08/10/2026
New research from Harvard Business Review on leadership teams at S&P 500 companies highlights a major shift in how organizations build C-suite leadership. The findings show that nearly 60% of C-suite executives are promoted internally, with long-tenured leaders increasingly favored for top roles. But experience alone is no longer enough.
What separates successful C-suite leaders is their ability to operate beyond functional expertise. The most effective executives influence across the enterprise, build high-performing teams, adapt continuously, and connect ex*****on back to strategy and organizational purpose.
The research also reinforces another important reality in executive search: CEO transitions often reshape entire leadership teams. Within the first few years of a new CEO’s tenure, many organizations reevaluate key functional leadership roles to align with evolving business priorities, operating models, and growth expectations.
For executive search firms, this changes the mandate from simply filling leadership positions to identifying executives who can collaborate cross-functionally, lead through uncertainty, and scale organizational performance in increasingly complex environments.