What would you do if Warren Buffett came to you and said, "I need your help. It is imperative that the financial industry start hiring better leaders. I need you to figure out how to recognize them in an interview. Can you do it?" What would you do?

Across America and in every possible industry, companies are crying for effective leaders. But they don't know how to find them. Too often, they find control freaks or bureaucrats. Having worked in corporate America for nearly eight years, I got to see that play out many times.

The problem is simple. In fact, the solution is simple. The problem is that Human Resources people don't know what psychological characteristics make-up a leader. Managers don't know either. As a result, HR people hire folks who are capable of working and thinking inside the box, rather than improving it. Managers tend to hire in their own image.