UK
business chiefs rate Sir Richard Branson above all other British business
leaders, according to a new study.
The
survey, conducted in April 2004 for the inaugural International Leadership
Summit in London, quizzed almost 1,000 chief executives, company directors and
senior managers from around the country.
More
than a third (37 per cent) voted for Branson, chief executive of the Virgin
Group, with Sir Terry Leahy of Tesco coming second with 18.7 per cent of the
vote and Dame Anita Roddick of The Body Shop coming in third with 11.7 per
cent.
The
survey also asked whether an individual could learn the skills required to
become a ‘great leader’ and 59 per cent of respondents answered yes, suggesting
that British business is losing faith in the old adage that ‘leaders are born
and not made’.
In
addition, the ability to inspire was seen as a key differentiator between a
‘great’ and a ‘good’ leader by 44 per cent of respondents. Vision and
communication skills also featured highly, eliciting 23 per cent and 15 per
cent of votes respectively.
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