# Americans can't agree on whether leaders or employees make a company succeed

Canonical page: https://data.verasight.io/money/americans-cant-agree-on-whether-leaders-or-employees-make-a-company-succeed/

> Indexed question in Money & Finance.

## Reading

Verasight surveyed 1,000 U.S. adults from August 12 to 18, 2026. 38.5% of Americans say leadership has the biggest impact on an organization's success, while 34.7% point to employees. Just 10.4% credit the marketplace.

Another 13.3% are not sure and 3.1% name government regulations. The 3.8-point gap between leadership and employees is too small to call either one the top answer.

## Topline

Which factor has the greatest impact on organizational success?

Americans can't agree on whether leaders or employees make a company succeed.

- Leadership: 38.5%
- Employees: 34.7%
- I'm not sure / I don't know: 13.3%
- The marketplace: 10.4%
- Government regulations: 3.1%

## Methodology

- Mode: Verasight panel recruited via random address-based sampling, random person-to-person text messaging, and dynamic online targeting
- Population: US adults age 18+
- Field dates: 2026-08-12 → 2026-08-18
- Base (unweighted): 1,000
- Margin of error: +/- 3.2%
- Module: AOM Survey #2026-152
- Sponsor: Verasight
- Weight variable: weight
- Weighting targets: age, race/ethnicity, sex, income, education, region, metropolitan status

## Source

- Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/aom-2026#q-14](https://reports.verasight.io/r/aom-2026#q-14)

## Citation

AOM Omnibus, fielded August 12-18, 2026, N=1,000 US adults age 18+, +/- 3.2%.

Canonical question URL: [https://reports.verasight.io/r/aom-2026#q-14](https://reports.verasight.io/r/aom-2026#q-14)