Day 8: Trump, Iaccocca, Welch and Fiorina

Wish 8: Leadership from within

Can you name a great business leader? Do you think Donald Trump is great? How about Lee Iaccocca, Jack Welch or Carly Fiorina? A lot of people think they are great leaders. Their book sales say so. We know about these buccaneer leaders through their constant public appearances, at least at the time they were in charge of some of America's big companies.

Are these the leaders we should aspire to emulate? Half a million applicants to Trump's TV hit The Apprentice seem to think so. Before you go out and buy these buccaneers' books, consider this. These leaders take credit for whatever successes their companies achieve. They think that their companies cannot survive without them. They always think they are right. And if mistakes are made, they find someone or something to blame.

In contrast, great business leaders do not brag; they try to get the job done. They make themselves accountable for their companies' failures. Then if things go right, they attribute their successes to the people around them. This are some of the findings of Jim Collins on leaders of enduring corporations.

It was good to know that good things can happen to good people. When I started my working life, I often wondered how business leaders get to where they are. Those leaders that made the most noise were buccaneers: competition-loving, winner-takes-all, take-no-prisoners leaders. For these leaders to prevail, someone else has to lose. The only ethical and practical leaders I knew growing up were my grandparents. They conduct businesses with win-win attitudes. For them to win, others must win too. The "others" include clients, employees, suppliers, and the community. It was good to read that America's longest-running corporations have been around because of leaders that stay true to core values and fundamental principles.

This is where my wish comes in. I wish that good people realize that they can become leaders because they have some of the key traits - that they are ethical and sincere. For me, skill is secondary to attitude.

This means that anyone can be a leader, not just buccaneer CEOs. I like to call it leading from within. To become this type of leader, you need to know yourself. Know your own values. Then you have to act within your core values. A simple concept. And a very accessible leadership principle.