Where Have All the Leaders Gone?

After several years of being away from international limelight or should I say news, Lee Iacocca came up with another book. This time he talks about the leadership qualities America so urgently needs. What I like about this old man is his humorous no-holds barred writing and straight-to-the point analysis that touches the very chord of issues of the day. He captures the zeitgeist of the times in this book.

According to him, true leadership should be tested by nine C's. They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have. He purposely avoided ten tests for fear of being accused he is thinkinh like Moses! Using the nine C's he examined George Bush's leadership style as well as those of the frontrunners in the upcoming November 2008 US elections.

CURIOSITY

- He has to listen to people outside of the "Yes, sir" crowd in his inner circle
- He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place.
- If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale.
- If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right?
- The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care.

CREATIVE
- He should go out on a limb, be willing to try something different - think outside the box
- Leadership is all about managing change—whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative.
- He should adapt.

COMMUNICATE
- Facing reality and telling the truth - communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful
- Know how to talk straight.

CHARACTER
- That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing
- Abraham Lincoln once said, "If you want to test a man's character, give him power."

COURAGE
- Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage
- Courage in the twenty-first century doesn't mean posturing and bravado
- Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk
- If you're a politician, courage means taking a position even when you know it will cost you votes.

CONVICTION
- Fire in the belly - passion.
- Desire to get something done

CHARISMA
- Not really being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you
- It's the ability to inspire
- People follow a leader because they trust him

COMPETENT
- The ability to know what you're doing
- Ability to surround oneself with people who know what they're doing
- A leader has to be a problem solver

COMMON SENSE
- The only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. He said: "If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it."