The Remarkables Series

These mini-biographies of Kiwi leaders illustrate that effective leaders are more different than similar. And not a neat match to a particular personality.   The five leaders described here are truly remarkable as well as unique. They are also real people, making adjustments, and learning as they go. These leaders provide a moving testimony to the potential for all of us to grow and change.   Personal development or even your development as a leader might not be a core value for you, but it is probably critical for your ability to succeed in a complicated world. I hope you find inspiration, and possibly some clues here.

This book describes 21 people who are notable for their contribution to the world.  These people made their unique contributions in quite different ways.  They are unique personalities.  It is likely that any connection you feel with any of them reflects a match to your personality. As well as doing amazing things these individuals also had issues.  Some examples: Sometimes a strength can become a weakness.  Keith Park led a small air force to victory in the Battle of Britain.  Park was capable of organizing the great fighting response of his pilots.  This was based on the integrated efforts of ground crew, radar and other intelligence systems.  Trouble was, Park didn't have great social radar.  He won the Battle of Britain but was out-maneuvered by and lost the battle with the bureaucrats. Sometimes a weakness can actually be a blessing in disguise.  The young Kiri Te Kanawa was distractable, not putting in the hours to learn her words, leaving things to the last minute.  The other aspect of her spontaneity was that she could tune into her audience, achieving incredible rapport and responsiveness. You might notice similar issues.  Many things go very well.  But not always. Here we look at the psychological profile of these wonderful people – looking into their  achievements and also things that didn't go so well to identify the secrets of their personality.  If you want to check your feeling that you do have similarities to some of them there is a handy self-assessment to help you zoom in on such similarities. We also (in a kind and positive way) look at how these individuals could have developed their personalities – developing supportive strengths, working with others to cover for gaps.  This is not generic self-help advice.  These suggestions are customized for these unique personalities.  No pressure – but some of these suggestions could be the personalized guidance that will help you – to live a richer, more fulfilling life. These people, and of course most of us live our lives in habitual ways.  That is what personality is – patterns of thought, feelings and behaviour.  The radical thing is, people can and do change.  That includes you and me.  There is excellent evidence of these changes, sometimes planned and deliberate, other times people flexing in response to demands of jobs and other changes to circumstances.  We see this in ourselves and our children – new expectations, new responses.  This produces real (measurable even!) changes in personality. This book provides deep studies of wonderful people – making clear the secrets of their personality.  It also provides the tools, based on the latest research, for how people can grow.  Of course, it's up to you to decide what changes, if any, would be priorities for you, and what you plan to do. All the best for a rich life.

If you're interested in how leaders achieve remarkable results – in what could be considered the ultimate test – this is the book for you. Here we explore the approach of five different war leaders to mobilising and motivating their people. This is quite an achievement in war – as evolutionary anthropologist Luke Glowacki points out: 'Warfare requires intensive levels of cooperation while risking death.' What sort of qualities contribute to effectiveness in this high stakes leadership? There is a theme in this series of books about remarkable people – that there is no one leadership personality to rule them all. Some of the leaders portrayed here are highly openminded, others low on this attribute – more focused. Some highly extrovert, and yes – some inclined to be more independent. Values such as bravery and integrity are themes, but there are different routes to such qualities. The good news – you can learn from these leaders, but you don't need to follow a formula. Like them, your path to effective leadership can build on your existing strengths.

This volume of the Remarkables series introduces a range of people who have dropped in and connected with Kiwis.  All are examples of people who have achieved much.  In these short biographies we explore how they did that.  Their adventures and their unique approaches provide clues to all of us who want to live a rich and fulfilling life. The first visitor to Aotearoa (New Zealand) was the legendary navigator Kupe.  Some 500 years later than Kupe (1769) James Cook arrived, accompanied by the great navigator Tupaia.  Their meeting with the local Māori did not always go well. Cook had a disconcerting inflexibility that made managing conflict difficult.  Tupaia's diplomatic skills helped smooth some of these issues. Serious western exploitation was beginning when Charles Darwin arrived in 1835.  He wanted to be home in England, but the hospitality of the English missionaries provided some respite. Jean Batten flew to Auckland from England in 1936.  This was a return journey, she epitomised a great New Zealand tradition of leaving the country. New Zealand is the world's newest country in terms of human settlement.  It is the oldest in terms of its isolation and the development of a remarkable range of birdlife.  Sirocco is a unique example of the kakapo – a large, flightless, nocturnal, rugby-ball shaped parrot. Sirocco has the endearing habit of climbing up and attempting to mate with humans he meets.  Stephen Fry provides a spectator's view of Sirocco doing his thing.