• News
• Bookshop
• Events
• Sign up for the E-mail newsletter
• Anti Money Laundering
• Financial Management
• Human Resources
• Information Technology
• International Firms
• Jobs & Careers
• Knowledge Management
• Marketing, Business Development
• Mergers
• Mobile Working
• Outsourcing
• Professional Indemnity
• Risk Management

News

posted 22 Jun 2010 in Volume 12 Issue 12

Integrity, communication and motivation are more important qualities in leaders than experience and education, according to a survey of business managers.

Given 20 key qualities to choose from, the 110 respondents to the survey conducted by online business magazine The3rdi ranked single-mindedness as the least important quality for leaders.

Respondents ranked integrity as quality most critical in leaders, with communication coming a close second.

The willingness to incorporate the views of others and to consistently act in manner which furthers the interests of the firm is what sets a manager apart from a leader, says Phil Birch, a business coach and co-founder of The3rdi.

“As long as you’re listening and not making arbitrary decisions – and showing consistency and authenticity in your decisions – people will respect you,” notes Birch.

However, personal charisma can go a long way in earning the loyalty of staff.

“I think personality is a key quality of leadership, you need to be able to inspire and command some immediate amount of respect,” comments Birch. “If you have that charisma and authentic consistency, you have a far greater chance of becoming and remaining a leader.”

The ability to get the best out of staff by understanding their personal motivations is the third-most important leadership quality, according to 69% of respondents.

“It puts the emphasis on managers to come up with systems and processes that get the best out employees and to measure their progress,” notes Birch.