A NEW survey shows that more than a third of all executives and nearly half of junior managers say the quality of leadership in their organisation is poor.

The Institute of Management, which has just launched "Leadership: The Challenge For All," says very few junior managers rate their leadership highly.

An ambitious project carried out by independent think tank DEMOS involved Britain's most senior leaders, managers at all levels and young people about to enter the workforce.

It included a survey of more than 1,500 managers.

The research revealed a serious gap between the characteristics executives see as key to good leadership and the qualities their leaders possess.

The most striking absence was inspiration.

Only a small proportion of managers (11 per cent) said their leaders provided it.

Other key characteristics which leaders should ideally possess were identified as: strategic thinking, forward-looking, honesty, fair-mindedness, courage, supportiveness and knowledge.

Elsewhere in the report 49 per cent of executives were said to regard flatter organisational structures and the resulting lack of career opportunities as their main career barrier.

Mary Chapman, director general of the Institute of Management, said: "This research reveals a strong consensus about what constitutes good leadership and gives clear recommendations on how organisations can bring out the potential of their leaders at all levels.

"A significant minority already have an excellent approach to leadership development, but the challenge is for the majority to recognise and adopt these good practices."

Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, won approval for his leadership qualities from all age groups.