For some bosses, it's less about having the perfect CV and more about the way you think, the questions you ask and whether you're prepared to take a chance. Six business founders and leaders share the qualities they notice most and the advice they would give to people trying to get ahead. Charlotte Tilbury says one of the biggest things that has driven her career is refusing to let other people set limits on what she can do.
"Nothing is impossible in life - it's only your own limitations you give yourself." The beauty mogul says there will always be naysayers, and there were plenty of people who told her she was "mad" or that her ideas would not work but it's important to ignore them. Tilbury recommends trying not to think of setbacks as mistakes, but as opportunities to rethink and improve. "I don't think about mistakes, I think mistakes are opportunities," she says.
Many of the biggest challenges she faced ultimately made her a stronger business leader and "challenge is opportunity and it leads you to greater places". Charlie Bowes-Lyon, co-founder of deodorant brand Wild, says attitude matters far more than having the perfect set of skills. "For me, it's 90% attitude and 10% skills, as skills can be taught, attitude can't." One thing he wishes he had realised earlier is that even successful people do not always feel as confident as they appear and "everyone is faking it until they're making it".
If you find yourself at a job interview, Bowes-Lyon says it's really important to have a few questions at the end as "candidates who say they have no questions rarely get the job". One question he recommends asking the interviewer is what success in the job looks like. Read more about how Charlie Bowes-Lyon runs Wild Marcia Kilgore, the serial entrepreneur behind brands including Beauty Pie and Soap and Glory, says curiosity is one of the main qualities she looks for when hiring.
She values people who will "roll their sleeves up, ask lots of questions and think about how they can be useful". Kilgore also says good communication is crucial as she realised early on in her career that a lack of communication is often the reason things break down. Her advice to communicate well in the workplace is to "listen to what's being asked and take a breath or five" before responding.
"Your response doesn't have to be immediate, but it does have to be considered." Read more about how Marcia Kilgore built her beauty brands. Anabel Kindersley, CEO and co-owner of Neal's Yard Remedies, says one of the best ways to build your skills is to keep saying yes to new opportunities. "Do everything and say yes to everything - it might feel uncomfortable but do it anyway," she says.
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