Revealed – ‘the two Cs’ of a successful leader

Regus survey identifies importance of commitment – even in the era of the ‘gig economy’

Commitment to the job and good communication skills are the most desirable qualities of a prospective leader according to UK professionals. This is according to the latest research by global workspace provider Regus.

The Regus report, which canvassed the opinions of over 3000 senior business people across the country, revealed that 96% of respondents believe good communication skills are a desirable quality in a leader.   More surprisingly, commitment to the job polled almost as highly, scoring 91%. This is an interesting finding, seemingly at odds with analysts’ predictions around the growth of the ‘gig economy’, a business climate being driven by individuals working on a project-by-project basis for a number of different firms.

Honesty, confidence and the ability to motivate people were also revealed to be highly valued qualities, each identified by 89% of respondents.

In contrast, financial competence scored 76% and innovative thinking scored 77%. Technical knowledge and ruthlessness were seen as the least desirable traits, identified by just 65% and 41% of UK professionals respectively.

Richard Morris, UK CEO at Regus,  comments, “Being a good leader is something that most workers aspire to, whether they are dealing with a small team, a large division or an entire organisation.

“Interestingly, commitment scores very highly – a finding that should make the business community sit-up and take notice. The survey results suggest that hopping from job to job and project to project – whilst appealing to those gaining experience and life-skills – is not necessarily conducive to developing management and leadership skills.

“The most popular qualities identified by our respondents are all ones which promote a positive workplace culture.  While technical knowledge and financial competence certainly have a part to play, a truly great business leader is someone who knows how to make employees feel valued, who sets a positive example with actions rather than just words and who uses encouragement, rather than intimidation, to draw the best out of people .”