I have been asked many times over the years how I managed to lead crews, Employee's and teams so easily ... Whether it was a crew of 4 doing a complicated installation or a team of 200 doing a major project I have never had a problem getting the work done properly to the client's satisfaction ... This lead me in to a major thought mode and after my brain smoked out a bit I relaxed and thought about my experiences and where I went Right or wrong...

Who, why & what is a leader ... This is the most difficult question of all but it has a very simple answer -

A leader is some one who can take any situation in hand and make it work to a positive conclusion...

This may be the Mail clerk, the engineer, the Lawyer or the foreman of a road gang...

Let me go back a few years – when I joined the army I was a Naughty little 18yr old shit stirrer who had a bad attitude – Recruits course knocked the stuffing out of me and I joined my commando as a young man that knew I didn't know it all and had a lot to learn – I learnt very quickly and was given the responsibility to make decisions that my boss backed me up on and complimented me on...

Please note here – I was given the RESPONIBILITY and BACKED UP...

Leadership roles have changed over the years as corporate take overs from finance groups have (in my opinion) removed the decision making from the junior leaders to such an extent that most potential leaders are to scarred to lead...

Let me take it back a step or two – In the army we had a brilliant Commanding officer that listened to his little 19 year olds and let them lead operations with direction from him – Pat Armstrong became one of the most respected Officers in the Rhodesian army, why? He identified his leaders and used them to achieve results that defied belief...

There is one other leader that I related to that got the best from his company – Terry Hiscock was to me nearly as powerful in his leadership style as my old OC ... He was so successful that his company was bought out ... His motto on all aspects from the floor sweepers to his salesman and technical department – Make a decision and stand by it – I will stand by your decision whether right or wrong – if it is wrong I will stand by you and support you – don't do it again...

So – what makes a great leader –