What is leadership?
Research by BritainThinks, July 2012
Summary of findings
•  Integrity, decisiveness, strong communications and listening are
key leadership qualities
•  Churchill remains the archetypal leader
•  Different leadership qualities are demanded by different roles
•  Strong communication skills is the top quality for political leadership,
decisiveness for business and energy for sport
•  Cameron is ahead of the current political leaders on the more
salient qualities except for listening
•  There is no significant change to these scores since first asked a year ago
•  ‘Everyday’ leadership attributes are similar – though listening
matters more
•  Older people regard leadership as more rare than younger people do
•  4 out of 10 think their friends/colleagues would describe them as a
leader
Methodology
What did we do?
•  Three online polls with members of the public assessing leadership
qualities and evaluating current leaders
•  Two focus groups with the public
•  Two focus groups with opinion leaders
•  Initial depth interviews with opinion leaders
We conducted three polls using the Populus Data Solution’s online
omnibus on:
•  19th – 21st August 2011
•  21st-23rd October 2011
•  29th June-1st July 2012
Data were demographically weighted to be representative of the UK adult
population.
Great communications, decisiveness and
integrity are deemed to be most the important
qualities for leadership
55%
Being a great communicator
45%
Being decisive
41%
Having integrity
Being a good listener
30%
Having a vision
30%
24%
Having conviction
Being charismatic
13%
Being tough
13%
Having empathy
13%
% selec'ng each quality as one of three most important for leadership 10%
Being authentic
Being energetic
5%
Being pragmatic
5%
Q: Of the qualities below, please select the three which you think are most important for leadership? Base:
General population [n= 2050] October 2011
Being a great communicator (% selecting “being a great
communicator” as one of the three characteristics that
most apply)
26%
23%
16%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] August 2011
19%
16%
Being decisive (% selecting “being decisive” as one of the
three characteristics that most apply)
38%
37%
28%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] August 2011
36%
20%
Having integrity (% selecting “integrity” as one
of the three characteristics that most apply)
25%
19%
14%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] August 2011
16%
14%
Being a good listener (% selecting “being a good listener” as one of
the three characteristics that most apply)
42%
19%
10%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] August 2011
11%
9%
Winston Churchill: Archetypal leader?
“Great motivator, kept
morale up during the war.”
•  Churchill consistently ranks
among the top five on the
most important qualities –
having integrity, being decisive
and being a great
communicator
•  Focus group participants also
praised his leadership
Churchill Index: How leaders rank when measured against
Churchill on their combined score of integrity,
decisiveness and communication skills
Winston Churchill
Margaret Thatcher
Alan Sugar (Founder, Amstrad/The Apprentice)
Barack Obama
Richard Branson (Founder, Virgin)
Nelson Mandela
David Cameron
Sir Alex Ferguson
Tony Blair
Sir Bob Geldof
Prince Charles
Lord Sebastian Coe
Anita Roddick (Founder, The Body Shop/ campaigner)
Princess Diana
Boris Johnson
Michael O'Leary (Founder, Ryanair)
Rupert Murdoch (Founder, News International)
Alex Salmond
Nick Clegg
Ed Miliband
28
27
26
25
24
46
41
40
38
38
34
33
50
72
69
65
64
61
58
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] August 2011
100
Churchill Index: Once scores for listening are
incorporated, Princess Diana and Obama move up,
whilst Thatcher and Sugar fall
Winston Churchill
Princess Diana
Barack Obama
Nelson Mandela
Margaret Thatcher
Alan Sugar (Founder, Amstrad/The Apprentice)
Richard Branson (Founder, Virgin)
David Cameron
Prince Charles
Tony Blair
Sir Alex Ferguson
Sir Bob Geldof
Lord Sebastian Coe
Anita Roddick (Founder, The Body Shop/ campaigner)
Boris Johnson
Nick Clegg
Ed Miliband
Alex Salmond
Michael O'Leary (Founder, Ryanair)
Rupert Murdoch (Founder, News International)
29
28
27
42
41
38
36
34
51
49
48
73
72
72
71
70
65
62
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteris7cs which you think apply most to each? Please select up to three Base: General population [n= 2050] Aug 2011
85
100
Net leadership scores: the politicians
100%
Badly (0-3)
Well (7-10)
80%
60%
40%
20%
Net
-35%
Net
-29%
Net
-5%
Net
3%
Net
7%
Net
6%
Net
22%
Net
41%
Net
50%
Net
74%
Net
82%
0%
Barack
Obama
-20%
-40%
-60%
Nick
Clegg
Ed
Miliband
Boris
Ken
Johnson
Livingstone
David
Cameron
Tony
Blair
Adolf
Hitler
Q: For each of the individuals below, please say how effective each is/was as a leader?
