What Faith-Forward CEOs Value Most as Leaders

For today’s CEOs, leadership is no longer measured by results alone. As organizations navigate workforce fatigue, shifting expectations and rising moral complexity, many executives are rethinking what it means to lead well and what personal values matter most in their leadership. A new Barna report—Faith-Forward CEOs: Research and Insights on Executives Who Lead Differently, produced in partnership with C12 Business Forums—examines how senior executives understand leadership, culture and responsibility in this moment.

The findings are drawn from a survey of 356 U.S.-based CEOs. Nearly nine in ten (89%) either identify as Christian or say faith is important in their life, leading Barna to describe this group as “Faith-Forward.” The research explores leadership across four dimensions: self-leadership, organizational leadership, cultural leadership and Christian leadership.

In the first article based on this research, Barna examined what motivates Faith-Forward CEOs and how their Christian faith informs their leadership. In this second installment, the focus turns to what personal values influence CEOs leadership most.

For pastors and church leaders, these findings offer more than insight into the marketplace. They point to a growing opportunity to support the spiritual formation of leaders whose daily decisions shape the lives of employees, families and communities far beyond the church walls.

What Values Are Most Important to Leaders?

When asked which personal values influence their leadership the most, Faith-Forward CEOs reveal a blend of high performance, relational intention and spiritual depth. Their top-ranked personal values include excellence (39%), followed by religious faith (34%).  Together, these priorities reflect a leadership posture grounded in both results and meaning. Leaders aim to achieve—while also leaning on their spiritual life to guide them at work.

Other highly ranked values—vision (33%), gratitude (33%) and creativity (33%)—point to leaders who are future-oriented and innovative, yet also marked by thankfulness and a willingness to think differently. This values profile depicts CEOs as driven, dynamic and deeply guided by internal convictions.

Within this overall picture, there are notable generational differences. Older leaders from the Boomer and Elder generations are more likely to emphasize humility, service to others, religious faith and excellence. In contrast, younger CEOs from Gen Z and Millennial cohorts are more attuned to values such as diversity, creativity, acceptance and progress.

These distinctions suggest an evolution in leadership identity—one that mirrors broader cultural shifts in today’s workplaces and the rising expectations of a new generation of talent. For organizations led across generations, this tension highlights the growing importance of translating shared values into a leadership language that resonates with people at every stage of life.

Leadership as a Relational Calling

Across the data, Faith-Forward CEOs indicate that the ability to connect, communicate and care is seen as just as critical to leadership effectiveness as meeting milestones or driving performance. In this view, leadership is less about managing outputs and more about stewarding people.

For pastors, this research reveals a significant opportunity. Many Faith-Forward CEOs already hold values closely aligned with Christian teaching—integrity, service, humility, care for others—but often carry the weight of leadership with limited spiritual support.

Rather than offering answers to business challenges, pastors are uniquely positioned to provide spiritual formation—grounding leaders in practices, community and theological wisdom that sustain relational leadership over the long term. As Faith-Forward CEOs seek to build values-driven organizations marked by trust, dignity and meaning, the church has a timely opportunity to walk alongside them as partners in formation.

Watch for our next article where we’ll share more findings from the Faith-Forward CEOs report.