The CEO of a company with 40,000 employees shares his top 4 leadership lessons

Peter Vanham

What would you do if a colleague was up for a promotion, but you felt he or she wasn't up to the task?

Ronnie Leten, CEO of Atlas Copco, a global company with more than 40,000 employees, wouldn't hesitate a minute.

He would tell him or her straight in the face, because he believes honesty trumps all other considerations. "I might punch you in the face, but I'll never stab you in the back," he says.

What other leadership lessons does he offer for those wanting to reach the top?

Here are some of the leadership lessons I picked up from talking to him recently in New York, when we talked about "Before I Was CEO," my book on leaders' lessons.

1. Lead from the front

Leten recalled leading a project at Atlas Copco where his team had to convert the company's computer systems. To avoid disrupting the company's daily operations, they did the conversion during a weekend. He and his colleagues spent several days and nights together in the control room, working, eating, and sleeping there.

But it was worth it. Leten says the bond he built with those colleagues during that time is one that will last a lifetime. The relationship they built on the job was stronger than any team-building activity they could have done outside of it.

Through being there in the trenches with the others, Leten also earned the respect and loyalty of his colleagues. It is an example of the kind of leader he wants to be: one who leads from the front. These kinds of leaders, he believes, will see their troops follow them because they command trust, loyalty, and respect. "People only follow a leader they trust," he says.

2. Be honest and transparent

Once, when Leten was up for a promotion, another colleague got the job instead. His boss didn't explain why, and Leten was left very upset and disappointed. A few weeks later, he decided to leave the company he loved and start working somewhere else. A few years later, he returned to Atlas.

In that instance, he learned that when you work with people, you always have to be honest and transparent. Since then, Leten has made a point of always telling people in an upfront, open way why they weren't hired or promoted. "If you explain the reasons why you don't hire or promote someone, most of the time, people will understand," he says. "If I die, I hope the priest will say: 'Ronnie was not easy to work with, but at least he was always honest.'"

3. Be tenacious

When Leten was a little boy, he experienced a long-lasting disease which impacted his physical abilities. To make sure he wouldn't end up in a wheelchair, he visited a physiotherapist every day before school for most of his childhood. In the end, he largely conquered the illness.

But getting up two hours before everyone else and working hard to keep a decent physical health gave him a Spartan tenacity in all his endeavors. Later in life, when he often worked late or toiled on a project for years, this attitude served him well.