At the heart of The HOW Institute for Society’s mission is our dedication to developing novel metrics that delve into the how of values-based behavior and principled decision-making.
The 2026 State of Moral Leadership in Business report is the latest in an ongoing study that measures the how of leadership.
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In this year's study, we asked more than 2,500 U.S. workers to assess the presence, absence, or frequency of a set of leadership behaviors and practices in their workplaces—how their leaders put principles and values before self-interest in decision making, how they thoughtfully extend trust to colleagues rather than micromanaging them, and how they listen and learn from perspectives that challenge their views and assumptions.
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It’s not just us saying it’s important: employees are saying it’s important.
94% of employees say the need for moral leadership is more urgent than ever, up from 86% in 2020. Yet only 6% of CEOs and 9% of managers consistently demonstrate behaviors associated with top-tier moral leadership.
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“This is our fifth in an ongoing series of reports that study the presence of behaviors and practices associated with moral leadership and how, when present, they strengthen an organization’s performance, inspire elevated behavior in people, and forge deeper relationships within communities and society. Our research this year demonstrates both the persistent scarcity of such leadership and its profound impact, when present, on everything – from the levels of trust within teams and employee loyalty to an organization’s ability to compete, innovate, and win.”
- Dov Seidman, The HOW Institute for Society Founder and Chairman
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Fortune's Executive Editorial Director, Diane Brady, spoke with HOW Founder and Chairman Dov Seidman about the state of moral leadership in our reshaped world, and together they highlight what leaders can actually do to get into that top tier of leadership. Taking actions like: explaining decisions in the context of how they relate to the organization’s purpose, helping others develop the wisdom to make the right call, and enlisting your team on a journey of moral leadership will meaningfully elevate your leadership.
"About 94% of employees in the study said the need for moral leadership is more urgent than ever but fewer than 10% of CEOs were judged to be leading effectively. 'If you can get yourself into the top tier, the benefits are massive,' Seidman told me yesterday. 'You build resilience, loyalty, and get better results.'”
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