Leadership Priorities Change With Economic Performance

A survey of a group of more than 700 accountants found that they see productivity as the top challenge facing leaders during poor economic times.

The survey found that leadership priorities change depending on the performance of the overall economy.

• In good economic times, accountants say the top three most challenging decisions for leaders to make are: recruiting and retaining top talent (47 percent), pursuing growth opportunities (42 percent) and maintaining a competitive edge (42 percent).
• In contrast, the top challenges facing leaders in poor economic times are productivity, or doing more with less (49 percent), motivating the workforce (44 percent) and pursuing growth opportunities (33 percent).

Other findings:

• One-third (33 percent) of accountants feel an ability to inspire and motivate is the most important quality of leadership in the 21st century, followed by communications skills (15 percent) and people management skills (13 percent).