Much media attention these days is focusing on the scandals and greed business leaders are involved in. In contrast to these stories, we have found many leaders who are successful using positive approaches to business and life. The following seven business leaders demonstrate that success and wealth can be obtained without resorting to illegal or unethical practices and treatment of others. These business leaders we are calling the "Magnificent Seven", are our top picks for successful people who demonstrate the principles of "spreading the wealth" by using their successes to benefit their employees and communities as a whole.

#1 - Herb Kelleher The Jolly CEO Who Loves to Win

Herb Kelleher is the genuine article, a true leader in every sense of the word. He loves life and shows how a great company must nurture its soul by treating each of its employees as a whole person. He combines deep leadership skills with a flamboyant and dynamic personality, once settling a trademark dispute with the CEO of another company with an arm wrestling match. Despite his flamboyance, his company is wildly successful by even the most conservative estimates, offering the best return on investment in the last 30 years of any Fortune 500 company. Herb describes himself as someone who always wants to make a difference while having fun.

#2 - Earl Bakken The Action CEO With Big Dreams

Earl Bakken is never afraid to take direct action and he accepts the mistakes that come from moving fast. His motto is "Ready, Fire, Aim!"

• Ready: Develop a personal vision, visualize the results and hold the vision until it manifests.
• Fire: Charge fearlessly into new experiences and activities since "failure is closer to success than inaction."
• Aim: Never stop. He says, "A corrected aim eventually brings the envisioned success."

#3 - Sam Walton The Master Learner

Sam Walton could have become arrogant or lazy because of his companies' success, but he never was. He stayed keen on learning from his competitors and beating them with that knowledge. Says his wife Helen in the memoir Made in America, "What really drove Sam was that competition across the street . always. Looking at his prices, looking at his displays, looking at what was going on. He was always looking for a way to do a better job." Walton himself was never too proud to say, "Most everything I've done I've copied from someone else."

#4 - John Wooden The Master Teacher

John Wooden, the winningest college basketball coach of all time, never cared about winning. He only cared about helping his players reach their highest potential on and off the courts. He always had the courage to act on his beliefs and the discipline to create a masterpiece out of every action. His definition of success: "Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

#5 - Gordon Moore The Daring Scientist

Gordon Moore might be the quietest CEO in history. His presence is characterized by personal humility and the ability to stay focused in the moment. Despite the fact that he created the driving force behind the entire roadmap for Intel and the semiconductor industry, he almost always credits his Intel co-founders, Bob Noyce and Andy Grove, with Intel's success. He has always remained a scientist who seeks solutions and accepts the mistakes along the way. One of his leadership mottos is, "One thing a leader does is to remove the stigma of mistakes."

#6 - Oprah Winfrey The Giving Media Diva

Whether she's expanding our awareness of global issues through her Angel Network or highlighting issues of concern to her audience, Oprah has made her television show and magazine about "making a difference." In contrast to her counterpart media diva Martha Stewart, Oprah uses every avenue at her command to uplift, expand, give to, and grow every person she comes into contact with. She has brought the concept of philanthropic giving to the forefront of American thought. She proclaims on her website, "I want you to open your hearts and see the world in a different way. You get from the world what you give to the world. I promise this will change your life for the better." Fame and fortune have only improved this very celebrated and public leader.

#7 - Michael Dell The Judo Master

When Michael Dell was 18, his father asked him what he wanted to do, and his answer was "I want to compete with IBM". Today, Dell Inc. has IBM beat in the PC market and is on its way to dominance aiming for 40% of the world market share. The key to Dell's success is his total focus on creating customer value with his direct model that often uses the judo principle of transforming his competitor's strengths into weaknesses. He says: "Think of a competitor that has high market share and is very profitable in a specific part of the market. Then think about how compelling it would be to exploit that strength as a weakness".