Tearing Up The Rule Book 2010

Tearing Up the

Rule Book

A New Generation

of Leaders for 2010

The Aspire and

Customer Interpreter

Leadership Report

This new century needs a new generation of leaders who

are more transformational and embrace their feminine

qualities. The old school style of many politicians and

corporate CEOs is on the way out and transformational

leadership behaviours are on the way in.

The time for a new rule book is here and women and men

who operate with the highest integrity, think beyond short

term profit, have a vision for the future and are not afraid

to prioritise their family and personal life will not only survive

but thrive in a new decade.

This is a new era for women as leaders.

A word from Dr. Samantha Collins, Founder, Aspire

2

Executive Summary by Catherine Shovlin, Director, Customer Interpreter

A shift to a more feminine approach

In this latest research it appears that the financial and political events at the end of the

last decade have given us pause for thought. According to our Leadership Intelligence

(LI) measure (successful leadership as defined by the consensus of our online debate

and larger survey research sample), TRANSACTIONAL behaviours, eg, making that high

risk/high reward deal in record time and never mind the consequences, are out.

Conversely, TRANSFORMATIONAL behaviours such as thinking

longer term, teamwork, empowerment and effective

communicating, are now highly valued. Traditionally, these

transformational behaviours are seen as a more female

approach. Indeed, some of these ‗softer‘ attributes may have

even hampered women‘s progress in the past as they have

been relatively undervalued.

So does that mean this new era is giving women leaders an

advantage? Board room statistics suggest this is not happening

yet, but this research shows a compelling case for change.

Executive Summary (cont.)

What makes the best leader?

The role models are clear – participants admire the inspiring vision, courage, intelligence and

integrity of Barack Obama, the guts to make change happen and innovativeness of Richard

Branson and a host of other political, business and sports leaders who they believe have a

vision, stand for something and have made a difference. What is now being rejected is

untrustworthy leadership based on ego, greed or selfishness, those that aim to divide and

conquer.

So who has the highest LI?

Based on our research, the best leaders tend to be female and they tend to improve with age

and business or parenting experience. Higher LI scores are seen in the public sector and those

working in professions or in the coaching/development industry. Seniority helps, but board

members have lower LI scores. High LI scorers take a job to make a difference and have a

challenge in a company they believe in. They are frustrated by hierarchies, work-life balance

and lack of opportunities to do what they came for.

Finally, women appear to be less of a gamble when it comes to LI – their variance is

significantly less than that of men and they are less affected by the sector, seniority level or

working patterns.

Introduction

In the wake of the recent financial turmoil that ended the last decade, there is a new

consensus emerging about effective leadership, as epitomised by leaders like Barack

Obama, Angela Merkel, and Richard Branson. This research confirms the preferred

leadership style for the next decade – and highlights how some of us are currently better

suited to it than others. Research participants rejected old school leadership styles, in

particular when driven by ego or an urge to divide and conquer. Instead, they favoured

leaders who are...

5

Our process

This research was conducted by ASPIRE and Customer Interpreter.

It considers two key dimensions:

• How the world is changing

• How who we are affects our leadership style

It asks two central questions:

• What makes the best leader for the times we live in?

• Who is currently well placed to be that kind of leader?

It is based on a three-stage process:

• One: An on-line debate, looking at leadership issues in the current economic climate

• Two: An on-line questionnaire sent to over 300 global business leaders

• Three: Results from both processes were analysed to develop our multi-variate

„Leadership Intelligence‟ or LI measure

We hope that you will find this research a valuable tool in guiding your ability to be the

best possible leader alongside your capability as an organisation to attract, promote

and retain the best people out there. 6

Leadership Intelligence (LI)

Leadership Intelligence (LI) indicates a

person‘s potential to be a successful

leader as measured by the output of this

research. The measure is based on the

overall survey conclusions about what

makes the best leader. It is based on

participants‘:

• Self ranking of their own skills and

strengths

• Responses to questions about their

ideal leader

• Evaluation of the leadership traits

identified in our online debate

• Reasons why they would want to

change employer

An individual‘s LI is based on a consensus of the four dimensions mentioned on the

previous slide. We have found that differences in typical LI levels correlate to certain

characteristics and that the highest and lowest LI levels tend to be found as described

below:

• Gender and family

High: Women, especially mothers (the more children the better), or men without children

• Age

High: Older women and younger men

Low: Older men, women in their 20s

• GeographyHigh: UK men, women in Europe/UK

Low: South Americans, European men

• Sector

High: Men in public sector/professions, women in non-profits/coaching

Low: Men in finance/education

• SeniorityHigh: Senior managers

Low: Male board members

LI (cont.)

