Mon séjour en Afrique du Sud (Cape Town)

ROY Andersen's autobiography, Commanding Heights, is a quick and easy read for anyone interested in the man himself or in leadership generally. It includes leadership lessons learned from diverse sources, including Nelson Mandela and Constand Viljoen.

As Executive President of the Johannesburg Stock Exchange from 1992 to 1997, Andersen was responsible for its restructuring.

Then he became chief executive of Liberty Life from 1997 to 2003, and in 2004 was appointed chairman of Murray & Roberts Holdings, Virgin Active South Africa and Sanlam Limited.

The essence of the book is the duality of Andersen's roles in the military and in business. This is obvious from the picture on the book cover a man's chest with one side of his jacket a navy pin-striped suit and the other the dark green of an army uniform adorned with medals. The book is written as an account of personal experiences, largely in the SADF, and later the SANDF, closely analysed and translated into leadership lessons and skills which Andersen then put into practice in his corporate career.

The book is an analysis of leadership styles and strategies, the importance of planning and preparedness in any undertaking.

Andersen's military career began more by chance than by choice as he was the only matriculant of his high school in 1966 to be conscripted into the then South African Defence Force. His corporate career was a more deliberate choice but the skills he developed in the army he applied in the office and the boardroom, with obvious success.

The writing is clear and straightforward, with an unsurprisingly military-style crispness. Don't be put off by the emphasis on the army though one doesn't have to know anything about commanding an army as the complicated bits are explained in layman's terms.

Andersen doesn't hide his light under a bushel and lists his numerous achievements very matter-of-factly. And in case you missed anything along the way, his curriculum vitae is included as Appendix 2. That alone is worth a read if you're in the mood to be humbled.

The impressive CV can perhaps be explained in part when he describes his working day and says if necessary, I can work 12 hours non-stop from 7:30am, with perhaps 15 minutes off for a sandwich."