Achieving the "impossible": how I've applied hard-earned leadership lessons from my military and startup careers, to help business leaders and managers realise "impossible" visions

Responsibility, Influence, Vision, Motivation, Communication, Decision-making, Teamwork, Integrity, Confidence, Adaptability, Empathy, Resilience, Accountability, Problem-solving, Inspiration

What do you want to be when you grow up? As a young boy, I dreamed of becoming a soldier, being strong and brave, adventuring around the world and protecting good people against bad. In my teenage years, though, I was very bookish. I studied hard and I played the guitar in a band, but I wasn't an athlete or a natural leader. I dismissed my childhood dream and focused on my academic studies, thinking I'd become a lawyer or a translator. Because I loved to travel and read, I chose to study languages and applied to Oxford University. There I took up rowing, an extremely physically demanding sport for a non-athlete. Fast forward three years after lots of puking and early mornings on the river, I was much fitter and more confident. But I still didn't know what I was going to do after I graduated. In my final year, I decided to revive my original plan and join the military. I went through British Army officer selection and, to my surprise, was accepted. A year of preparation and another year of intensive training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst followed, during which I decided I wanted to commission into the infantry. That entailed enduring even more gruelling training. Those were the most physically, mentally and emotionally demanding times of my life. Tougher than anything I've since experienced in practice, on military operations or in start-ups. Finally, three years after choosing this career path, I joined my regiment as a platoon commander. Two years later, in summer 2013, having completed training exercises across the UK and Canada, I deployed to take command of a platoon of nearly 50 troops and half a dozen armoured vehicles on active operations in Afghanistan. As I stood in the turret of my armoured vehicle, leading my team on my first patrol, I felt a wave of confidence wash over me. I had earned it. I was there. I leaned heavily on the experience of the men and women I led, learning from their expertise and holding myself accountable for the decisions they helped me make. That deployment, where I put five years of preparation and training into practice, was the highlight of my military career. I led a number of exciting and rewarding missions, deterring insurgents and reassuring the local population, and, most importantly, was very fortunate to bring all my soldiers home in one piece. For a long time, I didn't think I would realise my childhood dream. My experiences taught me that by having a clear vision and channeling your efforts through a focused strategy, taking consistent actions over the course of months and years, it's possible to achieve what you put your mind to. This is one of the lessons I now teach founders and operators, the ones I mentor, helping them to achieve with their start-ups what others believe impossible. I've since had other successes, becoming Employee 15 at FoodTech Startup Delivery, the second guy in ops, that's now a public company, having exited, starting my own business, and later becoming a digital nomad. I'm now based in Antigua in the Caribbean. Being successful as a founder or anything else doesn't come from hard work alone. Developing into a capable leader requires you to be self-aware, open to feedback, and highly effective at delegating work and supporting your team to deliver it. By preparing yourself mentally, physically and emotionally, and keeping the big picture in mind as you take small actions, you stand the best chance of making your vision a reality.