What We Reward in Leaders Is Not What Works

The best example of leadership I’ve seen recently isn’t in a book or a model. It’s in a TV drama.

In The Pitt, the lead character Robby leads in the middle of chaos. He doesn’t default to authority. He asks questions, listens carefully, and pushes people to think. He holds the standard, but he builds others in the process. It’s compelling to watch, and it challenges a lot of what we still seem to believe about leadership. And it aligns with recent research on leadership.

A 2026 global study by Hogan Assessments, drawing on data from thousands of employees across 25 countries and more than 20,000 executives, examined what people actually want from those in positions of authority. The gap is not subtle. There is virtually no overlap between the competencies followers say they want and the traits most often seen in leaders.

Across regions and contexts, followers consistently identified four capabilities as most important: clear communication, sound judgment, accountability, and integrity. Hogan’s broader research has long distinguished between the qualities that help people get into leadership roles and those that make them effective once they are there. Confidence, boldness, and charisma often influence selection, but they are not the same as the capabilities associated with sustained performance and effective teams. These latter capabilities are reflected in empirical studies of coaching-oriented leadership.

Across multiple studies, leaders who are effective in developing others tend to listen more than they tell, create conditions for candour, and challenge people in ways that build capability over time. These behaviours are associated with stronger engagement, performance, and retention (Zuberbühler et al., 2020; Romão et al., 2022; Liu & Xiang, 2020).

Hogan adds one more important point. People don’t just want support from their leaders. They want leaders who can challenge and support them at the same time. Which is precisely what makes Robby so compelling to watch.

References

Hogan Assessments. (2026). The leadership divide: Global insights on who leads vs. who should. https://www.hoganassessments.com/guides-and-insights/the-leadership-divide/

Liu, W., & Xiang, S. (2020). The effect of leaders’ coaching behaviors on employee learning orientation: A regulatory focus perspective. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, Article 543282. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.543282

Romão, A., Rebelo, T., & Gomes, A. D. (2022). Coaching leadership and employee outcomes: The mediating role of employee happiness and turnover intention. Administrative Sciences, 12(3), 84. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci12030084

Zuberbühler, A., Jonas, K., & Nüesch, S. (2020). Coaching-based leadership intervention programs: A controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 3066. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.03066