If they do the right thing, does it have to be sincere?

I was reflecting on the best practices for developing senior leadership teams. Not the individuals, the team of leaders who drive the business forward (or backward). In helping senior teams align their daily practices and regimens to yield the best results, there is sometimes a chicken and the egg thing.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

In business, the two elements might be:

A. The right actions.
B. The right intent/feelings.

Does doing the right things lead to the right intent? Or does the right intent lead to the right things? I know MANY leaders who have the right intent but who don't do squat. And I know lots of CLUELESS leaders who are willing to be coached and try anything that might help improve results.

So is it OK if leaders do the right things - make the right decisions, take the right actions - but for reasons that might make us squirm (money, power)? If we believe that the actions will become developmental and win over their hearts in time, then we'd have to say it is OK to embark on the right actions regardless of whether their reasons leave you with a warm and fuzzy feeling.

And then there are others who say that senior leaders ought to be focused on profitability (or other financial results) and that it is the middle manager's job to tend to the care and feeding of employees (making this line in inquiry mute).

What do you think?

How do you know a great leadership team when you see it? What are the qualities of a great team of leaders? How do they conduct business? How does their average day differ from the days experienced by less effective senior team members?