LHH, the integrated professional talent solutions provider and global business unit of the Adecco Group, has released its 2026 View from the C-Suite report. The report reveals a leadership landscape in transition, with C-suite turnover declining by 24 per cent in one year, and internal pressures intensifying.
Executive turnover is reducing and stability at the top is improving, with 58 per cent of later-careers executives, those 61 and over, reporting no plans to leave within the next three years, compared to just 11 per cent last year.
But as stability improves, leaders are being challenged to take greater accountability for artificial intelligence (AI), and strengthen decision-making discipline with 28 per cent of leaders naming a lack of strategic clarity as a leading constraint on their effectiveness.
In recent years, rapid executive turnover has disrupted organisations. But now the trend is reversing. High-turnover leadership teams, or those experiencing more than 50 per cent executive churn, have dropped from 43 per cent in 2025 to 19 per cent this year, marking a significant shift towards stability at the top.
Longer leadership tenures create a window for companies to deepen institutional knowledge, invest in AI capability-building both in tech and human skills, and develop next-generation executives, but only if organisations act deliberately.
However, longer tenures are not easing the burden on leaders. Instead, stability is exposing deeper organisational challenges around strategic clarity, capability building and execution. As executive mobility slows, the spotlight is shifting inward, towards how effectively leadership teams operate, can make decisions and develop future talent.
AI has moved from a technical initiative to a core leadership responsibility. Digital and emerging technologies have risen seven places in executive rankings to become the number one perceived development gap, with nearly half (49 per cent) of leaders citing AI as a top priority for development.
Yet confidence is lagging ambition. While expectations around AI accountability are growing, many leaders report declining confidence in their ability to implement and govern AI effectively. This gap between intent and execution is emerging as a measurable leadership risk for organisations navigating rapid technological change.
Longer executive tenures are reshaping succession dynamics. Nearly six in ten (58 per cent) later career executives report no plans to leave within the next three years, compared with just 11 per cent last year.
While continuity brings experience and institutional knowledge, it also increases the urgency for deliberate next generation leadership development. Without proactive succession planning, stability at the top risks becoming a bottleneck further down the organisation.
Clinton Thomas, VP Practice Lead, ICEO at LHH, said: ”Leadership continuity is returning, and that is good news. But continuity is only an advantage if organisations use it intentionally. If development pathways are not built now, stability at the top becomes a bottleneck at every level below.
“For the second year running, leaders cite a lack of strategic clarity and ineffective decision-making as the biggest barriers to performance,” he continues. “When clarity is missing, decisions slow, execution falters and change stalls. Closing this gap is now a critical differentiator.”
The full LHH 2026 View from the C-Suite report is available [here].
