Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked by the real world.
You don't know what you can get away with until you try.
Keep looking below surface appearances. Don't shrink from doing so (just) because you might not like what you find.
Endeavours succeed or fail because of the people involved. Only by attracting the best people will you accomplish great deeds.
Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it.
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
Look for intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners. Also look for loyalty, integrity, a high energy drive, a balanced ego and the drive to get things done.
The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership.
There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure.