Why senior leaders are losing time, talent, and customers in 2024

Here’s what should be true: The more senior a person is — from individual contributors to the C-suite — the more informed, unblocked, and fast to maneuver they are. Call it experience or proximity to information, but they’re the ones best poised to know what’s needed.

• Why it matters: That isn’t happening. The more senior a person is, the more time they’re losing every day dealing with the impacts of ineffective communication, like searching for information they need to do their jobs, chasing a timely response, or clarifying context in a communication they’ve received.

In fact, nearly 40% of C-level leaders say they’re spending 3+ hours each day dealing with the impacts of ineffective communication, compared to only 15% of VPs and 10% of employees. To see what else is going on, Axios HQ surveyed 400+ leaders who send internal communications at organizations large and small.

How ineffective communications impact senior leaders

There’s both a money and time cost to this story. As more stress lands on operations, the more cross-functional the problem becomes. Systems slow down, productivity stalls, and the right source of intervention — someone at the organization with the perspective and context to put priorities back on track — becomes a more senior, more expensive person.

An average person making $200,000+ per year, working 8-hour days, 5 days a week, 52 weeks per year…

• Lose 63 work days per year dealing with the impacts of ineffective communication.
• That wastes $54,860 in salary per year.

The impact doesn’t end there. Nearly half of C-level leaders have found themselves stepping back into projects they shouldn’t have to, clarifying details they’ve shared before, and working on tasks that aren’t the organization’s highest priority. 

Organizations need to treat communication like a team sport. Support and repetition among leaders can create consistency for staff. Right now, the C-suite are among the most active all-staff and department-level communicators. Leverage leaders at every level to add the context and dimension that only they can for the employees closest to them. 

Comms will get stronger, employees at every level — including the top — will be able to refocus on what they do best, and the entire organization will be more aligned and successful. 

 Go deeper: Read the full 2024 state of internal communications report