New York (Aug. 13, 2003) -- Feeling blasé about your career? You’re not alone, according to a recent study indicating only one in 10 professionals feels fulfilled in his or her career.
The research, by global executive search firm Spencer Stuart also found, however, that career success may be more within a professional’s control than they think.
The study further identified a category of “extraordinary executives” – individuals hand-selected by the research team for their value in the marketplace, track record of success, and impact on their organizations.
Additional findings in the study showed:
- Respondents were 47 percent more likely to strongly agree they have a great understanding of what drives value in the marketplace for professional talent.
- 49 percent were comfortable delegating minor tasks, while extraordinary executives were 60 percent more likely to delegate their critical tasks.
- Extraordinary executives avoid the most common, and often ineffective way, of gaining permission—asking for it—and used one or more legitimate strategies to gain access.
- Extraordinary executives were more than twice as likely to perceive that their role directly impacts the company’s primary value (63.9 percent versus 25.7 percent for average employees).
- 91 percent of professionals surveyed did not feel they were in an ideal job and believed their productivity would increase an average of 34 percent if they were able to move to a job that better represented their ideal fit.
The study’s findings are based on data collected from a random sample of 8,000 professionals taken from Spencer Stuart’s proprietary database of more than 1.2 million executives worldwide.The firm mailed an 80-question survey to the 8,000 executives that yielded 2,000 responses. The firm also t also cross-checked survey conclusions through personal interviews with 300 executives and verified the data through a summary analysis of its entire executive database.
Further details are available at
-- WebCPA staff