Women grow into leadership

As women become more experienced

(work, family, life) they tend to move

closer to the group‘s ideal leader

(= higher LI). The reverse trend is seen

among men where ageing suggests a

decline in LI.

Could parenting become seen as a

relevant business skill?

1.50

1.75

2.00

2.25

2.50

20s 30s 40s 50s

LI

Women

Men

9

―Leaders are

not born they

are created”

Female CEO,

50s

“Leaders

are born”

Male CEO,

50s

Section 1:

WHY do we need a New Generation of Leaders?

10

Top 12 least admired leaders

1. Gordon Brown (23%)

2. Politicians in general (17%)

3. George W. Bush (7%)

4. Bankers (7%)

5. Tony Blair (6%)

6. David Cameron (5%)

7. Silvio Berlusconi (4%)

8. Robert Mugabe (3%)

9. Fred Goodwin (2%)

10. Rush Limbaugh (2%)

11. Vladimir Putin (2%)

12. Peter Mandelson (2%)

Note: this is an all-male and mostly white list.

Participants are clear about what is going

wrong among our leaders today. Some of this

feeling is driven by current events, but the

ranking demonstrates an increasing refusal to

accept leaders with a lack of character or

those who abuse power for selfish ends.

11

Top 12 worst leadership qualities

Better leadership is no longer a nice idea, it is

seen as a necessary step for socio-economic

and political progress in the world.

12

1. Selfish/ego-driven

2. Divisive/predatory

3. Greedy

4. Untrustworthy/liar

5. No charisma

6. Weak/cowardly

7. Spin doctor/poll driven

8. No integrity

9. Undemocratic/bigoted

10. Irresponsible

11. Arrogant

12. Corrupt/dishonest

Time for a new rulebook

13

This research confirms the view that

inadequate leadership creates an

inadequate system.

Our online discussion supported the

need for leadership styles to change

in the current climate.

The call for change is not a wish for

chaos or unprofessional leadership,

but rather for a new rule book in how

to go about leading organisations

effectively.

Section 2:

WHAT does a New Generation Leader look like?

14

No more command and control

The New Generation Leader is

visonary, inspiring, courageous and

going somewhere.

They are human and socially

conscious.

They help everybody in their network

to be more than they thought they

were.

Empowerment and allowing teams to

thrive has overtaken command and

control as the way to lead into a

more resilient future.

15

A more female approach

The New Generation Leader has a

clear view of the future, is more

interested in getting things right,

being more reflective and behaving

in a less ―just do it‖ way.

The most striking aspect is the level of

balance – they prefer a gentler route

of continuous improvement rather

than radical change.

They all employ these more

traditionally female behaviours

regardless of gender.

16

Tranformational, not transactional

17

The New Generation Leader has a

longer term view, incorporating the

future of the planet and their family

as well as business.

They seek change and are more

transformational than transactional.

These same softer, more female

attributes may have contributed to

hampering women‘s progress in the

past as they have been relatively

undervalued.

Section 3:

WHO are the New Generation of Leaders?

18

So who are they?

The best leaders are older, in the UK

(men and women) or Europe

(women), working in the public

sector, as professionals, most likely as

a senior manager (not board

member).

They take jobs in companies they

believe in, to make a difference and

be challenged. They are frustrated

by hierarchies, work-life balance,

and a lack of opportunities to do

what they came for.

19

1. Barack Obama (30%)

2. Richard Branson (9%)

3. Nelson Mandela (5%)

4. Hilary Clinton (5%)

5. Angela Merckel (3%)

6. Someone in my family (3%)

7. Oprah Winfrey (2%)

8. Vince Cable (2%)

9. David Cameron (2%)

10. Michelle Obama (2%)

11. Dalai Lama (2%)

12. Margaret Thatcher (2%)

Being human and real, having the courage

of your convictions and standing for

something are key to why these 12 were

chosen.

Both ethnic minorities and women achieve

strong representation on this list – so much for

the Old Boy‘s Club.

Top 12 most admired leaders

20

Top leadership characteristics

The role models are clear –

participants admire the inspiring

vision, courage, intelligence and

integrity of Barack Obama.

