new world talent survey - the lighthouse company · 2017-02-14 · lighthouse company in january...

New World Talent Survey – 2017 Results

Welcome to The LighthouseCompany’s annual New World TalentSurvey results.

Now in their eighth successive year,these findings serve to understand thecollective opinions, views and inner-thoughts of our industry’s leadinglights.

The study was conducted by TheLighthouse Company in January 2017.

With over 600 C-suite levelcontributors across the advertising,media, marketing and technologysectors, we are able to quantify the keytrends identified at the Lighthouseover the past twelve months gainedthrough the thousands ofconversations we hold with leadershiptalent.

How professionally fulfilled are you on your current position?

48%51%

40% 41%

68%71%

25%

19%

12% 10%6%

3%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Fulfilled (7-10) Very Unfulfilled (1-3)

Source: 2017 New World Talent Survey, The Lighthouse Company

What are your feelings about the likely growth prospects

of your business in 2017?

36%31%

36%

60%56%

53%

41%

7%

20% 18%

8% 10% 12%16%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017

Confident Concerned Confident = Absolutely buoyant/Pretty confident

Concerned = A few concerns/Quite downbeat


Where would you like your next role to be?

33%

21%

14%

10%

3%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

media owner agency tech business client side data business other

2014 2015 2016 2017


Where would you like your next role to be?

(breakdown by agency type)

10%

5%

2%

3%

0%

6%

7%

0%

1%2%

9%

4%

0%

2%1%

7% 7%

1% 1%

5%

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

media agency creative agency digital agency specialist agency integrated agency

2014 2015 2016 2017


Which elements would most influence, inspire or attract you

to make your next career move?

46%

42%41%

40%

8% 8%

29%

19%

4%8%

45%

6%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

Growthprospects

Leadership(your boss)

Improvedfinancialpackages

Broadeningmy experience

Geographicalopportunity(adding intl

scope)

Improvedstatus

Betterwork/lifebalance

Clearautonomy

Proximity tohome

Agreedsuccession

plan

Values &Purpose

Other

2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017


In the past 12 months, have you thought about any of the following?

39%

58%

39%

15%10%

15%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

leaving the industry moving companies starting my ownbusiness

consolidating ormerging businesses

selling yourbusiness

none of the above

2013 2014 2015 2016 2017


How much do you think your ability to lead across

multiple disciplines has changed?

40%

49%

8%

4%0%

37%

53%

6%3%

0%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

A huge amount Some change No change Little change Not in the slightest

2016 2017


What do you believe are the most desirable traits in a transformational leader?

77%

21%

44%

11% 12% 14%

47%

16%

34%

11%

6%

1%4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Vision Confidence Engagingwith all

employees

Independentthinking

Ability tomake

unpopulardecisions

Speed ofjudgment

Authenticity Transparency Courage Wisdom Horizontalexperience

Ruthlessness Other (pleasespecify)


What do you think is the primary reason that we are sensing

a drought on new transformational leaders?

0%

9%

6%

3%

33%

20%

9%

6%

15%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

Over-regulation Globalisation orcentralisation

Fear of unforeseenmarket dynamics

Fear of conflictwith the board

Network/corporateconforming

Fear of getting itwrong

Risk outweighsfinancial upside

Fear of losing jobs Other (pleasespecify)


If your leadership tenure had a ‘sell by date’ how would

you know you had exceeded it?

7%10%

15%

3%

47%

10%

4%

0%

4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

I’d no longer strive to be the best

My priorities wouldhave shiftedelsewhere

I’d notice a lack in my natural curiosity

I’d be feeling undermined by

more skilled people around me

I’d no longer feel an innate sense of

passion for the business

I’d care less about the organisation’s

aims and more about my own

I’d no longer feeling included

I’d no longer feel fairly remunerated

Other (pleasespecify)


How good is your company at planning its succession management?

5% 6%

8%

11%

16%15%

22%

11%

3%2%

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

2015 2016 2017


What percentage of your company do you believe is 45+

73%

18%

7%

1% 1%0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

0-20% 21-40% 41-60% 61-80% 81-100%


What do you believe to be the primary benefits

of older, experienced employees?

