Leadership lessons from the school of hard knocks

"Strong leadership qualities", "A leader who knows how to unite a team." These were a couple of written comments from peers and subordinates in my recent performance management process.
A major part of my working life has been spent trying to understand what it really means to be a leader. Academic theories during my MBA days seemed far removed from the challenges I had faced as a leader. A series of life experiences, plus the challenge of lecturing and consulting, led me to blaze a new path.

My experiences in the past 19 months taught me that the very act of doing something concrete creates a sense of momentum. A series of small victories will lay the foundation for eventual success.