Why Gordon Brown should become a people PM

Staff at Number 10 reportedly contacted a bullying helpline to complain about their treatment at the hands of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. If the complaints have any basis in reality, then the PM would do well to heed the results of a Work Foundation study, released in January, which said that bullies are not the most effective leaders.

Exceeding Expectation: The Principles of Outstanding Leadership found a stark contrast between the leadership styles of those considered to be good and those who are considered to be outstanding in terms of their achievements.

Three key qualities were found to be common among all leaders considered to be outstanding. Firstly, they see the whole picture rather than compartmentalising, they see people as the sole route to performance and are deeply people- and relationship-centred and are self-confident without being arrogant; they are aware of their strengths and their position of influence, yet use these for the benefit of their organisation and its people.

The study looked at managers from middle and senior management right up to board level at BAE Systems, EDF Energy, Guardian Media Group, Serco, Tesco and Unilever, and followed on from a previous study, Cracking the Performance Code, in exploring the nature of leadership and success.

Researcher Gemma Pearson said the previous report had highlighted the importance of a very mature, empowering style of leadership in successful organisations. Mature and empowering are definitions that may not include leaders rumoured to regularly throw mobile phones, keyboards and newspapers around in anger.

The study saw that team motivation is seen as the mechanism for achieving targets without creating any of the unnecessary tension that can result from merely ramping up pressure on the workforce. This differs from the more traditional goal-driven leadership, which creates problems of its own.

The report found that a more people-centric leader would recognise the need to engage and motivate staff to complete the tasks ahead, in turn allowing them to tap into the discretionary effort and bright ideas that staff may be able to contribute.

Of course, a cynic would say that some people in leadership positions simply do not possess the social skills required for people-centric leadership. And government news makes it apparent that Brown does not have his predecessor’s near-legendary people skills. Does that necessarily mean that people-centric leadership faces a struggle to become the norm? The answer to that remains to be seen.

With the results of the first phase established, the second phase of the study will see Pearson and lead author Penny Tamkin design a programme to train these leaders. Selected individuals will be put through an outstanding leadership training regime. The programme, which will take around five months to complete, will culminate with a report on its efficacy in November this year.