76%

34%

19%

7%

12%

3%6%

50%

5%

33%

10%

36%

2%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Accumulatedknowledge

Establishednetworks

An alternatepoint of view

Greateradaptability

Morepersonally

settled

Clear on careergoals

Moreestablished

Emotionalmaturity

Greaterproductivity

Worldlywise/insightful

Moreloyal/stable

Greaterresilience



And what characteristics do you believe could potentially prevent you from

employing older workers?

19%

60%

41% 40%

9% 8%

13%16%

44%

13%

8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Less curious Modern skilldeficiencies

Organisationalculture fit

Change resistant More personalpriorities

Less careerambitious

Not progressivethinkers

Inflexible in theworkplace

More expensive Toopolitical/focused

on hierarchy



How confident would you be in hiring a leader from another sector

into your organisation?

2%

10%

23%

38%

27%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

1 = not at all 2 3 4 5 = very confident


What is most likely to encourage you to hire talent from another sector?

51% 51%

44%

57%

16%

10%

0%

28%

21%

4%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Previousquantifiable

success

Strength ofreputation and

profile

Specific orspecialist skills

Breadth ofperspective

Businessexpansion plans

Lackingavailability of

required talent

Cheaper resource Recommendation To deliberatelyrock the boat



As business evolves, a clearly articulated purpose, meaning and set of values is

an increasingly important factor for attracting the best talent?

96%

4%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Agree Disagree


Thinking about your current business, to what degree do you believe that you

have a clearly articulated purpose, meaning and set of values?

4%

15%

24%

33%

24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

1 = not at all 2 3 4 5 = very clear


Which of the following are you truly comfortable talking about at work?

71%

65%

77%

68%

52%

62%

43%

65%

50%

77%

5% 3%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Age Physicalhealth

conditions

Gender Stress Disability Race Religion orbelief

Sexualorientation

Mental health(anxiety /

depression)

Yourrelationshipswith others

None of these Don't know

All employees All managers NWTS leaders

Source: 2017 New World Talent Survey, The Lighthouse Company, Mental Health at Work Report: 3,036 FT/PT UK employees, plus a parallel open public survey of 16,246 individuals, October 2016

Which of the following, if any, have you ever experienced due to work or where

work was a contributing factor?

42%39%

36%

0%

36%

2%

42%

52%49%

25%22%

2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Psychologicalsymptoms

Behaviouralsymptoms

Physical symptoms Existentialcrisis/purpose

None of the above Prefer not to say

All employees NWTS leaders


How would you rate the wellbeing of…

(% scoring excellent/good)

64%70%

43%

66%61%

52% 52%

28%

41% 43%

52%

42%

20%

39% 38%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Physical Mental Spiritual Emotional Overall

Your own Your leadership team Your employees


To what extent do you agree with the following statement: “As a

leader/manager, the wellbeing of my employees is my responsibility?”

23%

53%

17%

4%1% 2%

54%

41%

4%1% 0% 0%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Strongly agree Tend to agree Neither Disagree Strongly Stronglydisagree

Don't know

All managers NWTS leaders


In your opinion, how well does your organisation support employees who

experience mental health problems?

11%

34%

17%

12%

24%

1%

26%

33%

8% 6%

24%

3%

17%

46%

10%8%

18%

2%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

Very well Fairly well Not very well Not at all well Don't know Prefer not to say

All managers All senior executives NWTS leaders


How often do you face situations where you have to put the interests of the

organisation above the wellbeing of your team members?

10%

19%

33%

28%

9%

4%

19%

38%

31%

8%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

Every day Often Sometimes Rarely Never

All managers NWTS leaders


If your organisation could provide you with support in one area of your

wellbeing, which would it be?

23%

47%

6%

24%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

Physical Mental Spiritual Emotional


new world talent survey - the lighthouse company · 2017-02-14 · lighthouse company in january...

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