2. The Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor:
Background
At a time of considerable uncertainty, Ketchum’s 2012 Leadership
Communication Monitor study is a response to the global hunger for effective
leadership – political, corporate, religious or community-based.
The report was informed by the fact that even the best leadership is impotent
if poorly communicated, but also flawed unless communication guides its
development in the first place. The study found that effective leadership and
effective communication are, indeed, inextricably linked.
This study examines attitudes to today’s leadership around the world and
explores the fundamental role of communication in informing and delivering
that leadership.
2 | 10.04.2012
3. The Ketchum Leadership Communication Monitor:
Objectives
This global study starts from the premise that effective leadership is essential to
achieving any of society’s goals – whether in politics, business, spirituality or
community-building. Against this background, it sets out:
1. To assess how today’s leaders – and their communication – are judged
2. To rank the most important leadership attributes and communication behaviours
of effective leaders
3. To provide practical counsel on a path to more effective leadership and leadership
communication
As such, it will serve as a benchmark to track evolving perceptions of leaders, what is
expected of them and the required response.
3 | 10.04.2012
4. Methodology
Markets: N=
• US 319
Ketchum Global Research & Analytics • UK 308
and IPSOS fielded a 10 minute online
survey of a representative general
• France 310
public sample of 3,759 total • Germany 315
respondents in 12 markets from
December 14 2011 – January 10, • Spain 321
2012. The global margin of error is +/- • Poland 309
1.6%, local margin of error is +/-6%.
• China 327
Final data for each market were • Singapore 309
weighted by market specific
demographic profiles including gender, • India 293
age, region, race and income, where • UAE 312
applicable
• South Africa 320
• Brazil 316
4 | 10.04.2012
6. Global Headline Findings – Leaders Are Falling Short
1. Leadership is lacking across the globe regardless of leader category. Leaders are not living up to
what is expected of them, with a sizable gap between expectation and delivery.
2. On aggregate, citizens have less confidence that their leaders will perform well in 2012 that they
did in 2011.
3. Despite poor perceptions of leadership and widespread pessimism about improvements this year,
there remains a strong expectation of business and political leaders, in particular, to navigate the
world through troubled waters.
4. Political leaders see the largest gap between a widespread perceptions of poor leadership and sky-
high expectations of effective leadership from them in challenging times.
5. Globally, business figures are perceived as the most effective leaders and communicators,
although only one-third feel they demonstrate effective leadership.
6. Knowledge-intensive sectors such as technology, media and telecommunications come out on top
in terms of leadership, with banking scoring better than expected in fourth place.
7. With the exception of business leaders, no leadership category scores above 40% as effective
communicators – and yet 9 in 10 view strong communication as extremely important to effective
leadership.
8. Perceptions of leadership vary greatly across the world – but are consistently lower in Europe and
the United States. Relatively speaking, China, Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates rated their
leaders considerably higher than the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Poland and US.
6 | 10.04.2012
7. Global Headline Findings – A Blueprint for Effective Leadership
9. People are looking for honest, straight-talking action, with tough decision-making, leading by
example and calm crisis-handling topping the list of leadership behaviours – and trumping vision
and rhetoric alone.
10. Clear, consistent communication, bringing the best out in others, working with different personality
styles and a willingness to admit mistakes are almost as critical – backed by a flexible, adaptable
leadership and communication style.
11. A direct correlation exists between effective business leader communication and desired
stakeholder behaviors impacting the bottom line. The key areas for business leaders to
communicate personally are crisis response, financial results and the state of the business.
12. Trustworthiness is the leading source of credibility for companies. To restore confidence in 2012,
the number one action global citizens believe leaders should take is being open and honest about
the challenges ahead – rather than hiding the full picture.
13. A leader’s personal presence and involvement is all-important in establishing leadership credibility.
14. As a result, in-person communication and speech-making are the leading sources of credible
leadership, followed by broadcast and then traditional print media. Advertising, social media and
other digital platforms, for now, have far less credibility for establishing effective leadership.
7 | 10.04.2012
8. Brazil Summary
In Brazil, business leaders top the charts in effectiveness across the board.
• Over half of Brazilians say that business leaders are the most effective leaders in their country (58%).
• 70% of Brazilians most trust business leaders when quoted in the media, followed by sportspeople (66).
• More than any other type of leader, Brazilians have the most confidence in business leaders to navigate
through difficult times (66%).
Compared to the global average, Brazilian sportspeople are rated as more effective than
politicians.
• Only 17% say politicians demonstrate effective leadership (vs. 25% global) while one-third (33%) state the
same for sports figures (23% global).