Base: General population [n= 2050] Aug 2011
Nelson
Mandela
Margaret
Thatcher
Winston
Churchill
Cameron leads on communications, decisiveness
and vision, whilst Miliband leads on listening
Ed Miliband
19%
David Cameron
15%
14%
Nick Clegg
15%
11%
10%
7%
6%
11%
11%
9%
6%
5%
4%
Has a vision
Is decisive
Is a great
communicator
10%
Has integrity
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think
apply most to each? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
Is a good listener
Cameron leads on tough decisions and economic
management, while Miliband puts the interests
of working people first
7%
Does what he believes to be right, even when
those decisions are unpopular
Has the courage and determination to see through
his decisions
Is able to take a leadership role in resolving
Europe's economic problems
Has a plan for growth in the economy
Is able to guide the country through the financial
crisis
5%
47%
18%
4%
16%
5%
Ed Miliband
20%
9%
15%
David Cameron
Q. For each of the statements below, please say which of the main party leaders you
think it most applies to? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
38%
33%
21%
4%
Puts the interests of working people first
Nick Clegg
13%
32%
31%
34%
There is strong support for Cameron from
Conservative voters
Does what he believes to be right, even when
those decisions are unpopular
47%
Has the courage and determination to see
through his decisions
38%
Is able to take a leadership role in resolving
Europe's economic problems
Puts the interests of working people first
Conservative voters
72%
32%
Is able to guide the country through the financial
crisis
79%
31%
15%
77%
75%
33%
Has a plan for growth in the economy
79%
44%
Total population
Q. For each of the statements below, please say which of the main party leaders you think it
most applies to? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
Whereas Miliband has weaker support from
Labour voters
Puts the interests of working people first
Has a plan for growth in the economy
Is able to take a leadership role in resolving
Europe's economic problems
Does what he believes to be right, even when
those decisions are unpopular
Labour voters
50%
21%
Is able to guide the country through the financial
crisis
Has the courage and determination to see
through his decisions
67%
34%
47%
20%
44%
18%
39%
16%
13%
30%
Total population
Q. For each of the statements below, please say which of the main party leaders you think it
most applies to? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
And Clegg has very weak support amongst Lib
Dems
Puts the interests of working people first
9%
Does what he believes to be right, even when
those decisions are unpopular
Has the courage and determination to see
through his decisions
Has a plan for growth in the economy
Is able to take a leadership role in resolving
Europe's economic problems
Is able to guide the country through the financial
crisis
Lib Dem voters
30%
27%
7%
19%
5%
5%
14%
18%
4%
4%
16%
Total Population
Q. For each of the statements below, please say which of the main party leaders you think
it most applies to? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
The scores for the three leaders’ characteristics have
not changed significantly year-on-year
Cameron scores lowest on empathy and listening
Aug-11
29%
27%
21%
19%
19%18%
16%15%
16%15%
15%
13%
Jun-12
13%12%
13%
11%
11%12%
10%9%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think
apply most to each? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
8% 7%
8%
5%
5% 4%
Miliband scores lowest on being tough and
charismatic
Aug-11
Jun-12
36%35%
24%
20%
14%
12%
12%
12%
11%
9%
9%10%
11%
8%
7%7%
6%6%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think
apply most to each? Base: All respondents Jun 2012
7%
5%
5%6%
3%4%
3%4%
Clegg scores lowest on being decisive and tough.
