In one conference, he said that there are 7 important characters in order to become a great leader...
i. A good leader may not be humble but at least he should not be boastful.
ii. He must be prepared to accept responsibilities but should not be too pushy and insistent on taking the lead.
iii. He should not seek to blame others for failures but to admit his own culpability. He should not point fingers or seek scapegoats.
iv. He should be modest and not seek praise and glory.
v. He should know how to handle his followers as much as his superiors. He must be sensitive to the sensitivities of others.
vi. He should be willing to do what he expects others to do. He should uphold the slogan of leadership by example.
vii. He should be learned and more intelligent at least by comparison of the people he leads.
ii. He must be prepared to accept responsibilities but should not be too pushy and insistent on taking the lead.
iii. He should not seek to blame others for failures but to admit his own culpability. He should not point fingers or seek scapegoats.
iv. He should be modest and not seek praise and glory.
v. He should know how to handle his followers as much as his superiors. He must be sensitive to the sensitivities of others.
vi. He should be willing to do what he expects others to do. He should uphold the slogan of leadership by example.
vii. He should be learned and more intelligent at least by comparison of the people he leads.
After listening to his BBC interview, I think Tun Mahathir is a very smart leader, cool and full of patience, talk based on facts, brave to speak out his mind and opinion, intelligent, able to control his emotions, stand up for Islam and openly criticized Western and Israel.