• 14% of Brazilians have more confidence in political leaders now than a year ago to navigate through
troubling times (vs. 23% global) and 16% trust them when quoted in the media (vs. 31% global).
Brazilians find tech and media industries more effective leaders than global counterparts.
• 59% of Brazilians say that the technology industry is the most effective at showing leadership qualities (vs.
44% global), followed by the media (52% vs. 39% global).
Environmental issues top of mind when considering leadership effectiveness, more so
than other markets.
• Almost one-third say its important for a business leader to personally communicate about environmental
matters (29% vs. 22% global) and one of the most important attributes affecting a company’s leadership is
environmental responsibility (39% vs. 28% global).
8 | 10.04.2012
10. Perceptions of Effective Leadership
• Business and leaders, as well as sportspeople stand out for effective leadership.
• Politicians notably lag other leader categories, with larger numbers rating them poor vs.
excellent.
Demonstrate Effective Leadership:
Poor Excellent
Net
Types of Leaders B3B (0-2) T3B (8-10)
Business 7% 44% +37%
17% 34% +17%
Religious
11% 33% +22%
Sportspeople
29% +19%
Non-profit 10%
+13%
Local community 12% 25%
+7%
Celebrities 16% 23%
-12%
Political 29% 17%
10 | 10.04.2012
Q1. To what extent does each of the following categories of leader demonstrate effective leadership?
11. Leader Performance in 2011
• Brazilians feel that over the past year business leaders have significantly outperformed all other leader
types both internationally and domestically.
• Less than one-tenth of Brazilians feel that no leader demonstrated effective leadership in the past year, a
number notably lower than most other markets.
70%
60%
60% 58%
Most Effective Leadership
50% International
39% 40% Domestic
40%
31% 30% 32% 29% 28% 27%
30% 27%
23%
19%
20% 17%
9%
10% 6%
0%
Business Sportspeople Political Leaders of Celebrities Leaders of Local None of the
leaders leaders religious (film and non-profit community above
institutions music) organizations leaders
Type of Leader
11 | 10.04.2012
Q13. Looking back at 2011, which three categories of leader best demonstrated effective leadership Q14. Looking back at 2011, which three categories of leader best demonstrated effective leadership
internationally over the past year? Select up to 3. domestically over the past year? Select up to 3.
12. Expected vs. Perceived Leadership Behavior
• Business leaders come the closest to meeting expectations in Brazil, especially on ability to show results and
making tough decisions.
• Non-profit leaders also tend to outperform other leader categories on most attributes of leadership.
Expectation Political Local Community
Business Religious Non profit
Top3Box
(8-10 rating)
Celebs Sports
90% Expectation of
80% performance
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
Perceived
20% performance
10%
0%
12 | 10.04.2012
Q3/4. Listed below are specific behaviors often seen as being characteristic of effective leaders. When it comes to being an effective leader, how important is it to demonstrate each of the following
characteristics or behaviors? Please use a scale where 0 is not at all important and 10 is extremely important. How does each leader type perform on attributes?
13. Extent which Leaders Demonstrate Leadership Behavior
Business leaders rate highest on specific attributes of leadership, followed by sports and non-profit leaders.
Top three leadership behaviors that leader categories exhibit:
Type of Leader
Local
Demonstrates well (8-10) Business Political Religious Non profit Celebs Sports
community
Making tough decisions 64% - - - 41% - 46%
Demonstrating an ability to show results 64% - - 52% 40% - 54%
Providing a clear overall, long-term vision - - - - - - -
Handling controversial issues calmly and confidently - 36% - - - - -
Using inspirational rhetoric - 37% 49% - - 37% -
Telling a compelling story about organization - 34% 51% - - - -
Bringing out the best in others - - 48% 54% - - -
Leading by example - - - - - - 51%
Communicating in an open and transparent way - - - 54% 42% 38% -
Ability to work with different personality styles 56% - - - - 41% -
Ability to delegate responsibility - - - - - - -
Admitting mistakes - - - - - - -
13 | 10.04.2012
Q4. Now, thinking about those same characteristics, please tell us you how well you feel each of the following demonstrates each characteristic or behavior. Please use a scale where 0 is does not demonstrate
14. Confidence in Leaders Now vs. Year Ago
• Brazilians have more confidence in international business, non-profit and sports leaders this than they
did last year.
• There is a large gap in confidence of politicians, more than half of Brazilians have less confidence in
politicians than they did last year.
• Confidence ratings in domestic leaders are similar to theNow Compared to 2011:
Level of Confidence in Leaders international data.
