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Imagine if teams were cars racing around a racetrack, where lap times are a performance indicator. All of a sudden a warning light comes on in the dashboard. The driver (leader) sees it but ignores it. The technician tells the driver, I need to have a look at that warning light, I think I know the issue, but it will take time to fix. The driver says, sorry, haven’t got the time I need to be on the racetrack. The technician says, well, if we don’t fix it now it might turn into a bigger issue later in the race. If that car was your team, what would you do?​

That forceful style of negotiation you see on the movies should stay there. In the Army, they taught us that the best negotiators were creative problem-solvers and that’s exactly true for business. I wasn’t born a natural at negotiation and I firmly believe that you don’t need to be. Anyone can be taught it - of course, like any art form it takes practice but that’s what this set of rules is for. Read these, absorb them, apply them in negotiation situations and you’ll notice a difference immediately. Yes, they’re military tactics, but ultimately they’re habit-forming tactics that anyone can learn.

​Business partnerships can be fraught with danger! I have had two business partnerships - both have ended (luckily I have been married for eight years, and my wife is still supportive of me!). While I have been lucky that they have been reasonably amicable towards the end (not too much spent on lawyers!), I now know what I would do in the future so here are my tips to avoid the pitfalls of doing business with someone - or solve that problem along the way.

Business leadership requires skills that are seriously varied and you've got to be willing to try new things and develop habits that you repeat over time. Habits like positive visualization. I’ve used it in the army, in business and in my performance sports coaching days. Once you learn it, you can apply it in all kinds of situations. Taking the time to visualize what success looks like has a powerful impact on your behaviour afterwards. It’s that weird and indescribable place where you can feel your physical self and mental self joining forces.

When I was in the army, my network was my fellow soldiers and officers. It was an easy network because it was organised for me. That’s why army’s are successful. Everyone follows the hierarchy, it’s a transparent network that everyone can see and everyone knows their place in it. When I transitioned from the army into business - everything changed. Business networking wasn’t as transparent.