They admire the guts to make

evolutionary change happen and

innovativeness of Richard Branson.

And they admire a host of other

political, business and sports leaders

who they feel have a vision, stand for

something, and have made a

difference.

Inspiring

With integrity

A change agent

Courageous

21

Top leadership approaches

The top approaches of successful

leaders are teamwork, emotional

intelligence, and empowerment and

sustainable long-term thinking.

This is a long way from the aggressive

short-termism that some say

contributed to the financial crisis of

recent months.

The least admired approaches

include short term thinking, shock

tactics and being too rigid about the

rules.

Using the whole

team

Thinking sustainably

Working together

Empowering staff

Thinking long term

22

Recognising the

contribution of

others

Giving team room

to be innovative

Prepared to

sacrifice short-term

profitability to build

sustainable

business

Top leadership behaviours

23

The top behaviours of successful

leaders involve the ability to actually

‗practice what you preach‘ and

deliver on the top leadership

characteristics (vision, integrity,

change agent, courageous).

Ego-less leadership thinks of the

whole instead of individual gain.

There is a fundamental belief in long-

term sustainability and the future of

the organisation and the world in

which we live.

Top leadership attributes

World‟s most needed

leadership attributes

2010

Women: My

leadership attributes(8 out of 10 match the needs)

Men: My leadership

attributes(6 out of 10 match the needs)

1 Integrity Visionary Visionary

2 Emotionally intelligent Change agent Integrity

3 Responsible Integrity Inspirational

4 Takes action Emotionally intelligent Responsible

5 People-person Inspirational Ethical/sustainable

6 Aware of behaviours Ethical/sustainable Knowledgeable

7 Change agent Responsible Change agent

8 True to self Take action Emotionally intelligent

9 Visionary Aware Entrepreneurial

10 Inspirational Resilient Decisive24

The ranking of the most important skills

varies considerably across age

groups. The over 40s value strategic

thinking more highly.

For senior women flexibility was in their

top 3 and communication skills was

rated by women working

independently.

Lowest rated skills were mentoring,

finding role models, raising profile and

coping with a traditional hierarchy.

Top leadership strengths (women only)

25

Younger women:

• Using my own style

• Getting results

• Balancing work and

home

Older women:

• Being strategic

• Getting results

• Inspiring others

Section 4:

How to become part of the New Generation of

Leaders

It helped me when my

leaders gave me

appropriate feedback;

when they recognised

my strengths as well as

when they saw me

stumble.

Be clear about what

matters most to you in

work and life and then

adjust your life and work

around it.

Once you have seen

leadership in action, close

up, it becomes easier to

identify in the wider world

and easier to emulate

leadership behaviours.

We need leaders who are

tuned into their inner

wisdom and creativity

and give themselves

permission to BE who they

indeed ARE.26

I‘m following a

strong dream.

The ability to make fair

business and treat

humans, the climate, and

animals with dignity will be

key in changing the world

to a better place.

Treat others as you

would like to be

treated.

Be open-minded and

willing to explore new

ways.

Communicate

openly with the

people you work

with.

[Ensure] no-one is

under the

misapprehension

that you work full-

time but that they

know that you will

always be

available when

needed and will

always deliver a

high quality

service.

Dare to put your

head above the

parapet. A rejection

of your ideas is not a

rejection of you.

Get busy: as a

working mother

you either focus

on what matters

or you sink!

Work/life balance

Whenever you

have the chance

to refer potential

business to friends

or introduce

people to each

other, do it. It all

comes back to you

in many ways every

day.

Communicating

clearly and with

confidence is vital to

earning trust and

inspiring others.

Make everything you

do have impact.

Confident leadership Style with substance

Advice from some top women leaders

27

Top tips on developing LI to lead others

Visioning

• Confirm with Senior Management that your understanding of the vision is correct. Do not wait for

one to be created. Take the information you have and create a vision for your team. Check that

it does not go against whatever you see of the corporate vision

• Even challenging/daunting tasks will be tackled well by teams who believe in their manager,

because it‘s obvious their manager believes in the vision or strategy being employed

Creating strong teams

• Build an inclusive environment where each has a role and responsibilities that contribute to the

final outcome, make everyone heard and communicate well

• Give team members space to do things. Empower team members to make decisions. Do not get

involved in the detail unless absolutely necessary. Paint a picture of where you want to go and

what it is like once you are there

Communicating well

• Listen to others so that they feel heard, which means giving them your full attention when listening

