Ask most managers whether or not they are on track to hit their financial goals, and you can expect a pretty quick answer. Likewise, they are able to recite the status of their supply chain, or latest uptime and performance figures for IT systems without a second thought. Management requires monitoring, to paraphrase the old engineer’s dictum, and staying on top of the numbers is a significant portion of the job.

Yet, argues Professor Bernd Vogel, ask them what the measurable quality of leadership in their organisation is and they will look at you with a blank face. Ask them how often leadership quality is appraised and the answer is likely to include annual or bi-annual 360 reviews or employee surveys.