Malcolm Duncan: Reality Versus Aspiration

On the Subject of Leadership · Oct 20, 2026 · 1h 3m

Charisma is the most overrated quality in an executive, says Malcolm Duncan, and it is usually confused with leadership. After nearly four decades in executive search, and years spent assessing boards and leadership teams that are not hiring anyone, he explains why a search shows what an organisation would like to be, while an assessment shows what it is.

We talk about the briefs he declines, a search that failed because the board could not agree on what it needed, the moment a director hands responsibility for a judgement to a psychometric report, and his own rule for leaving boards…