Glassdoor Study: What Employees Really Want From Their CEO

According to a new analysis by job search and hiring platform Glassdoor, career growth and mentorship rank among the qualities employees value most in their company's leadership. The analysis is based on more than 150,000 reviews about winners of Glassdoor's "Top CEOs of 2026" award, collected from May 2025 to May 2026.

In positive reviews of winning CEOs, the word "mobility" appeared 253% more often than in reviews of non-winning executives, "growth opportunities" appeared 159% more often, and "career growth" 111% more often. "Mentorship," "company culture" and "work-life balance" were also recurring keywords in reviews of the most highly rated leaders.

Reviews of non-winning executives, meanwhile, more often cite communication (76% more) and transparency (109% more) as shortcomings. Words like "strategy," "direction" and "alignment" also appear as weak points — signaling employees' lack of confidence in leadership's ability to develop and execute strategy.

The analysis also uncovered an interesting detail: non-winning executives are mentioned by name in reviews far more often than winners, who are barely referenced at all. As Glassdoor chief economist Daniel Zhao explains, the reason is simple — when a leader is doing well, they don't take up much space in employees' minds; if employees talk about a leader a lot, it's often because something has gone wrong. "In other words, to be a top CEO, you basically just need to not screw things up," he writes.

Topping the ranking is Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, with a 99% employee approval rating. He's followed by Quick Quack Car Wash CEO Jason Johnson (92%) and Stryker medical technology company chief Kevin A. Lobo. Among the top female leaders are Lynsi Snyder of In-N-Out, Tricia Griffith of Progressive Insurance and Abby Johnson of Fidelity Investments.

The analysis shows that strong leadership can be found across wildly different industries — from fast food and medical equipment to hospitality and banking. The common thread is simple: giving employees career opportunities, honest communication and an environment built on trust.