• Be clear in the message you want people to take away - especially if you are relying on some

action on their part as a result

• Listen carefully, be crystal clear about your values, objectives, communicate gently but firmly

28

Top tips on developing LI to lead others

Influencing change

• Negativity from the leader, lack of belief or too much reflecting on the past is mirrored in teams

who then stumble on. Leaders need to say ―the future's bright and we are heading somewhere

useful and good‖

• Use the old adage 'put yourself in their shoes'. When you do this the world looks different and you

can understand what needs to happen to reach a solution that works

Getting it done

• Aim to achieve within the right time frames and above expectations

• Balance making a difference with business results, self-development and constant learning;

constant drive for improvement

Integrity

• Learn from mistakes and positive experiences. Use emotional intelligence to the utmost

• Trust your instincts and 'common sense'; think about how you would like to be treated

Being ethical/sustainable

• Try to balance the business need with your own moral and ethical standards. Don't be afraid to

say I won't subscribe to something

• Avoid the political environment which is short term and not focused on communities' needs

29

Learning and thriving

• There is no substitute for ego-free appraisal, deep listening, and accessing other‘s wisdom

• Expose yourself to many different experiences – they all have something to teach you

Work/life balance

• Always remain vital, dynamic, and fully involved with living

• If you do not feel well, change something in your life. Care for yourself and for others

Using your unique leadership style

• Be tuned to your inner wisdom and creativity; give yourself permission to BE who you really ARE

• Spend time getting to know yourself, your strengths, vision, dislikes

Professionalism

• Treat every decision like you are withdrawing money from your own account or making/losing

money for your own business

• Adopt a situational leadership style. It can take more time, but gets good results

Raising your profile

• Be clear on what you stand for and remaining true to it despite obstacles. This builds respect, trust

and credibility which in turn builds influencing capability

• Most of my staff speak English, but the fact that I make an effort to speak German is important to

them and enhances their respect for me

Top tips on developing LI to lead yourself

30

Being strong and true

• Do something that inspires and fulfils you

• Have the courage to jump, 9 times out of 10 you will fly, if you don‘t, it wasn't meant for you or you

have to try harder - you will know that once you do it

Networking with confidence

• Surround yourself with bigger thinkers, those that can influence others, not command them

• Remember that help comes from surprising sources, invest in a network and see it reap rewards in

surprising ways at surprising times

Mentors and role models

• Mentor outside of the work environment - it's a less pressured way to practice listening and

coaching. Team up with a friend. Have a monthly date in the diary. Grow the network organically

as you meet people you find interesting

• Get a mentor who has the skills set you admire most - good communicators are easy to find and

always willing to be there for you

Innovation and open mindedness

• Be prepared to challenge your own disciplines. Leadership is a journey of learning, it takes time to

apply a change in practice

• Be totally aware of others. Listen and they will tell you! Don't think you have all of the answers and

never do all of the talking

Top tips on developing LI to lead yourself

31

Tempted?

Section 5:

How to attract and retain the New Generation of

Leaders

32

What gets the New Generation of Leaders out of bed in

the morning?

There is a hierarchy of reasons that

motivate our participants to work. The

order is virtually the same for our highest LI

leaders as it is for the whole sample.

Geographical origin has more impact – an

important finding for global organisations.

Note that there is a good spread across

these motivations – all of them matter to

some of us. Good leaders recognise this

diversity and resist the temptation for “one

motivator fits all”.

Figures in brackets show the position of the

factor in Aspire‘s 2008 and 2007 surveys –

there is a lot of consistency.

1. Making a difference (1,1)

2. Belief in my company‘s

direction (3,3)

3. Challenge (2,2)

4. My team (4,4)

5. Company culture (5,6)

6. Flexibility at work (6,7)

7. My manager (8,8)

8. Recognition (7,5)

9. Money (9,9)

10. Job security (10,11)

11. Upward mobility (11,10)

33

Leaders looking up or away?

34

There is highest preference for

promotion (especially among women

without children) and independence

(especially among men without

children) but less than in our past

surveys.

Independence and specialisation are

growing at the expense of seniority and

retirement.

