My operations leader and I were standing in the parking lot after a meeting discussing a couple of issues when he asked, "What would you say are three secrets to good leadership."

I thought for a moment before giving an answer. I have a fairly lengthy list of things that I think are essential for leadership success. The list has been built over the years through observation of others as well as my own experience, but I'd never tried to boil it all down to just a few points. I've considered that question through the intervening years and the following three points always seem to be at the root of everything I teach and counsel about leadership. Is this oversimplified? Perhaps, but a leader who understands and embraces these three points will be successful.

1. Leaders have a vision - at all levels. Whether a first-level manager or a corporate CEO, I've observed that the most successful leaders have a vision of what can be. That vision drives them and, when properly expressed, provides motivation for subordinates. People are more likely to be loyal to leaders who know where they're going and have a big dream of what can be. Even at the lowest levels of leadership, that vision can make the difference between a leader who is adequate, and one who is dynamite!

2. People make leaders successful. Leaders may have the vision, see the bigger picture, and have the larger investment or the most experience in some aspect of the organization. But, leaders cannot make good things happen without people. It's the subordinates, the ones who are led, who make leaders successful. All my discussions about learning people's needs, what motivates them, their needs, and their desire to win is based on this fact.

3. People make mistakes. What, you say? How can this be a secret of leadership? Look at it as a follow up to the second point. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. It is the way we handle those mistakes that is a critical leadership point. The leader who helps subordinates learn from their errors, who protects them when necessary, and provides the appropriate correction, is more likely to succeed than the one who constantly harps on mistakes and defaults to a position of retribution. This issue of mistakes is a two-way street though. Leaders also make mistakes and the way they handle their own goofs has a lot to do with their success as a leader. When the leader tries to cover up a mistake, or pass it off as someone else's error, subordinates will see that for what it is: lack of integrity. On the other hand, when the leader sets a good example with his or her own mistakes, subordinates are more likely to respect them.

What's important though is that these aren't, or at least shouldn't be, secrets. Alas, my observations have proven to me that in too many cases, they are. Is this all you need to know about leadership? No. But these three secrets are where it all starts.