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Good leadership characteristics revealed

While most professionals know what it takes to be a model employee - namely being reliable, conscientious and, above all, competent - when it comes to taking a step up and taking on a management role, they are overwhelmed with wide-ranging, often contradictory, advice.

For example, though following the lead of The Office's David Brent and attempting to be a 'friend first and boss second' is widely-acknowledged as being a guaranteed way to lose the respect of a workforce and a short-cut to a P45, so too is the Gordon Ramsay approach of coming down on poorly-performing workers like a tonne of bricks likely to alienate staff, or possibly even lead to a lawsuit.

So, aside from intellect, common sense and ambition, what does make a good leader in the workplace, and what aptitudes should those looking to land a management position promote above all others?

Fortunately, the answer seems to be obvious enough, with the Exceeding Expectation report - which has been compiled by the Work Foundation after two years' of research alongside the likes of Tesco, Unilever, the Guardian Media Group and EDF Energy - containing few surprises.

According to the heads of these high-profile organisations, excellent leaders are self-confident without being arrogant, aware of their position of influence yet use this only for the advantage of their business of their staff, and they are able to think and act systemically, seeing the bigger picture rather than compartmentalising.

The Chartered Institute of Management (CIM) concurs, stressing the importance of excellent interpersonal relations, rather than any great business brain or a Machiavellian ruthlessness, as the key to success in a position of leadership.

Ruth Spellman, the CMI's chief executive, explained: "Ultimately a good, or outstanding, manager will always retain a focus on organisational objectives and KPIs [key performance indicators], but it is the way in which they encourage and engage with their staff to help achieve these goals that will determine success."

The CMI research also revealed that around one in two British workers believe that they could do a better job than their current manager, while around a similar proportion would be happy to take a pay cut to work with a better boss.

So, though pinpointing what makes a good manager remains something of an elusive question, what seems to be apparent is that, rather than emphasising their tough, no-nonsense nature, professionals aiming to land a management jobs should instead focus on presenting themselves as a people-person first and foremost, though this should be backed up with a proven ability to hit targets.

Indeed, it seems the case that, in the working world of the 21st century, heavy-handed managers such as Ramsay or Sir Alex Ferguson are swiftly becoming an endangered species, being replaced by more sensitive, and ultimately more effective, model professionals.


If you are looking at a specialist job opportunity it is still worth looking at job centre options when thinking about you’re a new career; you may want to search for several related vacancies in different locations before applying.