The secrets to effective leadership

I came across an online article the other day that referred to a classic book by someone named Napoleon Hill.  Apparently Mr. Hill was a famous American self-help author who wrote his book, Think and Grow Rich in the late 1930's.  Before Hill died in 1970, the book had sold over 20 million copies, and as of 2015, the book has sold over 100 million copies worldwide.  The online article referenced Hill's list of the 11 major attributes of leadership.  The list (see below) seemed pretty good, so I ordered Hill's book from the library. 

Hill's book (which I ended up NOT reading) is a self-help book that talks about the secret to being successful in life.  And here, success is defined by how much money you make in your lifetime.  I have to be honest, I don't really agree that success should be defined by how much money someone makes.  Supposedly, Hill studied the traits and habits of 500 self-made millionaires, including Andrew Carnegie, John Rockefeller, Thomas Edison, and Henry Ford, as well as Presidents Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Woodrow Wilson.  Here's what I found interesting though - apparently, whether or not Hill actually met these individuals, or studied them in any systematic way, has been called into question.  As a matter of fact, Hill was once called "the most famous conman you've probably never heard of."  He was apparently married three times, and was accused of fraud and kidnapping.  So, I guess you could say that his definition of success doesn't fit with mine or many others.

Regardless, I did find that his "secrets to leadership" made a lot of sense.  Here they are:

1. Willingness to assume full responsibility
2. Definiteness of decision
3. Definiteness of plans
4. Unwavering courage
5. A keen sense of justice
6. Cooperation
7. Self-control
8. The habit of doing more than paid for
9. A pleasing personality
10. Sympathy and understanding
11. Mastery of detail

Pretty good, right?  He followed this list with "10 major causes of leadership failure" which I think are relevant too.  Here is the list of Hill's leadership failures:

1. Inability to organize details
2. Unwillingness to render humble service
3. Expectation of pay for what they know, instead of what they do with that which they know
4. Fear of competition from others
5. Lack of imagination
6. Selfishness
7. Intemperance
8. Disloyalty
9. Overemphasis on the authority of leadership
10. Overemphasis on title

Again, there's a lot in both lists that are useful.  As for the rest of his book, as well as his recommendations on "how to get rich" - I will take a pass.