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2014 BlueSteps CEO Career ReportMobility on the rise as CEOs eye strategic expansion to retain top talent

2 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report2

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2014 BlueSteps

CEO Career Report

Contents:

2 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

Page 3: Executive Summary

Page 4: About Our CEO Study

Page 5: CEO Business and Career Management Concerns

Page 6: Most-Needed Skills for Today’s CEOs

Page 7: Relationship Between CEOs and Board of Directors

Page 8: CEO Communication with Stakeholders

Page 9: CEO Networking and Hiring Trends via Social Media

3 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

Executive Summary

The 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career survey was conducted from February 2014 to April 2014 and received 160 responses from executives with the title Chief Executive Officer (CEO) worldwide. The purpose of this survey was to discover the issues faced by CEOs and to learn where CEOs are headed for the purpose of helping current and aspiring CEOs successfully manage their careers.

The survey results highlighted a strong focus by CEOs on the growth of their own careers. CEOs understand that their skills are imperative to their organizations’ success, but at the same time they have concerns about the stability of their current mandate and an interest in securing their next opportunity. This trend represents the top career management concern of this survey’s CEO respondents, which was finding new opportunities (81.3%). Concurrently, CEOs are focused on finding and retaining top talent to grow their current organization, with the majority (53.3%) stating that this is their top business-related concern.

Peter Felix, AESC & BlueSteps President, commented: “This report reminds us that while CEOs are focused on the key issues of attracting and retaining talent to their organizations, they are themselves concerned about their own career progression and the next opportunity. This is an inevitable reflection of the modern business world and a fast changing, competitive landscape. For the CEO in many organizations the only way to achieve greater responsibility, career potential and wealth creation is probably to find opportunities outside of the organization – a fact that many Boards of Directors will overlook when reviewing their current CEO or considering succession issues. CEO’s, just like everyone else, are human beings chasing their career dreams.”

Regarding their relationship with company stakeholders, the majority of CEOs believe they communicate effectively with key company stakeholder groups. In addition, a significant percentage believe their relationship with their board of directors was a positive one.

Mobility on the rise as CEOs eye strategic expansion to retain top talent

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4 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

11.0%

11.0%

78.0%

Public-sector

Non-profit

Privately-held

About Our Study

Current Sector

Employer Organization

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1.8%

1.8%

1.8%

3.6%

7.2%

9.0%

9.0%

12.6%

12.6%

13.5%

14.4%

12.6%

Hospitality/Tourism

Media/Entertainment/Advertising/PR

Insurance

Energy/Natural Resources

Financial Services

Consumer/Retail

Not for Profit/Public Sector/Education

Professional Services

Healthcare/Life Sciences

Technology/Telecoms

Manufacturing/Industrial

(Other)

(Other 12.6%)

85 Privately-held12 Non-profit 12 Public-sector51 did not identify

2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report5

Top CEO Business Concerns

Top CEO Career Management Concerns

The majority of CEOs were most concerned about finding and attracting qualified talent (53.3%), which shows that CEOs are still highly invested in their companies’ success by building strong-performing teams and potential successors.

Most CEOs were concerned about finding new opportunities (81.3%) and staying innovative (72%). Modern CEOs have witnessed high CEO turnover over the past decade, which has caused an increased focus in these two areas of career management.

9.3%

15.9%

16.8%

19.6%

27.1%

30.8%

34.6%

45.8%

46.7%

53.3%

Other

Increasing globalization

Rising taxes

Decreasing political stability

Decreasing business costs

Lack of credit or capital availability

Increasing competitors in the market

Increasing profitability

External economic factors/conditions

Finding and attracting qualified talent

6.5%

24.3%

25.2%

42.1%

48.6%

72.0%

81.3%

Other

Declining compensation

Continued academic education

Employment stability

Career stagnation

Staying innovative

Finding new opportunities

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*Respondents were prompted to choose their top three business concerns.

*Respondents were prompted to choose their top three career management concerns.

6 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

Most-Needed Skills for Today’s CEO Candidates

According to this survey’s CEO respondents, the skills most-needed for today’s CEOs are business and growth-focused, including: 1) Strategic thinking (71.9%), 2) Decision making (37.5%) and 3) Motivation of people (29.2%).

These skills may vary greatly from those that were in demand for CEOs of the past. Further research on the skills needed by modern leaders vs. leaders from 10+ years ago could bring about interesting commentary on the changing landscape of leadership, and possibly, changes in the path to becoming a modern CEO.

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2.1%

6.3%

6.3%

9.4%

12.5%

25.0%

29.2%

37.5%

71.9%

Other

Sector knowledge

Mentorship

Management

Teamwork

Interpersonal/communication

Motivation of people

Decision making

Strategic thinking

*Respondents were prompted to choose the top three most-needed skills for today’s CEOs.

