Lesson 2 — Locate your train set

Excellence can’t happen in the attic. You need to be practicing and practising at all times. And without a train set, you’re stuck. What’s a train set? It’s any project, product or team you have agency over.

One of my first train sets was a water treatment plant. It provided de-mineralised water to a power station. I had one direct report. But working with Berenice wasn’t where my leadership skills were honed.

I learned everything from the engineers, contractors, delivery drivers, production teams, safety representatives, hazardous chemicals, environmental regulations… the list went on.

I learned what poor looked like (think leaky pipes, chemical spills, zero stock, plant failure, factory shut). At times it was stressful. And eventful. On one occasion I was called in on New Year’s Eve. But I made sure these moments weren’t repeated.

I learned quickly.

I learned enough to make a dent. We provided simple instructions, on-the-job training, re-labelled pipework, invested in environmental issues, automated stock control and improved communication. It worked. We made massive leaps forward.

A train set will help accelerate your development like nothing else. It’ll provide real life examples. It’ll put you in situations no amount of theory can do. It’ll set you up for future success.

Without a train set, there is no dent.