Deloitte: Concerns About Leadership Rising Among Company Executives

Chief executives are increasingly concerned about an emerging leadership gap, as the pool of qualified leaders remains scarce amid widespread Baby Boomer retirement. A survey released Thursday by research firm Deloitte provides a basis for this concern.

According to the report, 56 percent of surveyed executives eye talent gaps in both C-level leadership and operations. Despite the clear need for leadership training and development, as much as 83 percent of respondents agree that significant improvements need to be made in regards to their organization's talent programs.

"Talent leaders in today's business environment are taking responsibility for their futures by focusing investments and capabilities on rebuilding and developing new talent programs for leaders and critical employees within their organizations," said Alice Kwan, a principal and talent services leader at Deloitte Consulting.

However, the study noted clear disparities between different regions when it comes to operations, research and development and leadership demand.

As for driving growth in coming months, most respondents - 38 percent - pointed to improving top- and bottom-line performance, followed by expanding into new or global markets at 33 percent.