I’ll be honest, I’m not great in the heat. At least not when it comes to sleeping.

Like most people right now, I’m finding it nearly impossible to nod off during these hot summer nights. Cue lots of tossing and turning, frustrated huffing and plenty of pillow turning!

But hey, it could be worse. My bed could be made of cardboard like those in the Olympic Village… Still, at least the athletes are young enough and fit enough to cope. I remember the days when you could

sleep on any surface. Now I need a quilted memory foam mattress and two goose-down pillows to stand

any chance of getting in my eight hours of kip! On the plus side, lying awake for half the night has given me ample opportunity to ponder some of life’s big questions. And one topic that has continued to be the

focus of my midnight musings is leadership.

Specifically, what makes a good leader?

As Managing Director of All-Tag^® Europe, I’d love tosay that I sit in my 73rd floor vast corner office, gazing

upon the big city skyline out of floor to ceiling glass windows and simply watch legions of minions do my every bidding! But that couldn’t be further from the truth…

Being an incredibly lean and efficient organization means everyone chips in and gets their hands dirty –

including yours truly! Whether I’m jumping into the car to check out a new tagging roll-out, or making the team’s morning cuppa, you certainly won’t find me

taking a passive role.

That’s even more true now my Sales Director, David Dalton, has had the temerity to jet off on holiday! (Only joking Dave – it’s about time you had a well-earned break!).

So here I am, doing the work of two men (Who said “Laurel & Hardy”!?!). I guess it’s just as well I’m used to rolling up my sleeves and getting stuck in!

Would I have it any other way? Of course not. Over the years, I’ve realised you don’t get to where you want to be by being served. You get there by serving. Serving your team. Serving your customers. And serving your stakeholders.

But as a leader, how do you support your team to deliver the best results? For me, it boils down to honesty, integrity, credibility and trust…

I believe you earn the trust of those around you by keeping to your word. Doing what you say you’re going to do and demonstrating integrity on a consistent basis. It’s as simple as that.

And that mantra doesn’t just apply to your employees; being truthful with customers and stakeholders is equally important. It’s one of the reasons why we strive to manage their expectations and establish open lines of communication.

For example, if unforeseen circumstances result in a delay to a customer’s order, we’ll be honest. We keep them informed of the situation and then do whatever it takes to sort it out – even if that means working late or on weekends.

Likewise, if a retailer requests a tagging product we know isn’t quite right for their needs, we’ll tell them. And then we’ll fight tooth and nail to find a solution that is. And if we can’t? Then we’ll be honest and say we’re not the best company for the job.

So, after spending many a night mulling over the complexities of being a good leader, I’d like to say I’ve cracked the equivalent of the Enigma Code. But as it turns out, perhaps it’s not rocket science.

Now, if only getting a good night’s sleep was quite so simple…