I think this is an impressive piece of work that rings true for me in relation to outstanding leaders I have had the privilege of working for. It’s great to “deconstruct” leadership and show it as an activity and an expression of leaders’ personality rather than an ideal to be attained.
Mike Emmott, CIPD
For the last two years researchers at The Work Foundation have been conducting an in-depth qualitative research project investigating the links between leadership and high performance.
The research was sponsored by and involved leaders from BAE Systems, EDF Energy, Guardian Media Group, Serco, Tesco and Unilever.
The final report Exceeding Expectation: The principles of outstanding leadership ,published in January, identified nine major themes that differentiate outstanding leaders from their peers.
Our analysis uncovered subtle yet striking leadership differentiators. These markers of outstanding leadership were consistent across our sample, despite differences in organisation, sector and function.
The depth of the research has enabled us to unpack concepts such as trust and authenticity by understanding the different ways that leaders understand these words and how they put that into practice.
Our research elaborates on how outstanding leaders adopt a people-centred perspective that values collective wisdom and recognises the limitations of the individual leader. The research also illustrates how outstanding leaders support, develop and give time to their direct reports and the extent to which they use systems and processes to support sustainable performance.
Can outstanding leadership be developed? Find out about Phase Two of the research
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