Mounting evidence shows optimal performance comes from the alignment of an executive’s personal values with the organization’s culture and the role’s responsibilities, yet few executives or organizations have made the adjustments necessary to take advantage of this synergy, according to a global survey of senior executives conducted by executive search firm Egon Zehnder International.

Only 40% of executives said their organization helps them unlock their potential; 31% responded in the negative and 27% were neutral. In addition, 72% of those surveyed said they would welcome more help from their organization to pinpoint and pursue personal motivations and goals.

“There are a number of critical areas about which organizations and their executives are failing to communicate,” said Andrew Roscoe, leader of Egon Zehnder’s executive assessment and development practice and one of the co-authors of the study. ”If companies and executives can start to work together to align personal values and career trajectories, there is the potential to greatly increase job satisfaction, retention and performance across the global economy.”

The most commonly cited motivation was “making a difference,” chosen by 55% of respondents, followed by “personal growth and development,” “leading and organizing others” and “monetary compensation,” each chosen by 45% of those surveyed. The wide range of motivations among leaders is underscored by the fact that no single factor was chosen by much more than half of the respondents.

The survey also found 70% of respondents believe that there is too much emphasis placed on moving up the ranks, when lateral career movements should be equally esteemed. Furthermore, only 31% of respondents believe their organization has effective ways to reward high performance other than promotion.

The survey, entitled, “Leadership Identity – What Makes You Thrive?” was conducted in the fall of 2015 and included responses from 1,275 senior executives from Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America, representing a wide range of industries and organizational sizes.