Leadership Lessons from the Mining Greats

Mining & Minerals - Evaluations / Mineral Exploration Activities - General

Date posted: 04/07/17

Will Coetzer opines about the traits that make a successful leader in the mining industry. Enough has been written about leadership over the years to fill several libraries. Yet it has always astonished him how little has been written by people with the long-term track record of success to warrant being considered an authority. Once one eliminates the learned tomes of academics and the rapidly published, slim volumes by the one-hit wonders, one is left with very few books that have stood the test of time. For every Good to Great, there is a hundred titles like Build Your Business the Friends Reunited Way. So, when Coetzer decided to write a research report on the traits that make for a successful leader in the mining industry, he asked some of the most respected names in the sector with years of success under their belts. Which is how he came to be sitting down with the likes of Lukas Lundin, Rick Rule, Maryse Belanger, Ross Beaty, Ian Pearce, Catherine McLeod Seltzer, Hugh Morgan, Mark O Dea, David Netherway and investor Jim Mellon to discuss the traits and approaches that have helped them become and remain so successful. While each interviewee had his or her own unique story to share, Coetzer was struck by the commonalities that emerged. And although he did not believe there can be a foolproof blueprint for success, it would be folly to ignore the collective wisdom of this group of luminaries. Many of the leaders I spoke to had family connections with mining, some going back more than one generation, and most confessed to a childhood interest in the great outdoors, leading to the study of geology at university. But it was the decisions they made after joining the industry that secured their long-term success. Coetzer has identified seven themes that were mentioned by all or most of the interviewees.... 1. Mentors 2. Hard work 3. Hands-on Experience 4. Patience 5. Mistakes 6. Communication 7. Nurture Talent Plus: Sustained success takes more than luck.