One life to live

Purpose – Provides experience‐based reflections on the dual challenge of learning and leading that tends to characterize inspirational and effective leadership. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an interview and a review. Findings – Contains practical insights on the tasks of managing, leading, coaching others, business writing and speaking. Originality/value – The viewpoint contains career‐long observations on the process of managing and leading organizations from one of Australia's best‐selling business writers.