On Winning your Battles

When William Shakespeare wrote, ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players’, he may as well have said that all the world is a battle, and we are all soldiers – each facing our own victories and defeats. Life, whether individual, social, economic, military or spiritual, is a series of battles in which we strive to find success, purpose and meaning.

In 1995, during South Africa’s democratic transition, two men were brought together by the challenge of establishing a new leadership, command and management framework for the newly formed South African National Defence Force – an amalgamation of conventional military forces and liberation armies. Amid conflicting dynamics and extraordinary change, they discovered that the principles driving success on the battlefield could be applied to virtually every other area of life. Roland de Vries, often referred to as the South African ‘Rommel’ and later Deputy Chief of the Army, and Deon Crafford, a seasoned, straight-talking leadership adviser with extensive corporate experience, became a powerful partnership of tested strategy and leadership insight. Thirty years after their first meeting, they bring their stories and experiences together in a book designed to help others achieve the victories they pursue. Short on theory and rich in real-life experience, this book draws lessons from war zones, dusty fields, factory floors and corporate boardrooms.

This is not a book written to seek admiration, but to serve those who find themselves in the heat of their own battles – and who know those battles are meant to be won.