Encourage dissent: Leaders should have associates who have contrary views, who are devil's advocates, "variance sensors" who can tell them the difference between what is expected and what is really happening, between what they want to hear and what they need to hear. There are too many naked emperors running around today.

Perhaps the central task of the leader of leaders thus becomes the development of other leaders.

Great Groups need to know that the person at the top will fight like a tiger for them.

The failure to find the right niche for people - or to let them find their own perfect niches - is a major reason that so many workplaces are mediocre, even toxic, in spite of the presence of talent. Leaders of great groups give them whatever they need and free them from everything else.

Trust is difficult to define, but we know when it's present and when it's not.

A new leader has to be able to change an organization that is dreamless, soulless and visionless... someone's got to make a wake up call.

Without a terrific leader, you're not going to have a Great Group. But it is also true that you're not going to have a great leader without a Great Group.