Leadership Matters

Become a courageous leader and learn how to take risks, defy limitations and inspire the extraordinary

In Leadership Matters, celebrated humanitarian Peter Baines OAM shares remarkable stories and unique insights about leadership in challenging times. Drawing on more than 20 years of experience in leading others through crises and disasters, Peter demonstrates how great leaders rise above adversity. He unpacks how leadership skills such as courage, compassion, and integrity are essential for finding a way forward and triumphing against the odds.

Leadership Matters shares the leadership lessons that have emerged from Peter’s decades of work in international counterterrorism and disaster response. In particular, it reveals how the devastating aftermath of Thailand’s Boxing Day Tsunami has shaped Peter’s understanding of what it means to be a true leader. You’ll learn how Peter founded a multi-million-dollar charity to help those he met along the way. And you’ll learn the principles that have guided him in the decades since that transformative event: how to lead and inspire others as you work together to achieve the extraordinary.

Leadership Matters will inspire you to:

• Stop making excuses and take action
• Find the unique solutions that are required by unique challenges
• Motivate your team by being present and fostering integrity
• Find courage for difficult decisions and compassion for hard conversations

Leadership Matters: Stories and Insights for Leaders, Achievers and Visionaries shows how great leaders can find their purpose and make a real, vital impact on the world around them.

About the author ix

Acknowledgements xiii

Introduction xv

Part I: The Leaders 1

1 Focus on results, not excuses 3

2 Meet unique challenges with unique solutions 21

3 Embrace courageous leadership 37

4 Be present and show you care 51

5 Leave a lasting impression 67

Part II: The Achievers 81

6 Manage risk, don’t fear it 83

7 Model a life well lived 103

8 Believe in the future 117

9 Find clarity through action 129

Part III: The Visionaries 149

10 Find a journey that feeds your soul 151

11 Engage heart, head and hands 169

12 Plan your exit strategy from day one 189

13 Adopt a limitless mindset 203

Conclusion 217

Thai names and places 221

About Hands 225

PETER BAINES OAM is a crisis and disaster management expert, a philanthropist, and an international leader of humanitarian efforts. He is the founder and director of Hands Across the Water, a charity committed to enriching the lives of children and communities they support in Thailand.

BECOME THE LEADER THE WORLD NEEDS NOW

Great leaders have something in common, a purpose and vision that inspires people with direction and hope. But how do leaders find their purpose and conceptualise their vision? In Leadership Matters celebrated humanitarian Peter Baines unfolds the lessons that have stayed with him through his decades in international counterterrorism and disaster response. In particular, the book reveals how the devastating aftermath of Thailand’s Boxing Day Tsunami has shaped Peter’s understanding of what it means to be a true leader — and how it led him to start a charity that has helped thousands.

Inside, Peter shares remarkable stories and unique insights about what it takes to stand up as a leader in challenging times. You’ll discover how to use courage, compassion, and integrity to accomplish the seemingly impossible, and show others how to do the same.

Discover how to:

• stop making excuses and take action
• provide the unique solutions required for unique challenges
• motivate your team by being present
• foster integrity in your followers by demonstrating it yourself
• find the courage for difficult decisions and hard conversations.

With critical lessons and vital stories, Leadership Matters shows how great leaders find their purpose and make a real, significant impact on those they lead — and the world around them.