Brendan Barber

He wins plaudits for the calm, conciliatory way he champions trade union rights. But although the TUC boss wants to protect employees from coalition cuts, he's also keen to work with employers to promote economic growth

The view from here

Tim Ward, chief executive of the Quoted Companies Alliance

Lord Sebastian Coe

From Olympic arenas to Westminster politics and sports leadership, Lord Coe has always set a brisk pace. Now, as chair of the London 2012 organising committee, he's in the biggest race of his life. And legacy is his watchword

Breaking into the boardroom

Only one in eight directors of top British firms are women. Can we learn from Norway where companies must give females 40 per cent of board positions, or risk being shut down? Or should merit triumph over gender quotas?

debate

Do TV entrepreneurs reflect reality?

A question of trust

Only 20 per cent of the public think bosses tell the truth about their business. The recession is blamed for rising suspicion, but as economic conditions improve how can leaders rebuild trust and engage employees?

What do entrepreneurs want from Number 10?

With an election looming, Director asks leading wealth creators what they want from an Enterprise Manifesto

Roundtable discussion

Director gathered a group of business leaders to discuss their hopes for UK enterprise

The view from here

Roger Bone of Boeing UK on diplomacy in business

selling off britain

Kraft's £12bn capture of Cadbury has reignited the debate on overseas ownership of UK businesses. But in a global economy does it really matter that treasured national assets end up in expert foreign hands?

the view from here: John Sachs

John Sachs, founder, Talking Heads and Talking Heads Production, on media challenges and why we're all programme controllers

Regime change

Steering a smooth succession is a vital role of chief executives. But as high-profile debacles show, a botched job can spell trouble for the business

Betting on the future

At the start of a new decade, we examine some of the predictions that might impact your business

Slow burner

The UK Slow Food movement is building support, bit by bit

Blood in the boardroom

Handled with care, conflict at the top of a company brings rewards. But powerful leaders who sweep away challenge can cause division and damage performance

Gold standard

Paul Deighton walked away from Goldman Sachs with a reported £110m. Now his task is delivering a flawless London Olympics

Born supremacy

For years, employers have been told to build organisations that meet the demands of generation Y. Has the rise in youth unemployment shifted the balance of power?

Under the influence

Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, the founders of Google... their creative ideas hold such sway that they shape the world around us. But how do these visionaries cast a spell and what can aspiring business leaders learn from them?

The mentors taking on poverty

Founders of the Mowgli Foundation, Simon Edwards and Tony Bury, are changing lives with mentoring

Enterprise should be at the heart of society

In the long-term the economy needs more than people motivated "primarily" by money, argues Julia Middleton

"If I wasn't doing this I would feel very depressed"

Environmentalist turned strategist Adam Werbach on his central role in the fight against climate change

"It's like giving heroin to an addict"

Jon Moulton warns the government to reduce public debt before it's too late

"Now's the time to be brave"

Two former M&C Saatchi ad men say their new agency breaks new ground. Just in time, too

More carrot, less stick

CEOs call for inspirational, positive leadership

views from the top

Last December, we asked whether non-executive directors were too slow to act when crisis loomed in the banking sector. Here four experienced NEDs outline how their role should work and comment on the robustness of UK corporate governance

Tales from the front line

As companies tackle the rigours of global recession, veterans of previous slumps reveal vital lessons they learned and ask whether their survival strategies would work as well today

The real deal

Forget those image consultants, authentic leaders are brave enough to show passion and capable of saying sorry

generation next

Leading Generation Y through a downturn calls for new organisational techniques. Start by dumping micro-management for autonomy

All in the same boat

Rebel shareholders are able to ambush even the largest companies. But working hard to keep investors onside in good times and bad can pay big rewards

Survival of the fittest

When Gordon Brown first became prime minister, Director assessed how he would measure up as chief executive of Great Britain PLC. The omens weren't good. So how has he fared and what about his rivals for the top job?

roundtable

Entrepreneurs are well known for their positive outlook, but how have recent economic events affected them? At the second meeting of its Entrepreneurs' Confidence Panel, Director found out

Strategy—what does it really mean?