Types of International Less More
Leaders Confidence Confidence Net
Business 11% 39% +28%
Non-profit 19% 33% +14%
Sportspeople 19% 31% +12%
Local community 25% 28% +3%
Religious 30% 26% -4%
Celebrities
24% 22% -2%
Political
55% 14% -41%
14 | 10.04.2012
Q17. Do you have more, less or the same confidence today as you did a year ago in the ability of the following categories of leader to navigate the world through difficult economic times internationally?:
15. Leaders Navigating through Difficult Economic Times
Very important in terms of navigating through difficult economic times:
Business leaders 66%
Political leaders 61%
Local community leaders 36%
Leaders of non-profit organizations 36%
Leaders of religious institutions 34%
Sportspeople 26%
Celebrities (film and music) 22%
15 | 10.04.2012
Q16. How important will effective leadership from each of the following be in terms of navigating through difficult economic times?
16. Importance of Communication to Leadership
of the Brazilians
say
communication
is important to
great leadership
give effective
communication
a 10-out-of-10,
the highest
possible rating
of importance
16 | 10.04.2012
Q8. Generally speaking, how important is effective communication to great leadership?
17. Effective Communication by Leader Type
Overall, Singaporeans consider notable proportions of leaders effective
communicators. Business and religious leaders are seen as the most effective
communicators.
64%
54%
Effective Communicators
46% 45% 44% 43% 40%
Business Leaders of Leaders of Celebrities Local Sportspeople Political
leaders religious non-profit (film and community leaders
institutions organizations music) leaders
Type of Leader
17 | 10.04.2012
Q9. Now, thinking about each of the following categories, how effective is each category of leader in communicating?
18. Business Leader Communication Closely Tied to
Perceptions of Leadership (Global Data)
• There is a distinct relationship between a leader’s ability to communicate and
perceptions of that leader’s effectiveness.
• Effective business leader communication has the most impact on intent of investing in
the company.
Investing Intent
44%
Recommending Working at Company
43%
Effective
Communication Purchase Intent
43%
The Benefit of the Doubt in a Time of Crisis
38%
Strength of Correlation
0-20% low
21-30% med-low
31-40% medium
41-50% med-high
of effective leadership is linked to
51-60% high effective communication
18 | 10.04.2012
Q5. For business organizations, on a scale of 0 to 10, where 0 is not at all important, and 10 is extremely
Q1. To what extent does each of the following categories of leader demonstrate effective leadership?
important, how important is your perception of company’s leader and leadership when it comes to……..
19. Leadership by Industry
Technology and media companies are seen as the most effective types of leaders.
Industries demonstrating very effective leadership:
Technology 59%
Media 52%
Automotive 47%
Telecommunications 45%
Banks 44%
Food and beverage 43%
Financial services 41%
Entertainment 41%
Biotech 40%
Energy 39%
Pharmaceuticals 37%
Retail 31%
Transportation and logistics 31%
Over-the-counter personal health care products 31%
Consumer packaged goods 31%
Insurance 29%
Brewing and spirits 29%
19 | 10.04.2012
Q2. To what extent does each of the following industries demonstrate effective leadership?
21. Approach to Identifying Drivers of Leadership
To identify the characteristics and behaviors that matter most to the public’s perception of
leaders, we employed a statistical analysis to link overall perceptions of leaders and specific
leadership characteristics and behaviors. To determine what matters most, we bucketed results
four distinct categories described below.
Hidden Drivers Key Drivers
Things that people don’t explicitly state as being Things people say are important to effective
important, but are highly correlated to leadership and are highly correlated to
perception that a leader is effective. perception that a leader is effective.
Table Stakes
Things people see as “must haves” for a an
Relatively Unimportant individual to even be considered an
Benefits that are not important in shaping effective leader. These items are often
people’s perception of effective leadership considered table stakes, but do not drive
perceptions of effective leadership.
21 | 10.04.2012
22. Leaders Should Focus on Results-Driven Behaviors (Global Data)
• Numerous attributes are key drivers of leadership effectiveness. Behaviors considered
especially important to leadership effectiveness concern keeping a level head in times of
stress, such as making tough decisions and handling crises calmly and confidently.
Hidden Drivers Key Drivers
• Provide clear overall, long-term vision • Making tough decisions
• Ability to show results • Handling controversial issues or crises
• Ability to delegate responsibility calmly and confidently
• Bringing out the best in others
• Ability to work with different personality
styles
Relatively Unimportant Table Stakes
• Inspirational rhetoric • Leading by example
• Telling a compelling story about their • Admitting mistakes
organization • Communicating in an open and transparent
way
Q3/4. Listed below are specific behaviors often seen as being characteristic of effective leaders. When it comes to being an effective leader, how important is it to demonstrate each of the following
characteristics or behaviors? Please use a scale where 0 is not at all important and 10 is extremely important. How does each leader type perform on attributes?
