Hiring Secrets: David Ogilvy

10 qualifications David Ogilvy was looking for in leaders.

“The Unpublished David Ogilvy” is a treasure trove of ideas and opinions from someone who built his “first-class business in a first-class way.” It struck me how much space in this collection is taken by thoughts on leadership and culture. Ogilvy made the list below for a talk to the staff, and I have yet to find a better definition of a leader.

The qualifications I look for in our leaders are these:

1. High standards of personal ethics.

2. Big people, without prettiness.

3. Guts under pressure, resilience in defeat.

4. Brilliant brains - not safe plodders.

5. A capacity for hard work and midnight oil.

6. Charisma - charm and persuasiveness.

7. A streak of unorthodoxy - creative innovators.

8. The courage to make tough decisions.

9. Inspiring enthusiasts - with thrust and gusto.

10. A sense of humor.