John Adair's 100 Greatest Ideas for Personal Success

The 25 attributes of top leaders and managers

A survey of successful chief executives on the attributes most valuable at top levels of management indicated the following, in order of rating:

1. Ability to take decisions.
2. Leadership.
3. Integrity.
4. Enthusiasm.
5. Imagination.
6. Willingness to work hard.
7. Analytical ability.
8. Understanding of others.
9. Ability to spot opportunities.
10. Ability to meet unpleasant situations.
11. Ability to adapt quickly to change.
12. Willingness to take risks.
13. Enterprise.
14. Capacity to speak lucidly.
15. Astuteness.
16. Ability to administer efficiently.
17. Open-mindedness.
18. Ability to ‘stick to it’.
19. Willingness to work long hours.
20. Ambition.
21. Single-mindedness.
22. Capacity for lucid writing.
23. Curiosity.
24. Skill with numbers.
25. Capacity for abstract thought.