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This article describes how effective leaders become aware of what is different about them that makes them attractive to others, and learn to use these differences to their advantage in a leadership role.

Presents examples of the use of this technique, including Microsoft's Bill Gates, ICI's John Harvey‐Jones, Sony's Akio Morita, Kimberly‐Clark's Darwin E. Smith, and London mayor Ken Livingstone.

Shows that there is an almost endless list of differences that individuals might communicate, but the differences must be authentic to the individual as a leader, and must be significant, real and perceived.

Argues that, in all the examples, leaders are using personal differences that work for them appropriately in context. They convey the right message – and they are real. Ultimately, it is this sense of authentic self‐expression that makes them so convincing.

Demonstrates how John Harvey‐Jones built upon his entrepreneurial pizzazz, Bill Gates his technological “geekiness”, Darwin E. Smith his modesty, and Ken Livingstone's identification with Londoners.

Despite their persistence as an important form of work organization, family businesses remain under‐researched. Identifies four areas for further research: relationships between proprietorship and control; family structures, cultures and life cycles; succession processes; and cross‐national differences. Recommends ethnographic and longitudinal case study methods.

Is your company fragmented? If so, should you do something to change it? Maybe not, say the authors of a recent book.

Discusses how firms and, indeed, entire industries are likely to attract and reinforce particular skill profiles among their employees. Such biases are an inevitable consequence of distinctive business environments, technologies, market conditions and labour markets. The City has traditionally excelled in its range and depth of technical expertise; but as conditions change so do skill requirements. Given increases in scale, cross‐functional dependence and product complexity, the effective exploitation of technical skills at the level of the firm is increasingly reliant on well‐developed “managerial” capabilities among large numbers of “professional” staff. Drawing on case study and interview data, provides evidence of a serious shortage of such managerial skills among City firms. Further suggests that firms engaged in international wholesale financial services lag behind those in other sectors in their analysis, assessment and development of high performance management competences. Very strong “entrepreneurial” and “professional” traditions, driven largely by US and UK firms, have contributed to the City’s pre‐eminence. However, these may also limit the ability of firms to exploit expertise within and between professional teams fully.

Written partially in response to a previous paper published in this Journal suggesting that leadership and leaders are categorised as ‘transformational’ or ‘transactional’, the author suggests that these definitions are too narrow to be reflective of reality. It is instead argued that true and effective leaders operate in a multidimensional framework that combines styles, skills, attributes and abilities that fall within what we commonly refer to as management and leadership. It is suggested that there is a need to move on and to accept that there is not an all‐encompassing model, definition or style of leadership.

Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.

This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.

Most managers can become excellent leaders if they are supplied with books and training that help them develop their leadership skills. So says the head of an institute which promises to develop character‐based leadership skills. A statement with which most of us might agree? Possibly but then again, maybe not.

Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.

The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.