HR consultancy Hudson has commissioned YouGov to look into who people would like as their boss, the result was as follows:
Don't know - 31%
David Cameron - 18%
Tony Blair - 17% (21% in the North)
Margaret Thatcher - 14% (17% with men)
Gordon Brown - 8%
Menzies Campbell - 7% (15% in Scotland)
George Galloway - 3%
George Bush - 1%
The top traits for leaders were a willingness to trust workers (46%), integrity (41%) and an ability to motivate (41%). Ruthlessness (1%), intuition (3%) and ambition (4%), were not looked upon kindly.
Deputy Editor
I like the fact that 31% of people are too moronic to have an opinion.
Worryingly, I actually rate the 'not looked upon kindly' traits much higher than the 'top reasons' as good abilities in a boss.
"Willingness to trust workers" - Hehehe! Idiots.
Posted by: Geoff | September 22, 2006 at 13:45
Why commission a poll like this? What can it possibly achieve!
Posted by: Andrew Woodman | September 22, 2006 at 13:56
This poll tells you very little as leadership is restricted by those around them and by the policies they articulate. The poll struggles to say anything of use and in my opinion, fails in that respect.
Posted by: James Maskell | September 22, 2006 at 14:08
Andrew, you commission something like this because of the free publicity for your company - there is always a newspaper or a website looking for a cheap easy story who will repeat it to fill some space at no effort to the editor ... oh ... oooops ... I'll just get my coat ...
Posted by: Geoff | September 22, 2006 at 14:10
I know Geoff and it's something which really irritates me (I could spend hours on Room 101). I used to work for an internet bank which commisioned dozens of these pointless polls which produced results like 98% morbidly obese people don't do any exercise, which anyone with a modicum of common sense would already know. They would spend thousands of pounds finding out useless information and then deny me a bonus because I missed a target by 0.01. Rant over.
Posted by: Andrew Woodman | September 22, 2006 at 14:18
Any of the list except for George Galloway would be good bosses.
Posted by: Yet Another Anon | September 22, 2006 at 14:24
Don't know has a great appeal to people, with a very wide range of skills for all. Its no wonder why Don't Know is such a popular boss.
Its a horrible, horrible joke...my apologies. Im running on empty as far as inspiration goes...
Posted by: James Maskell | September 22, 2006 at 18:28
I like the fact that 31% of people are too moronic to have an opinion.
Yes....they are the Self-Employed !
Posted by: TomTom | September 22, 2006 at 19:18
I totally disagree with Geoff. There are two schools of thoughts about management - either you think most people want to feel good about their acheivements OR you think most people want to con you. I beleive strongly in the former and my experience of managing is that great things can be achivede exactly as the findings indicate ie if you trust your staff and motivate them and show integrity. Of course if someone lets you down you deal with them BUT the answer is not to think everyone has to be teated like a slave. That is Socuilaist thinkiung. Conservatiaves are about motivating and trusting people. This is funadamental. By God this is how Churchill worked,
Matt
Posted by: matt wright | September 22, 2006 at 19:32
Looking at the attributes (top traits) required, I would have listed them the other way around. Notice Ming's % more than doubles in Scotland: can any one think of a reason?
Posted by: John | September 22, 2006 at 19:40
"Notice Ming's % more than doubles in Scotland: can any one think of a reason? "
Because he's Scottish?
Posted by: Cardinal Pirelli | September 22, 2006 at 19:44
Well done! your not a Cardinal for nothing
Posted by: John | September 22, 2006 at 20:00
Oh, what a surprise. A poll that shows that David Cameron would be preferred as a boss to Tony Blair or Gordon Brown or Margaret Thatcher, and 'the usual suspects' dismiss it as pointless.
Some people vote according to their perception of the leader, regardless of the policies. Especially when the policies are all so close (new Lib Dem tax plans are an echo of the Forsyth report). One of the ways people evaluate leaders is who they would want to work for. This is more good news.
Posted by: Ben Redsell | September 22, 2006 at 20:03
Actually it's totaly pointless because none of the respondents can possibly have any idea what it would be like to work for Cameron or any of the other people named.
So the people who said "don't know" weren't so dumb.
Some supposedly nice people turn out to be tyrannical bosses. Typists who worked for Hitler attested that he was kind and understanding, even when they made mistakes.
So the poll is a total waste of time
Posted by: Wallenstein | September 22, 2006 at 20:13
Yo! Cardinal!
Duh...
Posted by: Wallenstein | September 22, 2006 at 20:15
"A poll that shows that David Cameron would be preferred as a boss to Tony Blair or Gordon Brown or Margaret Thatcher, and 'the usual suspects' dismiss it as pointless."
Well, he was only 1% ahead of Blair. The gap between him and Brown is promising though.
Posted by: Richard | September 23, 2006 at 01:10
Another good poll showing that David Cameron has achieved popularity that eluded Hague, IDS and Howard.
Predictably the carpers on this site choose to dismiss it.
Posted by: changetowin | September 23, 2006 at 01:27
31% who don't have an opinion? More like 31% who don't like the choices they were given! Not so moronic after all..........
Posted by: Self Employed Moron | September 23, 2006 at 01:43
Another good poll showing that David Cameron has achieved popularity that eluded Hague, IDS and Howard.
That's funny changetowin. I don't see Hague, IDS and Howard on this list.
Given Thatcher's popularity (and much as I admire her I don't think I would have wanted her as my boss) who knows how well they would have done.
Posted by: Monday Clubber | September 23, 2006 at 08:54
On some of these threads I start to think I have got on to the wrong site and I am on Labourhome not Conservativehome!
Posted by: Jack Stone | September 23, 2006 at 13:46