ON WINNING YOUR BATTLES, from the military frontline to the corporate coalface
247pp., b/w & colour illus., maps, paperback, Naledi, Gansbaai, 2026
ISBN: 9781997476412
In 1995 Major General (Retired) Roland de Vries and Deon Crafford, a leadership advisor in the corporate domain, were involved in establishing a new leadership, command and management framework for the South African National Defence Force, and collaborated in driving the Leadership, Command and Management Practices sub-project. In this book they share the lessons they have learnt.
Roland de Vries, SD, SM, MMM, a former deputy chief of the South African Army, held several command positions during the Border War (1966-1989), including the operational command of the 61 Mechanised Battalion Group. He has taught warfare at the Australian Command and Staff College in Canberra and currently works as an independent consultant helping communities plan and implement initiatives for community safety. His is the author of four books, including Veiligheid vir Gemeenskappe (2020).
Deon Crafford trained as a Counselling and Clinical Psychologist and served in the South African Military Health Services during the final phases of the Border War and during the democratic transition. He has worked as a partner in the business consulting division of Deloitte, with a specific focus on mining, energy and state-owned enterprises, and as a director with Barnstone Corporate Services and Barnstone Education, where he served as Chief Operating Officer for five composite school campuses in the previously disadvantaged communities of Gauteng Province. Currently he is an independent consultant in strategy and leadership.