I've never been Commander in Chief, but I've been a CEO. I understand a few things about leadership at the top. I've figured out nine points—not ten (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses).

They're not fancy or complicated.
Just clear, obvious qualities that every true leader should have.

We should look at how the current administration stacks up. Like it or not, this crew is going to be around until January 2009. Maybe we can learn something before we go to the polls in 2008.

Then let's be sure we use the leadership test to screen the candidates who say they want to run the country.

It's up to us to choose wisely.

So, here's my C list:

CURIOSITY, CREATIVITY,  COMMUNICATION,  CHARACTER, COURAGE  CONVICTION, CHARISMA, COMPETENCE, COMMON SENSE, CRISIS,

A leader has to show 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.

A leader has to be CREATIVE,

go out on a limb, be willing to try something different.

You know, 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. You adapt.

A leader has to COMMUNICATE.

I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites.

I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth.

Communication has to start with telling the truth, even when it's painful.

A leader has to be a person of 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."

A leader must have COURAGE.

I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) 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.

To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION—

a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done. How do you measure fire in the belly?

A leader should have CHARISMA.

I'm not talking about 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.

That's my definition of charisma.

A leader has to be COMPETENT.

That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing.

A leader has to be a problem solver, and the biggest problems we face as a nation seem to be on the back burner.

You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE.

I call this Charlie Beacham's rule. When I was a young guy just starting out in the car business, one of my first jobs was as Ford's zone manager in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. My boss was a guy named Charlie Beacham, who was the East Coast regional manager. Charlie was a big Southerner, with a warm drawl, a huge smile, and a core of steel. Charlie used to tell me, "Remember, Lee, the only thing you've got going for you as a human being is your ability to reason and your common sense. If you don't know a dip of horseshit from a dip of vanilla ice cream, you'll never make it."

The Biggest C is Crisis

Leaders are made, not born.

Leadership is forged in times of crisis.

It's easy to sit there with your feet up on the desk and talk theory.

It's another thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.