The key to successful business is building trusting relationships. The way to do that is by being completely human. I call it being naked. We all look for relationships based on trust. But there's no point replacing a formal approach with a fake down-to-earth tone. It's about being yourself.

We are more ready than ever to get naked. The best companies give people just enough structure and then turn them loose to be human with clients. These firms have a competitive advantage. Success is about how you hire people who are genuine and build relationships with customers.

I am confident this is universally applicable. I have written all my books from the same perspective, which is writing about what I see, based in the US. All of them have been well received overseas. The concepts are simple enough that they are universal.

Both sides in a relationship have to be naked for it to work, but someone has to go first. It is a risk and it won't work every time and you will be punished sometimes. But do it anyway. The one time you get punished is worth the nine times it is disarming.

The financial crisis has made everyone less tolerant. People don't have time for others who are disingenuous or putting on airs.

Egocentric leaders are not great leaders. They survive in the short term, as long as they can invoke fear. Leaders need to be vulnerable and selfless, so that people follow them through a wall of fire. With egocentric leaders people jump ship as soon as it gets tough.

Great leaders are not the most famous. The best CEOs are the ones who if they walked in the room we wouldn't know who they were. They have a focus on results, complete honesty and a servant-like view of their organisation.

The best CEOs aren't trying to get on Larry King. They just love running their businesses and treating their employees well and honouring their customers. Southwest Airlines is the best airline in the US and the most successful American organisation of the last 35 years. But if its CEO, Gary Kelly, walked in the room you wouldn't recognise him. He is a humble, results-oriented, culturally committed and customer-focused CEO.

I realise in this era of Steve Jobs and Larry Ellison that personal branding takes over. But they are the exceptions that prove the rule. The majority of companies succeed because they do things in transparent ways and just because there are still a few icons left, they are less interesting.

In my books, I don't over-complicate. I sift through complexity and find the essence of something. I try to write in prose that is understandable and try to nail the heart of an issue. I write fictions because I want readers to be able to see people wrestling with implementing these ideas.

Money is not the great commodity. It's time. Clients are more concerned about how much time am I going to have to invest in this and how soon am I going to see benefits. We don't run from price, but we speak more to value.

Pursuing growth for the sake of growth is a disease. It's one of the problems of being a public company that you have to do that. It's why most public companies are so miserable and those that go back to being private are so happy when they do. They are more in control. If you pursue growth for the sake of growth, misery is around the corner.

Getting Naked: A business fable (Jossey-Bass) is out now