Signal 45% of leaders see greater employee willingness to aim higher, most in lower-pressure organizations

Summary

McKinsey's 2026 survey finds that about 45 percent of business leaders already see employees becoming more willing to aim higher. The pattern is strongest where leaders feel less pressure to squeeze out further productivity gains. In those organizations, half of leaders report greater employee commitment to higher goals, compared with 43 percent in higher-pressure settings. Only a small minority, 14 percent, see employee commitment falling. The report reads this as a sign that more is being asked of employees and that many are responding, while hinting that heavy pressure may blunt rather than boost ambition.