PROMOTION: 36% want to be at

a more senior level position

INDEPENDENCE: 28% want to be

their own boss or part of an

entrepreneurial network

SPECIALISATION: 16% hope to

create a new niche role within an

organisation

CHANGE: 9% want to work in a

different company and 7% want

to change industry

STATUS QUO: 9% want to stay in

their current role

R&R: 3% want to no longer be

working

We all face a range of challenges in the workplace and we all have obstacles that we

find hard to deal with. For example, traditional hierarchies and work/life balance are a

problem for all. Note that self doubt is an issue for younger women as well as older men.

1. Traditional hierarchies

2. Work/life balance

3. Self doubt/role models


2. Resilience


1. Risk taking



1. Self doubt


3. Time management

Younger

Ma

le

Biggest challenges in the workplaceFe

ma

le

Older

35

There is a general tendency to intend to change jobs in order to make a bigger

difference or to learn something different. Only younger men leave primarily to increase

their power whilst non-corporate men seem to have followed their top priority of working

with more like-minded people. Flexibility and company culture are relatively more

important for higher LI people, money and job security for lower LI.

1. Make a bigger difference

2. New learning/experience

3. Family, work/life balance



3. More challenge

1. More power/influence


3. Mixed: opportunities/make a

difference/disagreement/

more challenge/more travel



3. Work with more like-minded

people

What makes leaders LEAVE?M

ale

Fe

ma

le

Younger Older

36

Endword by Dr. Samantha Collins

Despite significant advancements, women

are still underrepresented in today‘s

boardrooms. This research goes some way

to demonstrate that the qualities once

labelled as ‗feminine‘ and ‗soft‘ now form

essential leadership skills for the future of

our organizations.

However, this is not just a female issue, this

is a leadership issue that needs to be

solved by both men and women.

The time is now. What will you do to

develop your LI for yourself and the new

generation of leaders?

37

Section 6:

Who brought you this report?

38

Research by Aspire and Customer Interpreter

ASPIRE is an internationally-recognised and award-winning leader in executive

coaching, leadership development,

consultancy, events and research

related to women as leaders.

ASPIRE has worked with more than

10,000 women business leaders since its

founding in 2000 and its clients

have included KPMG, Vodafone, PA

Consulting, Freshfields, BDO Stoy

Hayward, Colliers CRE, Yahoo, Aramark

and many more.

REACH, a program from ASPIRE, was

short-listed for The Santander Award,

sponsored by Opportunity Now.

ASPIRE also won Best Learning Program

from The Managing Partners Forum.

www.aspirecompanies.com

Customer Interpreter Ltd is a strategic research consultancy specialising in

understanding why people do what

they do in order to help its clients

identify effective ways to influence that

behaviour.

Customer Interpreter works with blue

chip companies, government

departments and not-for-profits and has

conducted projects in over 20 countries

around the world.

Their unique approach of structured

social brainstorms and state-of-mind

profiling allows them to discover insights

and deliver outputs.

They were nominated for the 2009

Market Research Society B2B

Research Award

www.customerinterpreter.com 39

Research participant profile

Male

Female

Unknown

0

40

80

120

160

20s 30s 40s 50s

Age is spread but mostly 40 somethings

Female

Male

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

male

female

Number of children

0 kids

1

2

>2

0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%

Working in

Origin

60% UK, 40% rest of world

Uk

Euro (exc UK)

N America

Other

Asia

M East

40

The make up of our respondents was:

• 87% female, 13% male

• 66% UK, 34% rest of world

• 44% in 40s, 27% in 50s, 25% in 30s and 3% in 20s

• 54% with dependents, 46% without (76% of male business leaders answering the

questionnaire have dependents vs 50% of females)

• 83% work full-time (same for women and men)

• 26% have worked 5-10 yrs in this job, 26% 1-3 yrs; average: 6 years

• Countries represented: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada,

China, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy,

Korea, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South

Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UAE, UK, USA

• Sectors represented: Accountancy/Taxation, Architecture/Construction, Art & Finance,

Asset Mgmt, Aviation, Banking/Financial Services, Charity/Non-profit, Coaching,

Consultancy, Creative industries, Culture/Science, Defence, Education, Electronics,

Energy, Engineering, Environment, Fashion, Food, Government, Health and safety,

Healthcare, Hospitality, HR, Insurance, IT, Legal, Leisure, Logistics, Manufacturing,

Marketing, News, Real estate, Retail, Sales and Utilities

Participants—in more detail

41

Tearing Up The Rule Book 2010

Business