The qualities of inspired leadership

Why should anyone be led by you?

It's the sort of challenge guaranteed to silence a room and was the question baldly popped by London Business School organisational behaviour expert Robert Goffee and former BBC human resources head Gareth Jones two years ago in the esteemed Harvard Business Review.

The pair point out that in these "empowered" times, followers are harder to find. But how to engage people and rouse their commitment? Their research has found that inspirational leaders share four unexpected qualities:

They selectively show their weaknesses.

By exposing some vulnerability, they reveal approachability and humanity.

"Exposing a weakness establishes trust and thus helps to get folks on board. If executives try to communicate that they're perfect at everything, there will be no need for anyone to help them."

They rely on intuition to gauge the timing and course of their actions.

Their ability to collect and interpret "soft data" - office undercurrents and non-verbal signals - helps them to know when and how to act. They are good judges of relationships but know how far they can go without causing others to lose faith.

"Sensing capability," say Goffee and Jones, "must always be framed by reality testing."

They practice "tough empathy".

Inspirational leaders empathise passionately and realistically with people, and they care intensely about the work their employees do.

"Tough empathy means giving people what they need, not what they want." It balances respect for the individual and for the task at hand.

They reveal their differences.

They can capitalise on what is unique about themselves.