7 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

Relationship Between CEOs and Board of Directors

Most of this survey’s CEO respondents reported feeling most positive about their communication with their board of directors and generally good about their working relationship.

CEOs generally agreed, but didn’t feel as confident that the board’s behavior alligned to company values (11.5% Disagree or Strongly Disagree) and CEO - board relationship-building outside of regularly scheduled meetings (5.3% Disagree or Strongly Disagree).

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36.8%

53.8%

40.6%

51.0%

21.9%

28.4%

46.3%

38.7%

55.2%

36.5%

45.8%

47.4%

I build relationships outside of regularly scheduled meetings with my company’s board.

I communicate openly, proactively and transparently with my company’s board.

I consider suggestions from my company’s board with an open mind.

I am confident when addressing the board.

The board’s behavior is aligned to our company values.

I work effectively with my company’s board.

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

36.8%

53.8%

40.6%

51.0%

21.9%

28.4%

46.3%

38.7%

55.2%

36.5%

45.8%

47.4%

I build relationships outside of regularly scheduled meetings with my company’s board.

I communicate openly, proactively and transparently with my company’s board.

I consider suggestions from my company’s board with an open mind.

I am confident when addressing the board.

The board’s behavior is aligned to our company values.

I work effectively with my company’s board.

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree

36.8%

53.8%

40.6%

51.0%

21.9%

28.4%

46.3%

38.7%

55.2%

36.5%

45.8%

47.4%

I build relationships outside of regularly scheduled meetings with my company’s board.

I communicate openly, proactively and transparently with my company’s board.

I consider suggestions from my company’s board with an open mind.

I am confident when addressing the board.

The board’s behavior is aligned to our company values.

I work effectively with my company’s board.

Strongly Agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly Disagree 20%

20.8%

9.4%

3.1%

5.4%

11.6%

8 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

CEO Communication with Stakeholders

The majority of CEO survey respondents stated that they were spending the right amount of time communicating with company stakeholder groups. These CEOs believed they were spending the right amount of time with their customers (65%), employees (64%), board (64%) and partners (60%).

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28%

25%

31%

38%

41%

27%

25%

20%

64%

54%

43%

30%

44%

65%

60%

64%

Our employees

Our shareholders/investors

Policy makers and interest groups in our homecountry

Policy makers and interest groups in other countrieswhere we operate

Important communities

Customers

Partners

My Board

Too little time, we’d do well to invest more About the right amount Too much time, we should scale back

38%

31%

41%

25%

25%

28%

27%

30%

43%

44%

54%

60%

64%

65%

Policy makers and interest groups in other countrieswhere we operate

Policy makers and interest groups in our homecountry

Important communities

Our shareholders/investors

Partners

Our employees

Customers

Too little time, we’d do well to invest more About the right amount Too much time, we should scale back

9 2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

CEO Professional Networking on Social Media

Time Spent by CEOs on Social Media for Professional Networking

3%

24%

30%

31%

12%None

Less than 1 hour perweek

1-2 hours per week

3-8 hours per week

More than 8 hours perweek

95.7%

45.7%

32.9%25.7%

8.6%

LinkedIn Facebook Twitter Google+ Other

Most-Used Social Media Sites for Personal Promotion or Networking

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2014 BlueSteps CEO Career Report

About BlueSteps.com BlueSteps.com is an online career management service for global senior executives. As an exclusive service of the Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC), BlueSteps enables senior executives to make their career profile accessible to over 8,000 retained executive search professionals in more than 75 countries who are members of the AESC, and use the database as an additional resource in their candidate and source identification process. BlueSteps members can stay informed of executive job market trends and news and use a variety of tools and resources to facilitate the successful management of their executive career path.

About The Association of ExecutiveSearch Consultants The Association of Executive Search Consultants (AESC) is the worldwide professional association for the retained executive search sector. The AESC promotes the highest professional standards in retained executive search consulting, broadens public understanding of the executive search process, and serves as an advocate for the interests of its member firms. For more information, or to download the AESC Code of Ethics and Professional Practice Guidelines, please visit www.aesc.org.

About Executive Search Connect The AESC also offers www.ExecutiveSearch Connect.com, a service for the HR community offering sector information and tools to assist with senior executive recruiting, including access to the AESC membership directory.

Join BlueSteps Today.

Be visible to over 8,000 retained executive search consultants at the world’s top retained executive search firms.

As a member of BlueSteps, your career details will be confidentially provided to hundreds of the world’s leading retained executive search firms in over 75 countries. Benefits include:• Confidentially increase your visibility to top executive recruiters.• Build stronger connections using a fully searchable directory of executive search consultants who are AESC members.• Explore executive job opportunities being filled by AESC member executive search firms.• Elevate your personal brand.• Plan your executive career management strategy.

Join BlueSteps to begin connectingwith executive search firms today.

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