There has been a long search for the alchemy of leadership: we all want to find the elusive pixie dust that we can sprinkle on ourselves to turn us into glittering leaders. The bad news is that there is no pixie dust, but there is plenty of good news:

• All pharmacists can and should be leaders €“ business leaders and health leaders within their community
• You can load the dice in your favour. There are some things that all leaders do well. Thesedo not guarantee success, but do make it more likely
• You can learn to be a leader. You don't have to be someone else; you don't have to become Winston Churchill. You simply have to be the best of who you are.

Leadership is inundated by small words with big meanings like 'vision', 'values' and 'integrity'. It is a subject that suffers from an extraordinary amount of hype and nonsense.

Life is complicated enough without drowning in a sea of leadership theory, so let's keep things simple. All the grand words and ideas boil down to a few simple principles, which apply to leaders at all levels. We call them the 4Ps of good leadership.