22 | 10.04.2012
Q1. To what extent does each of the following categories of leader demonstrate effective leadership?
23. Areas for Business Leaders to Personally Communicate
Most important areas for business leaders to personally communicate:
Crisis response 50%
Financial results 49%
General state of business 39%
News and information related to employee matters 33%
Marketing products and services 32%
Governance policies 30%
Environmental matters/issues 29%
Acquisitions or changes in company structure 13%
23 | 10.04.2012
Q12. Which of the following areas of a company are most important for a business leader to be personally involved in communicating?
24. Honesty Most Important in Restoring Confidence
Brazilians want leaders to be open and honest about the challenges ahead and provide clear
visions for survival, based on seeking collaborative solutions.
Be open and honest about the nature and scale of the challenge ahead 56%
Seek collaborative solutions to challenges, rather than going it alone 49%
Provide a clearer overall vision for how economies, businesses and other organizations can 46%
survive
Listen and consult more to help find elusive solutions 40%
Focus less on overall vision and rhetoric, and more on clear plans of action 40%
Be cautious about spelling out challenges and worst cases, for fear of damaging already
fragile confidence 18%
24 | 10.04.2012
Q15. What do you believe leaders need to do in 2012 to restore confidence during challenging economic times? Select up to 3.
25. Optimal Leadership Style
The Director: One-way
authority, where leader defines
tasks and roles for others, but
retains responsibility for outcomes
10% The Listener: Leader gets
input from
followers, then defines
10% tasks and roles, retaining
43% responsibility for
outcomes
12%
The Situational
Leader: The Delegator: Leader works with
Leader uses all of the followers to define tasks and roles,
above, adjusting the 25% then delegates responsibility to
behavior to the best followers
outcome for the
situation
The Partner: Leader and followers
work together to define roles and to
assign responsibilities
25 | 10.04.2012
Q6. Which option best describes the leadership style of an effective leader?
26. Optimal Leaders Communication Style
Uses all three communication styles, adapting them to the
particular situational need
Central message to different audiences,
Consistent clear message, giving direction from taking particular needs into account,
the center to all audiences allowing for alignment of their situation to
the central goal
Variety of messages according to each
audience's demands, gaining their commitment
to the overall intended direction
26 | 10.04.2012
Q7. Which option best describes the optimal communications style of an effective leader?
27. Corporate Leadership Attributes
Most important attributes for a company to be described as a leader:
Rated among top
Attributes five
most important
Quality products/services - 42%
Customer service 41%
Environmental responsibility 39%
Trustworthy 38%
Respect 36%
A good place to work 33%
Ethical business practices 33%
Corporate social responsibility 31%
Innovative 30%
Quality of management 29%
Financial strength 21%
Commitment to communities 20%
Customer-focused 19%
Diversity 18%
Philanthropic/Charitable 12%
27 | 10.04.2012
Q19. Listed below are some attributes that might be used to describe a company. For a company to be considered a leader, how important would it
be for it to demonstrate the following attributes? Select up to five (5).
28. Credible Communication Sources
Sources View as credible
Most credible communication sources In-person contact 52%
include both verbal and written Print media 47%
communications and word of mouth.
Word-of-mouth 45%
Financial publications/analysts 40%
Televised Speech 34%
Press Releases 31%
Advertising/Commercials 29%
Company Website 28%
The least effective communication Broadcast media 24%
tactics include social media platforms. Other social media platforms 20%
Online media/blogs 19%
Facebook 18%
Twitter 11%
Brochures 11%
Web chats 8%
28 | 10.04.2012
Q10. When forming your opinions about leaders and leadership, which of the below sources do you view as credible? Please select up to 5.
29. Trust in Leaders when Quoted in Media
• Most leaders are generally trusted when quoted in media, especially business, sports and leaders.
• Politicians face a huge trust gap when it comes to media as a communications vehicle.
Level of trust when quoted in media:
Types of Leaders Net
Distrust Summary Trust Summary
+40%
Business 30% 70%
+32%
Sportspeople 34% 66%
+20%
Non-profit 40% 60%
Local community 47% 53% +6%
Religious 52% 48% -4%
Celebrities 53% 47% -6%
Political 84% 16% -68%
29 | 10.04.2012
Q11. When you see each of the following leaders quoted in the media do you find them completely untrustworthy, somewhat untrustworthy, somewhat trustworthy or completely trustworthy?
30. Age Total
Brazil Demographics 18-24 18%
25-34 24%
35-44 20%
45-54 16%
Gender
55-64 11%
65+ 10%
Males
48% Females
52%
Region Total
North 7%
Northeast 27%
Southeast 44%
South 15%
Midwest 7%
30 | 10.04.2012