Director asked five experts from different backgrounds to explain their approach

Dual control

How to share the top job without causing chaos

Track record

Michelin has had a plant in Britain since 1927. And the tyre maker says it intends to stay here—whatever the state of the market

Lessons learned

Business school deans are well placed to comment on leadership. We ask three of them what they expect from a CEO in a downturn and what they'll be teaching the next crop of students

All change

However well we plan, life has a habit of throwing us off course every once in a while. But when things go wrong in our personal lives, we can use the lessons to improve our businesses

Playing their cards right

The England side may be out of next month's UEFA tournament, but it'll be business as usual for Betfair, the online betting exchange that is tackling the challenges of a fast-growth business in one of the UK's most highly regulated industries

Unlocking potential

With a different approach to employment, the government could give former prisoners a better chance of succeeding in the outside world—and save millions at the same time, says Jo Owen

Facial discrimination

Plastic surgeons and doctors offering anti-ageing and aesthetic treatments count increasing numbers of business people among their clients. What's behind the trend? And what does it say about corporate Britain?

Facing up to reality

Julia Middleton, founder and CEO of Common Purpose, says that leaders need to keep it real

Terminal 5 comes alive

Sharon Doherty, who worked for BAA during the Heathrow project, reveals the secrets that led to successful completion

Company profile: Macdonald Hotels

After a costly management buy-out, planning delays and allegations of political sleaze, Macdonald Hotels is focusing on what it set out to do: treat staff well and create a centre of excellence for the Scottish hotel and catering industry

Culture club

As business becomes truly global, directors could find themselves working in unfamiliar cultures—so it's time to bone up on foreign customs

Learning from failure

Many of the world's best known and respected business leaders failed their way to success

Lighting the way to the future

Some smarter businesses are turning sustainability into an opportunity

Winning arts and minds

A new scheme nurtures much needed leadership skills in the arts sector

Traits of the top CEOs revealed

Research reveals insight into the characteristics of our top directors

10 surefire ways to keep your company innovative

by Paul Sloane, author of The Innovative Leader

Weatherbys

Diversification and innovation are key to the longevity and success of family firm Weatherbys, says director Nick Craven

Jim Collinson leadership

Jim Collins talks to Joanna Higgins about what makes a great business leader

Rules are made to be broken

Anja Foerster and Peter Kreuz propose a "who dares wins" approach to open up new business opportunities

When might is right

Far from staying out of politics, business directors are increasingly expected to walk their talk, leading and influencing policy beyond their own organisations

• Gordon Brown as PM

Management guru Jo Owen assesses the new prime minister's leadership strengths and weaknesses

• Brown biographer Nick Kochan

Can the former Chancellor shed his insular image and make the hard decisions?

• How New Labour won, then lost business

With his party heavily in debt, Gordon Brown needs the support of business. But the City no longer trusts him, says Paul Eastham

How to survive a scandal

What do Martha Stewart, Winston Churchill and Bill Clinton have in common? They have all endured public scandal and disgrace, bounced back, and gone on to achieve further success

Please mind the gap

Taking a well-timed career break can help re-energise you and your company

Why women leave

Only a handful of UK women are reaching senior roles, and many are leaving business. Should companies fight harder to keep them?

Arrested development

In an industry without regulation, anyone can call themselves an executive coach. So how do you choose the right one?

Tackling toxic leaders

Bad leaders can create mayhem in an organisation. The answer is effective training and development delivered in advance of a new post, says Ros Taylor

Ego-driven execs

They can be tough to put up with and may jeopardise the bottom line, but they're often bold and creative too

Self-taught leaders rule

Research shows that 80 per cent of what people think of as their "really significant learning" comes from tackling life's challenging situations, or experiential learning

Better out than in?

Dr Cuross Bakhtiar, founder and chief executive of Harley Street Cosmetic has succeeded through leadership with a difference

A company of rogues

In this extract from his latest book, Liar's Paradise, Graham Edmonds identifies some of the heroes, villains and fraudsters who might make up the board and aspiring middle management of a company of rogues-Cruel and Unusual Ltd

Finding the upside to a downturn

Surviving a business downturn offers a great opportunity to display decisive, insightful leadership

The gloves are off

Office politics isn't the sole preserve of middle-ranking executives-it can extend all the way up to the top, and get nasty

From battlefield to boardroom

After retiring from the army in January 2004, Gulf War hero Colonel Tim Collins is now parlaying his distinguished 22-year military career into one as a business speaker