The leader repeats

This article is part of the Contemporary leadership series

What do leaders do? How do they interpret the often-vague job description? This was something we put to the CEO of Vodafone, Vittorio Colao.

A thoughtful man, Colao had a very clear idea of his role and where he added value to the company. It was notable, as he spoke, that as he described it, his role was almost humdrum. There was no gung-ho leadership here, just someone acting as a highly attuned and intelligent conduit to release the talent and power in the organisation; quietly impressive.

Stuart Crainer is the former editor of the award-winning magazine Business Strategy Review and co-founder of the Thinkers50. According to Personnel Today he is one of the most influential people in British people management. His book credits include The Management Century and a biography of the management guru Tom Peters. His work with Des Dearlove in business thought leadership led Management Today to describe them as “market makers par excellence.” Stuart is an adjunct professor at IE Business School.