Foreword

Leadership. To some, leadership is just a word used to describe those in charge. In reality, leadership is much more.

Great leaders unite people to a common vision and cause; they see beyond the details to the Big Picture and help their people to see that same picture. Anyone who has worked for or with great leaders will quickly remember the enthusiasm that existed within those organisations, and the loyalty and excitement that transpired between the leaders and the members of their teams. 

Conversely, with bad leadership there is no common vision or cause, resulting in a lack of team loyalty and low energy within the organisation. Through either self-serving purposes or plain incompetence, these leaders often allow a culture of negativity and back-stabbing to develop resulting in low productivity and high turnover. In fact, I question whether we can call bad leadership ‘leadership' at all since there is obviously no leading.

As Chief Executive of TEC, the world's leading chief executive membership organisation, my focus is on mentoring business owners and senior executives as they develop their leadership skills. Through better leadership, businesses are more successful, and this success improves our economy and enhances people's lives with positive flow-on effects throughout the community.

TEC first met Peter Berry in 1991. Since then, Peter has contributed greatly to leadership development in Australia and New Zealand, presenting to nearly 2,500 chief executives and senior managers, challenging them to be great leaders and create strong organisational vision.

I recall the first time Peter presented to the TEC group I chaired in Melbourne on 'The Challenge of World's Best Practice'. Peter passionately took that diverse group of 16 highly successful chief executives on a journey to understand their role and how they could take their performance and their teams' performance to higher levels. The insight and take-away tools Peter provided in that session were so valuable that I found myself wishing I had met Peter years ago when I was in the early stages of building Whirlpool.

I'm glad I know him now.

In 2005 when I became Chief Executive of TEC, I gained a broader view of how Peter’s activities have impacted TEC members - and how we’ve impacted Peter. During the 16 years he has presented to TEC, Peter has been privy to a broad view of local business leadership that few get to experience. The diversity of the TEC membership allows Peter to interact with the owners of small businesses as well as the chief executives of national and international organisations who form the rich tapestry of commerce in Australia challenged by an ever changing landscape. In his journey with TEC, Peter has travelled with small companies as they grow their business and local manufacturers as they expand into global territories. In fact, as the case studies in his book demonstrate, Peter has been involved as some of these dramatic transitions take place.

I’m excited that Peter has finally transposed the knowledge from his many experiences with great leaders into a book. It’s a tremendous accomplishment, and I know it will pack the same punch as his energetic presentations. Now, as I’ve heard Peter say so many times, "Please stand up, place your hand on your heart and repeat after me: ‘I promise to have fun, make money and kick ass!’"

Mike O’Neill
Former Chief Executive
TEC Australia and New Zealand