Future leadership: What makes a world class leader?

Talk to anyone in business and it won’t be long before someone comments on the pace of change – whether it’s political, technological or people’s changing expectations of work.

The industrial and manufacturing industry challenges highlighted in our last blog post illustrate how these changes are impacting on the ability of businesses to attract, recruit and retain talent.

As a global search partner, we wanted to find out what this means for the future of international leadership. Are the old models of leadership skills and roles still fit for purpose? Or do we now need a new type of leader for the future?

NEW: World Class Leader Report

So, after many months of in-depth research and interviews with board level executives and directors, we are delighted to publish our new World Class Leader Report on what makes a successful global leader for the future.

In putting this report together, it was important to us to include a comprehensive range of insights and perspectives. That’s why we spoke to more than 20 senior leaders from across private, listed and private equity backed businesses, with turnovers ranging from less than £20m to more than £1bn.

What makes a great leader?

The research highlights a clear set of qualities and traits that many great leaders share: a “best of the best” compilation. This is valuable information that we can now share with our clients and use to inform our processes.

We’re now looking at how we can incorporate this research to identify these key leadership skills during assessment and selection, and help our clients develop world-class leaders of the future.

But as well as confirming the traits that world-class leaders share – which include high levels of emotional intelligence (E.Q.) and the ability to identify and develop talent within their organisation – our research also highlighted some common themes and issues. The responses of the senior leaders we interviewed were both fascinating and provocative.

Key leadership questions for the future

In bringing together a range of cross-sector experiences and opinions, the report also answers a wide range of key questions relating to leadership.

These include:

• How critical are the younger generation to the manufacturing and industrial sectors and how valuable are their technical skills?
• Why should current leaders pay attention to their younger colleagues?
• What specific skills do women bring to leadership roles and is business better for having different viewpoints round the table? (For more insight on this, read our recent blog post on gender diversity on boards, including tips on attracting, recruiting and retaining female talent.)
• How well are leaders embracing technology?
• Do people want leadership roles as much as they used to?
• What key traits will leaders of the future need?
• Do great leaders know it all, or are they hungry to keep learning?
• What makes a world-class leader?

You can download a copy of the full report from our website here.

Read our website or speak to us direct for more information about TS Grale executive search and specialist industries recruitment services (industrial and manufacturing, built environment and consumer sectors).

Contact us via the website or call 0113 487 9300 today to discuss how your business could benefit from our tailored leadership assessment for the manufacturing and industrial industries.

We now recruit talent for all areas of construction and the built environment, consumer sectors including food and drink, packaging and non-food FMCG.