Corporate Britain may be full of good managers who handle their teams well and can motivate them to give of their best. But being a good leader – particularly when times are tough – may require an added spark of ingenuity, says Andy Green, the chief executive at BT Group Strategy and Operations.

While he doesn’t believe in what you might call the “leadership gene”, and says that most competent managers can, to a certain degree, “learn how to inspire” by watching others, the testing ground is always when things go wrong.

“You don’t have to be flamboyant or charismatic to earn the loyalty of your people and to keep things running smoothly, but you need clear vision and the willingness to allow others to shine – even when the organisation is under pressure – if you are to have true influence,” he says.

Although the best-managed firm will suffer when there is an outbreak of hostility in the executive team, he says that the tendency to apportion blame in the event of a turf war at the top should be avoided.

“Conflicts can be set up because the business system isn’t fully understood or because people’s roles and responsibilities overlap in a way that you didn’t foresee, but it’s always worth stopping and asking whether the restlessness at the top table is down to you as CEO rather than to professional rivalry in your ranks.”

While Green takes the view that personality conflicts between top executives can be sorted out with the help of discussion and coaching, what he calls “locked perspectives” require more radical solutions.

“I am ruthless enough to say that if someone is not on board with the strategy and is underperforming as a result, they should be moved on or even out for the sake of the whole team.”

Tim Rollinson, director-general at the Forestry Commission, has more than 40 years’ service in the industry. He believes that while creative tension can be positive, the need to include different skill sets can be a trigger for dissent.

“Like any other commercial organisation, we take the view that the best teams contain complementary rather than identical skills and this can lead to disaffection and serious rivalry. All our line managers are geared up to spot when healthy debate is turning into dislike and to intervene before the team is affected,” he says.

While some managers may still have a tendency to stifle debate by recruiting yes men and women to the plum jobs, true leaders look further afield for their top-tier managers.

“Speaking as a technocrat, I would say that creative people tend to need careful handling because they’re often very emotional, but they are also a very valuable resource for your organisation because of their lateral thinking skills,” Green says.

“If you can work only with mini versions of yourself, and can’t appreciate and manage genuine diversity in your management team, then in my book, you are no leader anyway,” he adds.

Rollinson says that whether the industry in question is forestry or communications, the most important factor in motivating people to go the extra mile is always to make full use of their talents, rather than simply to pay them more money.

“The Commission is a very diverse organisation that works on many fronts and, as a result, it is vital that our staff are able to develop and hone their skills almost day by day,” he says.

“While that can sometimes be a bit frightening, I see it as an integral part of my leadership role to support people through change and to keep them on track and motivated even when there is the uncertainty of something like climate change to deal with.”

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