Far better to be an uncharismatic leader who gets the right people to confront the brutal facts than to be a magnetic force of personality who leads compliant followers to disaster. If you have charisma, you can still build an enduring great company. But never forget: If your company cannot be great without your personal charisma to inspire, then it is not yet a great company.

Like Walton, your stated corporate philosophy must ultimately be a genuine reflection of the values and beliefs you hold in your own gut. The values must be so much a part of you—of your own core spirit—that you instinctively respond to situations in a way consistent with your stated philosophy. You shouldn’t have to think about it. Likewise, when actions are taken by others that go against those values, it should eat at you on a gut level.

The inside of leaders’ personality concerns their values, which function as an internal moral compass and determine how well the leaders will fit in with the culture of the organization and what type of culture they will create. For example, leaders who value tradition will have a strong sense of right and wrong, will prefer hierarchical organizations, and will have little tolerance of disruption and innovation. Put them in a creative environment, and they will struggle. On the other hand, leaders who value affiliation will have a strong desire to get along with others and will focus on building and maintaining strong interpersonal relationships and on working collaboratively. These leaders will not be engaged if their roles are too isolated and the company cultures are overly individualistic. Finally, altruistic leaders will strive to improve other people’s lives and drive progress in the world, so they will suffer if their organizations are purely driven by profits.

One of the simplest and best descriptions of culture is Google’s ‘how we do things

around here.’ An organization’s culture reflects its leaders’ values, particularly its founders’ values.

True integrity—a sense of knowing who you are and being guided by your own clear sense of right and wrong—is a kind of secret leadership weapon. If you trust your own instincts and treat people with respect, the company will come to represent the values you live by.