Dauntless: Leadership lessons from the frontline

I look down at my boots and wait for the humiliation that is sure to come when someone is forced to take me in their team as the last option.

"I'll take Rach," says Fred.

And with that decision, he changes the whole shape of my military career and everything I think about myself.

During chopper flights into unsecured airfields, on the receiving end of a face-ripping, through the hijinks of field life and into the moments before setting off on patrol in Afghanistan, Rach Ranton explores the actions and behaviours of those who led her through the most volatile and unpredictable of situations.

Their words and actions echoing through her life, Rach tells the stories of those leaders who lifted her up, encouraged her to be her best and helped her find the purpose in her work.

Leaders who were not fearless but who did not shy from facing their fears. Who were authentically themselves, openly sharing their failures and weaknesses. Who were bold, took risks and who were forced to make critical decisions in extreme circumstances. Those who succeed on the battlefield, in the boardroom and in business.

Dauntless leaders

Rach Ranton served for a decade in the Australian Army including deployments to East Timor and Afghanistan. She embedded into infantry patrols and deployed with combat teams to intercept and analyse enemy communications, providing advice and warning to the commanders beside her on the battlefield. When she forged her corporate career, Rach took what she learned in the military about leadership, culture, teamwork, and courage, and applied it to her teams. As a TED speaker and award-winning leader in both the military and corporate worlds, Rach is now an internationally sought-after keynote speaker. Rach is a TED speaker and award-winning leader, receiving a commendation for the role she played in Afghanistan and in 2018 was named 'Veteran Employee of the Year' at the Prime Minister's Veteran Employment Awards.