Aug-11
Jun-12
38% 38%
20%
17%
12%
11% 10% 10% 10%
9%
12%
9%
9% 9%
7% 7%
7% 7%
6% 7%
Q. For each of the individuals below, please select up to three characteristics which you think apply most to each?
Base: All respondents Jun 2012
6% 6%
4% 4%
2% 2%
Leadership demands different qualities in different
sectors – though political is closest to top of mind
associations with leadership
General
Leadership
Political
Business
Sporting
Being a great communicator
1
1
2
3
Being decisive
2
3
1
4
Having integrity
3
2
4
8
Being a good listener
4
5
6
10
Having a vision
5
4
3
5
Having conviction
6
6
7
7
Being charismatic
7
7
10
6
Being tough
8
8
5
2
Having empathy
9
9
12
12
Being authentic
10
10
10
9
Being energetic
11
12
8
1
Being pragmatic
12
11
9
11
Q: Of the qualities below, please select the three which you think are most important for each specific
type of leadership? Base: General population [n= 2050] October 2011
Everyday Leadership
Leadership is seen as a very rare quality, though
4 out of 10 think they are seen as a leader…
% agreeing with statement
66%
I think of leadership as a very rare quality
I have experienced strong, effective
leadership at work
56%
When I think of a leader, I usually think
about a person outside of my daily life for
54%
Leadership is not something that I have
much experience of in my day to day life
47%
Leadership doesn't really have much impact
on my life
46%
My friends or colleagues would describe me
as a leader
Q. How far do you agree with each of the following statements?
Base: All respondents June 2012
40%
There are significant gender, age and class
differences in experiences of leadership
•  In the workplace:
•  Women are less likely to have experienced “strong, effective
leadership at work” than men (50%/62%)
•  And there is an even bigger gap between DEs and ABs (46%/67%)
•  Older people value leadership as a more ‘rare’ quality than
younger ones do (70%/59%)
•  Women are less likely to believe they are seen as a leader
(36%/44%)
•  Younger people are more likely to think they are seen as a leader
than older ones (46%/36%)
•  ABs are more likely than DEs (47%/29%)
•  Public sector workers are more likely to think of themselves
as leaders than those in the private sector (51%/44%)
Q. How far do you agree with each of the following statements?
Base: All respondents June 2012
Colleagues, parents and teachers are the best
leadership role models
1 in 10 have never experienced effective leadership
40%
A manager or senior colleague
36%
A parent
35%
A teacher
27%
A friend
25%
A co-worker
23%
A spouse or partner
17%
A healthcare professional
12%
Someone who volunteers in your local community
11%
A sibling
10%
A representative of a religion or faith
6%
A neighbour
5%
A youth worker
A local councillor
Other
Don't know
I have never experienced effective leadership in my everyday life
4%
2%
6%
11%
Q. Thinking about your own life (either at the moment or in your past) have you ever had
personal experience of effective leadership from any of the following? Base: All respondents
June 2012
Proportion
choosing each
figure
And colleagues and parents also best embody
the qualities of leadership
19%
A manager or senior colleague 17%
A parent A teacher 9%
A spouse or partner 9%
6%
A friend 5%
A co-­‐worker 4%
A healthcare professional 3%
A representa've of a religion or faith Someone who volunteers in your local community 2%
A sibling 2%
A neighbour 1%
A local councillor 1%
A youth worker 1%
Other 1%
I have never experienced effec've leadership in my everyday life Q Thinking about the person in your own life (either at the moment or in your past) who
most embodies the qualities of leadership, were they...? Base: All respondents June 2012
11%
The same qualities are respected in general and everyday
leadership but listening is valued more in personal
experiences, whereas communication skills and having a vision
are more important to leadership in general
48%
Being a great communicator
42%
Being decisive
36%
Having integrity
Being a good listener
30%
Having a vision
19%
Having conviction
19%
12%
13%
Being charismatic
Being tough
13%
Having empathy
13%
19%
21%
Being energetic
5%
Being pragmatic
5%
45%
41%
36%
30%
24%
Everyday leadership
Leadership in general
12%
10%
Being authentic
55%
10%
8%
Q for leadership in general: Of the characteristics below, please select the three which you think are most
important for a good leader… (October 2011):
Q for every day leadership: Still thinking about the person in your own life (either at the moment or in your past)
who most embodies the qualities of leadership, which three of the following qualities most applied to them? Base:
All respondents who have experienced effective leadership in their everyday lives
Summary of findings
•  Integrity, decisiveness, strong communications and listening are
key leadership qualities
•  Churchill remains the archetypal leader
•  Different leadership qualities are demanded by different roles
•  Strong communication skills is the top quality for political leadership,
decisiveness for business and energy for sport
•  Cameron is ahead of the current political leaders on the most
salient qualities except for listening
•  There is no significant change to these scores since first asked a year ago
•  ‘Everyday’ leadership attributes are similar – though listening
matters more
•  Older people regard leadership as more rare than younger people do
•  4 out of 10 think their friends/colleagues would describe them as a
leader
Contact details
For more information about this study, or the work we do
more generally, please get in touch:
BritainThinks
Somerset House
Strand
London WC2R 1LA
[email protected]
020 7845 5880
What is leadership?
Research by BritainThinks, July 2012