Trust Does Not Matter The Most

Occasionally a large consulting firm publishes an insightful survey we can learn a lot from. Gallup's Global Leadership Report 2025 is one of them.

They survey an extensive sample size across many countries and breakdown the data in practical and useful ways.

This year, they asked 'followers' (i.e. those which follow leaders) what they most needed from their leaders. Four key areas emerged, which in themselves was no surprise - hope, trust, compassion, and stability. But, the order of preference may cause people to doubletake - see the graphic below:

It is Hope which people want from leaders more than anything else. And, not just by a little, but by a lot! A staggering 56% of respondents felt hope was the most important attribute of influential leaders, with a large gap to the next attribute Trust at 33%. The gap is even larger with younger generations (18-29 year olds), in the Asian-Pacific Region, and in relation to Organisational Leadership (compared to Political, Family, Religious, and Direct Manager Leadership).

The reason for this is the perceived suffering people feel is lowered the most when leaders display and give reason for hope. A leader's ability to help followers feel positive and optimistic about the future with clear direction turns out to be a better pain reliever than any paracetamol. Trust is still helpful as people feel less anguish when their leader is seen as honest, respected, and acting with integrity. Thirdly, when people feel cared for and listened to (Compassion) by their leader it is highly influential.

Finally, followers crave stability as a fourth attribute where psychological safety and security is provided into people's lives during times of uncertainty. This was my second big surprise from this study considering the turmoil we have all gone through in recent years - the need for stability was a miserly 4%.

How Do You Inject Hope?

According to Gallup there are a few ways to instill a sense of hope, positivity, and optimism into your people. The first is to be clear on your vision of what you are looking to achieve (give people a sense of 'where' you are aiming to take them). Being inspirational is also central, but this is where many become unstuck. Inspiration is not what many think it is and I do my best to demystify this in my Inspire? Performance? keynote. The quick version is that being inspirational is less about being a hero and more about service to others, voicing curiosity, and chipping away in the tough times. The social traits in The Rhythm Effect give you everything you need on this.

We can also provide hope by paving a development plan, meaning people have a clear and decisive way to learn, improve, and build achievements. Give people an easy-to-understand and easy-to-follow pathway to develop and you are almost certain to create a motivated follower.

And finally, provide an environment for financial growth, support and independence. To paraphrase Dan Pink's book Drive, money doesn't motivate (as long as financial survival is not a distraction for them.) But, being able to show how a person's financial security and progress can be attained is an obvious way to increase a person's sense of hope.

Finally, Intergenerational Data We Can Use!

I've been sceptical on generational insights, especially when delineating on what younger or older people want from their leaders. Most models tend to be opinions rather than peer reviewed studies. For this reason, I have always tended towards the idea of 'human needs' first rather than age defined needs. Baby Boomers are humans first, as are Millennials and Gen Z's or Alphas.        

But, in this survey we see a small (but not insignificant) difference in follower's needs. Those aged 18-29 years need Hope approximately twice as much as Trust from their leaders. The gap between Hope and Trust reduces steadily with age. This tells us that younger followers are yearning for a vision to contribute to, are wanting to be truly inspired, and respect integrity in leaders. When leaders are doing this and then following through on their actions, the remaining need for Trust bolsters their authority as a leader worth following in the eyes of younger staff.

Hope and Trust versus Compassion and Stability

Within these four traits, the data shows us another clear chasm - people want Hope and Trust overwhelmingly more than Compassion and Stability. This is not to say being caring or providing a sense of security won't be recognised and appreciated. But, it is instructive to understand where we are putting our emphasis into with our leadership communication as well as from a strategic perspective.

HR and Senior Leadership Teams can look at their values, their cultural principles, and their plans to strengthen their brand of leadership throughout their hierarchy inline with Hope and Trust. Those pointing towards emotional intelligence, care, wellness, and altruism (Compassion) can be dialled down. As can those prioritising structure, accountability, and responsibility (Stability).

In turn, those attributes focusing on professional growth and development, learning, inspiration, and vision (Hope) can be dialled up along with anything focused on communication, approachability, collaboration, and compromise (Trust).

This may be one of the smartest strategic moves for the coming 12-24 months, or until followers show us they yearn for something different. Gallup's Global Leadership 2025 Report is a window into relevant trends, and if you are looking at how you are going to model your own leadership, or how your leadership team will step forward in the coming year then the emphasis of providing Hope looks to be a clever way to give your followers what they need in contemporary times.