraine | $112 billion | Good Management | 44.25 |
| 98 | Ecuador | $104 billion | Well Paid | 44.1 |
| 99 | Cuba | $96.85 billion | Good Communication | 44.06 |
| 100 | Kenya | $79.26 billion | Good Management | 44.03 |
| 101 | Belarus | $54.46 billion | Good Management | 43.93 |
| 102 | Uzbekistan | $49.68 billion | Good Management | 43.79 |
| 103 | Maldives | $4.87 billion | Personality | 43.62 |
| 104 | Sudan | $117 billion | Good Management | 42.53 |
| 105 | Turkmenistan | $37.93 billion | Good Management | 42.45 |
| 106 | DR Congo | $37.64 billion | Well Paid | 42.19 |
| 107 | Senegal | $21.07 billion | Good Communication | 41.94 |
| 108 | Papua New Guinea | $20.54 billion | Well Paid | 41.77 |
| 109 | Afghanistan | $19.54 billion | Personality | 41.7 |
| 110 | Madagascar | $11.50 billion | Good Management | 41.52 |
| 111 | Kyrgyzstan | $7.56 billion | Good Communication | 41.39 |
| 112 | Rwanda | $9.14 billion | Well Paid | 41.39 |
| 113 | Tajikistan | $7.15 billion | Personality | 41.17 |
| 114 | Pakistan | $305 billion | Good Communication | 41.1 |
| 115 | Mauritania | $5.02 billion | Good Management | 40.84 |
Lisa Gable, External Advisory Board (EAB) for CEOWORLD magazine, Commented: “Unsurprisingly, good management is the primary driving force behind positive sentiments. Competent and inspiring leaders who communicate well and support their teams are critical to employee satisfaction. However, what intrigues me is how countries with profound cultural differences, like the US, Austria, Russia, Iceland, Angola, and Latvia, emphasize personality. This calls for deeper exploration and analysis to discern whether these rankings and responses are influenced by generational differences within the workforce and the unique leadership qualities each culture values. Such insights could shed light on the intricate dynamics of leadership across diverse societies.”
“Being a leader means accepting full responsibility for the organization. The company’s success is not only in the financial prosperity but in the employee’s overall well-being and job satisfaction. The employees need to feel protected, guided, and trusted. Good management is the key to success, and CEOs should consider adopting the hybrid model of principle-based and rule-based organizations. The human factor plays a significant leadership role and should be highlighted by every CEO. Overall, we all have a long way to go to achieve a happy and compassionate culture, but we are on the right track, and I encourage all the CEOs to prioritize this,” said Deepak Ohri in a statement.
“I appreciate the valuable insights the team at CEOWORLD Magazine has provided in its recent study about admired CEOs and leadership teams by country. By doing so, you provide us with data directly from employees, revealing that only 65% reported being satisfied in their current roles and that a key driver of that satisfaction is being part of a culture that fosters positive workplace relationships (among the CEO, senior leaders, and the employees). Job satisfaction is a reliable predictor of employee engagement, which influences productivity, retention, and mental health in the workplace. It’s hard to identify a more relevant set of challenges for today’s organizations. The findings are helpful for business leaders at every level,” said Leo Bottary, External Advisory Board (EAB) for the CEOWORLD magazine.
“Kudos to CEOWORLD magazine for this ambitious and insightful survey. This is fascinating from multiple perspectives. First, despite the high level of C-Suite compensation in the United States, we ranked only 14th. Second, the group of countries around United States – the Netherlands, Switzerland, Sweden, and Belgium – all have a very long history of successful executives running multinational organizations. Third, it was particularly interesting that personality was the most important characteristics in the United States. Fourth, the countries at the top of the list, Germany, France, Canada, Australia, China, the UK and Italy, are extremely diverse culturally, politically and economically. This suggests to me that there is a culture component that may be idiosyncratic to each country. Absolutely fascinating study,” said Dr. William Putsis.
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