Executive leadership engagement has plunged to worrying levels. According to Gallup’s State of the Global Workplace report, professionals with managerial responsibilities fell to 22% in 2025, marking a nine-point decline from 31% in 2022. This disconnect at the top levels represents a first-order strategic risk for companies, directly impacting decision-making, business vision, and the retention of key talent in an increasingly complex and volatile market environment.
In addition to the usual duties of business management and delivering results, today there is unprecedented organizational pressure. Executive leaders must guide the accelerated integration of artificial intelligence, pilot cultural transformation processes, and lead flexible and hybrid work models. This accumulation of demands translates directly into the well-being of the executive team. According to Gallup, in 2025, 45% of professionals with executive roles experienced high levels of stress during their ordinary workday, a figure that is six points higher than the 39% recorded among professionals who do not have teams under their supervision.
Stress and Operational Overload as a Brake on Executive Performance
In Spain, the work environment continues to follow this wear trend. Nearly four in ten workers report feeling stressed daily in their roles, according to the Health on Demand study conducted by Mercer. In this context, safeguarding the sustainability of leadership roles and providing structural support to the executive suite has become an urgent necessity to prevent talent attrition, professional burnout, and organizational stagnation.
The technological transformation and rapid evolution of markets have required executives to continually adapt. Executives not only must master new management tools, but also accompany their organizations in adopting new work dynamics, which generates a functional overload that impacts strategic decision-making.
“For years we have demanded of senior leadership an unlimited capacity to absorb changes, achieve demanding business objectives, and lead the digital transformation of their organizations. The real challenge for companies is ensuring that their executives have strategic autonomy, proper support, and the tools necessary to exercise their leadership role without ongoing pressure resulting in disconnection from the organization,” says César Truan, Director of Synergie Executive Spain.
Autonomy, Training, and Development
Facing this situation, organizations are challenged to take a deep, comprehensive look at the role of their executive teams and provide them with a framework that allows them to perform their duties with confidence in complex environments. Investing in developing executive leadership capabilities makes a substantial difference in retaining executive talent. Companies that train their leadership teams and invest in honing their management competencies manage to raise executive engagement by up to 22%, while simultaneously driving an 18% increase in overall team engagement.
Empowering executives with greater autonomy in decision-making, structuring executive mentoring programs, and designing clear executive career pathways are essential steps to strengthen their skills and help them adapt to the new market demands. The objective for organizations would not be to simply demand from the executive leadership that they lead better, but to build the structural conditions that enable them to do so in a sustainable manner.
“Executive engagement is built by giving leaders a clear strategic role, real decision-making capacity, and development opportunities aligned with the market’s current challenges. In this context, tools such as executive coaching programs can play a meaningful role, offering leaders a space for reflection and guidance to reinforce their capabilities, tackle transformation processes, and evolve alongside their organizations. If we want competitive and resilient companies, we need the people who lead them to have the right conditions and support to perform their functions well,” concludes César Truan.
