Most workers describe their leaders as ‘good.’ That’s a bad sign, one consultant says.

While the mantra “Cs get degrees” may have rang true in college, being middle-of-the-road isn’t enough for those in leadership.

More than half (54%) of the 2,200 US workers surveyed by business management consultancy The Grossman Group in partnership with Harris Poll rated their leaders as “good.” Meanwhile, 30% described them as “exceptional,” and 16% called them “outdated.”

So most leaders are just fine—what’s wrong with that? The issue, according to David Grossman, founder and CEO of The Grossman Group, is that “good” leaders often fail to incorporate “soft skills” into their management practices, something that’s especially necessary at a time when employees are bringing more emotional baggage to work, he argued.

“Good leaders were trained for stable times, and of course, we are not in stable times,” Grossman said. These leaders may check the most basic boxes, such as hitting their goals and even showing appreciation for workers, he added, but “they weren’t trained to address the uncertainty and the emotional content that we see in the workplace today.”

“Good” vs “exceptional.” There’s a notable difference between how survey respondents feel working under “good” versus “exceptional” leaders. Workers who rated their leaders as the latter were more likely to report feeling valued and appreciated, thriving, and reaching their full potential (at most, the difference was 10 percentage points in favor of the latter). They were also more likely to report that their leaders show gratitude, listen to and understand workers, and create a positive work culture.

Grossman shared some examples of how exceptional leaders demonstrate these traits in the workplace. “Good” leaders, for instance, may express gratitude for hard work, but “exceptional” ones take the time to acknowledge both the work and the workers themselves.

Leaders should look to musical theater as a guide. The protagonists in Broadway shows often sing an “I want” song, in which they express their desire that dictates their storyline. Employees have their own “I want” song, Grossman said, and leaders who understand that will be better equipped to connect with them.

“Do you know what they care about, their aspirations? Do you know what challenges they face, or their concerns? Because when you do, then how you communicate with them, you can put in their terms,” he said.

Other research has found that soft skills or emotional intelligence (or any other term to describe these traits) are necessary for top leaders. Google, for example, studied over a multi-year period what differentiated the company’s best managers, and found the crème de la crème exhibited traits including:

• Caring for their team, personally and professionally
• Communicating and listening well
• Helping with career development

Similarly, ongoing research from Gallup has found that great managers possess the ability to motivate and engage employees with a mission and vision, and build relationships that foster trust, open dialogue, and full transparency. But fewer than half of those in such roles exhibit a natural or basic talent for managing.

From a risk lens. Training leaders to exhibit these traits is important, Grossman said. Making it a company priority will require executive buy-in which Grossman said HR leaders can get if they treat trainings as risk mitigation.

“In many organizations, folks are required to go through some training on specific topics, and so reframing this need around risk is an effective strategy for HR or communication leaders to get the kind of attention that they want and need at the senior leadership table,” he said.

Companies that do not prioritize developing emotionally intelligent leaders could open themselves up to risk, Grossman warned. He said to think of it like a furnace that’s leaking water, drip by drip. Without maintenance, the problem might not be caught until black mold is in the walls and costly repairs are necessary. (Research from Gallup has connected poor management to low employee engagement, which the research firm suggests costs companies a collective $10 trillion annually from lost productivity, globally.)

“These good leaders aren’t delivering everything that employees want, and in fact, there are blind spots today to help employees move through the emotional weight that they carry and the uncertainty,” Grossman said. “This is an invisible challenge that is a huge vulnerability inside organizations today.”