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As part of the Lead India initiative, Lee Iacocca, former CEO, Chrysler lists the 9Cs which make a leader stand out from the crowd.

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 10 (I don't want people accusing me of thinking I'm Moses). I call them the Nine Cs of Leadership. They're not fancy or complicated. Just clear, obvious qualities that a true leader should have.

So, here's my C list:

A leader has to show Curiosity. He has to listen to people outside the 'Yes, sir' crowd. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a complicated place. George W Bush brags about never reading a newspaper. "I just scan the headlines," he says. Am I hearing this right? He's the President of the US and he never reads a newspaper? Thomas Jefferson once said, "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate for a moment to prefer the latter.''

A leader has to be Creative, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. George Bush prides himself on never changing, even as the world around him is spinning out of control. God forbid someone should accuse him of flip-flopping. There's a disturbingly messianic fervour to his certainty. 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 may be painful.

A leader has to be a person of Character — 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. 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.

A leader should have Charisma. 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. You've got to know what you're doing. More importantly, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing.

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 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.