My coaching journey has been rewarding, but I’ve never taken the road of least resistance. I’ve had more adversaries than supporters in my life. In my career as head coach, I have come to believe in seven key principles of leadership that kept the ship on course in calm and stormy seas. These have led me into head-on confrontations with individuals, who doubted my methods and values, but for almost three decades, these seven principles have always served my teams well.

This book is not about me. I don’t enjoy the limelight or talking about myself. This book is about the seven universal principles of leadership and life that I have been fortunate enough to experience along my own journey. If I achieve nothing else in life, these are the seven principles I would like to instil in my two sons. As it has done for me, 7 –My Notes on Leadership and Life, will serve as a map and compass for anyone seeking hope, direction and fulfilment in roles of leadership, be they corporate executives, SME business owners, public servants, teachers, coaches.