According to data from Achievers Workforce Institute, “VP/director-level and C-Suite leaders are more likely to be actively job hunting than any other job level.” So how can companies ensure they don’t lose their executives? Consider their “emotional salary.”
“At the executive level, development isn’t just about learning new strategies; it’s about being challenged, staying committed and connected to their work,” says Kristy Jones, senior director of employee success at Toronto-based Achievers, an employee engagement and recognition software company.
In the following interview, Jones shares a professional development strategy that really keeps executive-level leaders on board, future-ready and connected to their organization.
In what ways can offering the right development opportunities help senior leaders feel more connected to their organization and less likely to disengage or leave?
C-Suite and executive leaders want more than the status quo—they’re looking for ways to evolve, grow and drive meaningful impact. But there’s a challenge: While companies often invest in individual contributor and people leader training, leadership too often gets deprioritized.
In fact, according to data from Achievers Workforce Institute, 40 percent of C-Suiters and 43 percent of VPs and directors say they would be less likely to job hunt if they received better opportunities for growth and development from their current companies.
At the executive level, development isn’t just about learning new strategies; it’s about being challenged, staying committed and connected to their work. The same data also shows that VP/director-level and C-Suite leaders are more likely to be actively job hunting than any other job level.
This raises a key question: How can employers keep top leaders on their payroll? Executives, overall, are paid well, so often, financial compensation won’t move the needle. Instead, Achievers Workforce Institute finds that emotional salary factors can often retain workers more effectively than monetary salary. One powerful component of emotional salary employers should consider is the relationships leaders have at work.
Recognition is an invaluable tool for building those relationships and fostering trust. Unfortunately, just 27 percent of C-Suite leaders and 35 percent of leaders at the VP/director level say that they have received training on positive reinforcement/recognition.
This is a problem: Without knowing how to recognize their workers, executive leaders risk becoming disconnected from the very teams they are trying to engage and inspire, and they’ll become less committed to their jobs.
Mentorship is another key factor. Executives rank it as one of the most important elements of their professional experience—and it’s a proven retention driver. It also falls into another core aspect of emotional salary, professional development. When leaders are engaged through mentorship and meaningful development opportunities, they’re more effective leaders and more likely to stay with their company.
Since professional development plays such a big role in how people feel about their work, how can HR leaders ensure senior leaders feel just as supported in their growth as early-career employees?
It starts with acknowledging that leadership development shouldn’t be a one-size-fits-all strategy. For example, at Achievers, we’ve recently split our approach to development into two distinct paths: emerging and seasoned leaders. The needs and motivations of these two groups are vastly different.
Seasoned leaders aren’t looking to learn the basics—they want to stay ahead of industry trends, build strategic skills and make a long-term impact. We’re also focused on partnering with platforms like LinkedIn Learning to offer more personalized learning journeys, letting leaders focus on where they want to grow.
Succession planning also plays a pivotal role. It ensures that your top talent can see opportunities to grow and contribute more effectively. A strong talent development program helps identify employees who are ready for advanced roles and gives them the training and tools they need to be successful. It’s about showing your team that their future within the organization is bright.
Ultimately, HR leaders need to create a personalized, high-impact development plans that respect the time and expertise of senior leaders. When we do, senior leaders feel truly supported.
How can HR design AI-focused training that keeps executives future-ready?
In 2025, company leaders face an unparalleled challenge: not just understanding AI but mastering the art of leading through this digital transformation. This journey is about more than just technology; it’s about reimagining how we make decisions, reshape workforce strategies and foster a culture that thrives on innovation.
One exciting example of how that we’re currently exploring is leveraging AI in our recognition platform to identify emerging skills across the organization, without relying solely on self-reporting. AI can analyze employee preferences, behaviors and feedback to tailor experiences in real time.
From personalized learning paths to customized recognition programs, AI ensures employees—from the top down—receive relevant opportunities, rewards and engagement initiatives. This level of personalization fosters a deeper sense of belonging and motivation, ultimately driving higher satisfaction and retention.
When AI becomes a tool for insight and adaptability, senior leaders are better equipped to drive lasting change with confidence.
What role can mentorship and peer learning play in executive engagement, and how can HR scale these opportunities effectively at the senior level?
Peer learning is powerful, especially among senior leaders who benefit from hearing how others tackled similar challenges. One of the most energizing parts of my role is collaborating with fellow HR leaders across the organization in internal webinars and shared learning sessions. However, these collaborative spaces aren’t siloed to just HR leaders.
It’s critical that we ensure employees at every level have an opportunity to learn from their peers—whether we’re creating opportunities for the C-Suite and SVPs to sit down together or creating trainings where the top of the organization learns from individual contributors and vice versa.
Connecting peers for these cross-functional learning groups, formal forums and executive mentoring circles creates interactions between peers that don’t usually interact in a way that is structured enough to drive value but flexible enough to feel organic. These spaces also foster recognition and relationship building.
According to Achievers Workforce Institute data, peer recognition is a culture builder, employees who receive at least monthly recognition from their peers are twice as likely to feel a strong sense of belonging and say there is a culture of trust at their company. They are also twice as likely to feel connected to their coworkers and to say they get along with most of the people they work with.
