The best boss is...

By Tom Geoghegan
BBC News Magazine

The Conservative Party is looking for a leader with the qualities to sweep them to power. But what's the secret to great leadership in the wider world?

"A leader is a dealer in hope," said one of history's most famous exponents of leadership, Napoleon Bonaparte.

This theory of what motivated his men was stretched to the limit during his fatal Russian campaign which decimated the French army.

But nearly 200 years later, the search for the secret to what makes a great leader is as intense as ever, with a glut of training courses and self-help books promising the answers.

The prize is an empire of a different kind, the boss's chair. And, with an obvious exception, jobs don't come much more high-powered than leading Her Majesty's Opposition.

The Conservative Party contest has reopened the debate about what qualities can earn success in the political world, but the skills of leadership are relevant in all areas of life and its best examples come in all shapes and sizes.

Good leaders can deal with business delays and disasters but are very sensitive to the needs of others Adrian Gilpin, Institute of Human Development

However, a crash-course in exercising strict authority won't necessarily be enough to scale the career ladder or lead your sports team to glory.

In politics and business, authenticity is the most important quality, followed by courage and passion, says Adrian Gilpin, chairman of the Institute of Human Development. But sensitivity is becoming increasingly valued.

"There's a crisis in senior leadership which is that an awful lot of people get there because they are good political operators and are hyper-sensitive themselves but not sensitive to others," he says.

"Good leaders can deal with business delays and disasters but are very sensitive to the needs of others and that's increasingly demanded.

"We see people in jobs they find unfulfilling going to other organisations where they may not get as much money but the people there think differently."

Ruthlessness

The success of people-centric companies like Pret A Manger and The Carphone Warehouse is evidence that integrity is now in demand, says Mr Gilpin. And global events like terrorism and natural disasters have made people more mindful of the importance of humanity in running businesses, he believes.

"There's a real surge in opportunities for people who want to be seen to be making a difference and building sustainable organisations," he says. "We know we cannot go on running business and politics like we have done in the past."

Two bosses, two empires

These qualities can't be taught on a management training course although they may develop with experience, says Mr Gilpin.

Yet not all great contemporary leaders sign up to the touchy-feely ethic. Although fiercely loyal to his players in public, Alex Ferguson's post-match tirades in the Manchester United dressing room have been caricatured as the "hairdryer treatment" and any student of BBC Two's The Apprentice will have struggled to see Amstrad boss Sir Alan Sugar's soft side.

The key leadership skills are the same in business, the public sector or in social groups, says broadcaster and confidence tutor Jeremy Milnes, although social leaders also inspire a sense of fun, well-being, togetherness and security.

"In some ways a leader is an expert in a particular field so people look up to them, but it goes well beyond that and is difficult to put your finger on.

By giving praise and seeing potential in others, they inspire confidence amongst the group Jeremy Milnes

"By giving praise and seeing potential and abilities in other people, they inspire confidence, that feel-good factor, amongst the group.

"They are also prepared to show vulnerabilities sometimes and designate responsibilities."

A word in the ear may be required one day and a tongue-lashing the next, says Milnes, so the boss who knows his staff's sensibilities is the one increasingly in demand.

Sven Goran Eriksson was accused of lacking the passion of Stuart Pearce

"In a world today where we are not quite sure where the next natural or human disaster is coming, we are very sensitive to the world around us and that affects our daily lives and how we go about them.

Even in sport, where the tub-thumping football captain is often the one popular with the fans, awareness is acknowledged as a key skill.

In no sport is leadership as important as it is in cricket and one of the most famous books on the subject is The Art of Captaincy by former England skipper Mike Brearley, who later became a psychoanalyst.

Charisma is not as important as communication, he says, because getting the best out of your players means knowing what makes them tick and tailoring your treatment accordingly.

Captaincy, he says, is "'a bit like gardening - some plants need fertilizer to thrive, others need pruning".

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Thanks for your comments.

Is that really a Cameron/Davis/Fox composite or John Prescott the morning after?
Tony Harvey, UK

Don't forget the "Dilbert" factor. Management are the incompetent people who have been promoted out of the way to ensure that hte work can be done.
Alan, London UK

As Harry Truman once said, "A leader is the man who has the ability to get other people to do what they don't want to do, and like it."
John, Germany

I was once asked in an interview to think about the best boss I'd ever had ... then I was asked why I felt he was the best boss I'd ever had. I found myself replying, "Because he brought out the best in me." So true - and no-one before or since has come close. JON H where are you!??!?!
Sara R, England

To paraphrase Mao, Power comes from down the barrel of a gun and on the ink of a cheque book. We love to eschew the great leadership touchy feely techniques when in actual fact the corporate and political world, people follow whichever leader has the most menace or money.
bryan maudlsey, UK

Napoleon, though himself lacking many good features, was right - a good leader inspires others (deals in hope) and takes them with them. The ability can be learnt, like you can learn to draw, but some people have it as a natural talent and that cannot be copied. Modern management pretend to be leadership but is more often about bullying, which is inefficient and often counterproductive.
Alex T, UK

Let's move on from the idea of leadership which has surely had its day. Let's use technology to democratise our lives and take power back from those who seek authority over us.
GL, UK

The poll is missing an option: "They're looking over my shoulder right now"
Ray Lashley, Bristol, UK

Leadership is the ability to positively influence the actions and behaviours of other human beings without using rank or authority.
Jeff, UK

But your composite picture of Thatcher, Mourinho and Sugar is a dead ringer for John Prescott!!! So now we have the Ideal Leader - move over, Gordon!
Kevin Friery, Portsmouth UK

My boss is the pits and so is the organisation I work for, especially since the so called Government reforms. I am too scared to even mention the name of the organisation in case of retribution. Many members of staff have been down-graded in the Government's reforms for pay unjustly so, affecting pensions even though pay is protected for 6 years it does not protect your pension. They are also enforcing parking payments and shift for staff who will find it very difficult if not impossible to do. My manager is arrogant and a sexist bully.
Veronica, United Kingdom

Carphone Warehouse a people-centric company? Have you tried calling their customer service line? They are unhelpful, inflexible, badly managed and lacking in knowledge. My wife has been cut off five times because two departments at CPW didn't (couldn't!) talk to each other. The days when they treated customers as customers are over, they were great in about 1999 but now are no better than Phones4u.
Geoff Winkless, UK

I once worked for a boss who physically threatened me and my family. He told me he ran his "team" like an animal pack. He was the alpha male and he was going to treat me like the runt of his pack. Eventually he would get rid of me. He tried to use hypnosis and NLP to "condition" or "program" me. He hacked into my PC at home, intercepted emails, set me up at work and eventually did get rid of me by bringing hoax disciplinary charges against me at which point I could not face going back to work for him again.
Brendan, UK

A great Leader is an individual who makes you feel that you too can become great. Long gone are the days where barking orders, bullying and harassing are excepted forms of Managment, there are still companies that employ this culture and ethos but thankfully they are becoming fewer.
B Sparks, UK

Seems sensible enough, but what about the "Brent" factor? Surely the problem or difficulty with management or managers is that people they manage and often their peers don't see them in the same way as they see themselves? Is a belief in how great a manager you are an inherent weakness, as everybody else might be thinking....
Mark M, England