Baxter International CEO Harry Kraemer mixes two polar opposites into one refreshing leadership philosophy.

“Leadership is a delicate blend of self-confidence and humility. You have to have the self-confidence to say, ‘You don’t want to make that decision without my input!’

“But self-confidence without humility becomes a problem. I may be the CEO. But part of that was having a few skills, and part of it was luck. Part of it was the man upstairs. So I’m no better than anyone else. Self-confidence and humility: Blend those two together, and you have someone who has a good chance of leading effectively.

“Ninety-nine percent of people want to do the right thing. I’ve got 48,000 employees, most of whom care about the environment, or they have parents, or they are parents. I’m representing them. I’ve got 48,000 people who assume that we’re going to do the right thing.”