I want to be like you

Julie Fawcett

“I think Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz is a good leader because she collects all these poor souls, who’ve been told they have no heart or brain, and then takes them out on a journey.

They don’t eventually find what they’re looking for, but they do realise that they had these things all along. I like that.

You often find good tenants – the ones who clean their front steps – join a tenants’ association but it’s actually the less community-minded tenants who can have their lives changed by getting involved. It’s all very well to take the fastest and strongest on the journey with you, but you have to take the drug dealer too. You might not stop them dealing drugs, but they might not strike out at an elderly person the next time they’re on their way to the shops.

You have to help people stop believing the myths they’ve often been told about being worthless people. When you get to the end of the journey, you come to realise the person who’s been saying these negative things is actually just some little bureaucrat with a loudspeaker. Leadership is about helping others to find their own sense of self-worth.”

Kate Davies

“Someone I used to work for said The Godfather was better than any management book, but that isn’t really me. I like two characters. The first is Edward Henry Machin in The Card by Arnold Bennett.

He’s a man from the Potteries in Stoke-on-Trent who turns every bit of adversity, every situation that looks like it’s going to go horribly wrong, into an advantage. Even when it looks like he’ll fall flat on his face, he always succeeds because of his intelligence, his drive and luck.

My second character will sound amazingly pretentious, but I admire the way Jesus told parables. I don’t know if the New Testament really counts as literature but it’s an important lesson anyway because if you want to inspire people, you have to be able to do things in a way that people can understand. Jesus taught and talked to people in small groups, which is very democratic, and people bought in with heart and mind.

And The Office tells you how not to do it. I like the episode with the training course, because I hate training courses with everyone sitting around feeling embarrassed. The old-style training session has had its day and I think it’s time to give it a miss.”

You come to realise the person who’s been saying negative things is some little bureaucrat with a loudspeaker

Julie Fawcett

Neil Litherland

“While I’m not saying I’ve modelled myself on a long-term petty criminal, people could get a lot out of studying Norman Stanley Fletcher from Porridge. He has some important skills that leaders often lack: self-deprecation and humour in adversity.

But he has values and principles too. Fletcher looks out for people, acting like a father-cum-mentor for his cellmate, Lennie Godber, and acts very democratically towards the other people within the prison. His feet are on the ground and he sticks up for the underdog. That’s why people go to him when they get a letter from home or get done in by another prisoner. He’s trusted.

And he has the little bits of know-how to survive within the system and uses his experience and guile to generally good purposes.

Fletcher knows how to interact differently with prison wardens Barraclough and McKay, and this situational style is very important in management. He’s adaptable, and there’s an art there.”

Max Steinberg

“When I asked members of my staff who they’d compare my leadership style to they suggested people like Captain ‘Hawkeye’ Pierce from M*A*S*H and Captain Kirk from Star Trek. But the character I’ve always been most profoundly affected by is George Bailey from Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.

His most impressive characteristic is that he treated everyone with respect – even his nemesis – and that’s important whoever you’re working with: friends, family, colleagues, the community and everyone else. You have to adapt to each situation and deal with people with a sense of understanding. This is vital within the office because if you have a culture of respect it encourages individual empowerment and teamwork in your staff.

Some people say It’s a Wonderful Life is a very dark film, but I don’t think so. Because the angel shows Bailey what his community would have been like if he hadn’t existed, in the end he’s able to see what a contribution he has made to the community in which he lives and works. It shows that everyone has something to give to the community.”

Fletcher in Porridge has his feet on the ground and he sticks up for the underdog

Neil Litherland

Sarah Webb

“Some of my team think I base my own leadership style on Pete ‘Maverick’ Mitchell from Top Gun, using unorthodox approaches at high speed to achieve results. But the character I admire is president Jed Bartlett from The West Wing.

The crux of why I’d say he’s a good leader is this: first, he has an amazingly strong vision based on changing the world. And second, he’s able to communicate this vision like it’s the best thing since sliced bread. He communicates so well that even people who don’t think they agree with him are compelled and inspired to help him achieve his goals. Without communication you become a dictator. You can’t do it all yourself.

He’s driven by getting results rather than following a rulebook, he has a sense of humour, and he finds time to read while running the country. But most inspiringly, he does all of this while suffering from multiple sclerosis. Although he has this condition, it just becomes something about him. He doesn’t let it define him.”

Bill Pitt

“The kind of characters that have impressed me most deeply are those who are completely focused on what they are doing. It’s difficult to pick on one individual, but I guess the best example is Dorothea Brooke in Middlemarch.

I admire her constancy and determination because I am inspired by those who are witnessing and working, without thinking about payback or fame. It’s not about being someone who’s great or striding or heroic. It’s not Achilles. It’s not Ulysses. I admire the people who work slowly, steadily and carefully, and maybe they don’t become famous, but as a result of their efforts, they have a huge impact on society.

I find those who I work with deeply impressive because they are like this, because they are working away at doing what is ‘right’. I’ve always found that is what persuades me most strongly and moves me most deeply.”

Peter Dixon

Without communication you become a dictator. You can’t do it all yourself

Sarah Webb

“I imagine that books like Swallows and Amazons are out of style now, but as a kid, I read a lot of Arthur Ransome. One thing that really stuck with me comes from the children’s father in the books, Commander Walker, and I think it’s a good piece of advice for leadership.

The kids are about to go off on a sailboat adventure on their own and they have to ask his permission. He’s on duty in Asia but sends through a telegram that says: ‘Better drowned than duffers. If not duffers, won’t drown.’ This means that if you’re completely reckless, then you deserve what you get. But if you’re sensible about things, then you can take risks.

Leaders have to be prepared to manage risks. If you understand the dangers of a plan, then you can prepare for them. Things can go wrong in all new housing projects, but if you know the things that can go wrong, you can prepare for it. It’s about having a Plan B.”

Atul Patel

“The people from whom I’ve taken most of my lead are Swami Vivekananda, a monk and social reformer in late 19th-century India, and Sun Tzu, the ancient Chinese general who wrote The Art of War. But in terms of recent films, I really like Maximus in Gladiator.

I like the fact that he had the strength to come back even after they tried to kill him, and overcame seemingly impossible odds not only to get justice for his murdered family, but for the bigger ideal of restoring power to the Senate as Augustus wished – and he sacrificed his life in the process.

It’s a lesson I try to apply in my job: getting social justice, to overcome whatever obstacles anyone throws at you and to do so in a selfless way.

Maximus was also able to inspire his team. He formed his sundry gladiator colleagues into a battle unit because he had passion, he fought alongside them, he had belief and principles and he was able to inspire others with his sense of commitment. Being a leader isn’t about being detached and remote or delegating and attributing fault. You have to be in there, doing what others can’t.”