Britain
needs a new approach to business leadership, according to many of Britain’s top
corporate heads.
A new
report claims that, unlike Americans, the British have an innate discomfort
with celebrating success, and many potential leaders may be slipping through
the net.
The
Bright Business Effect Report, commissioned by Orange Business Solutions
and the Future Foundation, interviewed chief executives from leading UK
companies, including Rod Eddington from BA, Neil Holloway from Microsoft UK,
Paul Walsh from Diageo and Diane Thompson from the Camelot Group, as well as
other experts and HR professionals, and found that leadership is the single
most important factor in determining business success.
It
found that the best leaders are those with rounded personalities with a ‘new
sophisticated set of skills and personal attributes built around communication,
relationships, integrity, passion, toughness, determination, emotional intelligence,
and the self-awareness to know their own strengths and weaknesses’.
The
report claims these attributes are the new ‘must haves’ rather than the
traditional skills of delegation, cost control, professional and technical
skills.
The
report also found that the skills necessary to succeed are more prevalent in
women, and that female leaders have the confidence of staff.
The
full report is available at www.orange.co.uk/business
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