Leadership, Aligning Goals and Lessons from the Military
Tom Bodkin is the founder of Secret Compass, an organisation that pushes the boundaries of what is possible, taking people, brands and organisations to corners of the earth which many say isn’t feasible.
Tom was an Officer in the Parachute Regiment for 6 years, and commanded on operations in Afghanistan in 2008 and 2010, working alongside Afghan security forces. He’s also a qualified Jungle Warfare Instructor and has spent lots of time working in Africa and the rain forests of Brunei.
He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and loves ski-touring, snowboarding, mountain biking and kite-surfing, all the more when it is done in the world’s wildest places.
Summary
This is a conversation about going off the beaten path, both literally and figuratively. Tom’s experience in the military and subsequent foray into business highlights loads of fascinating learnings that we can all benefit from.
Tom shares his insight on how that combination has benefitted him and what it brings for him to drive Secret Compass forward in its current guise.
We also discuss many of the skills he developed during his time in the military, from leadership to dealing with failure.
Tom started Secret Compass as a partnership with Levison Wood, and we get into the benefits and challenges of working with co-founders and partners and what happens when it’s time to separate.
And of course, there are numerous incredible stories from Tom’s expeditions over the years, visiting some of the most remote and challenging places on the planet and coming out the other side.
From both a business and a personal development point of view, this was a great conversation with lots of things to takeaway.
Enjoy!
0:02:00
First interest in travel
0:06:00
Joining the army and life in the parachute regiment
0:14:00
First foray into business
0:20:00
What is Secret Compass and what does it look like now
0:22:00
What has the growth of the business looked like?
0:24:00
Switching focus during the pandemic
0:28:00
The co founder experience with Levison Wood
0:32:00
What makes a good team and a good team mate?
0:39:00
Marketing and attracting customers
0:44:00
Articulating business goals
0:47:00
Working with local partners
0:49:00
Challenges with the business, expeditions and the army
0:56:00
Where does he get inspiration from
0:59:00
Personal qualities that have led to success
1:04:00
Views on failure and what it means
1:06:00
How to be a good leader
1:07:00
The art of delegation
1:09:00
Routines and habits for performing at a high level
1:11:00
Coming up with new ideas
1:12:00
Favourite experiences
1:14:00
Recommendations for a new travel business
1:15:00
Future plans for Secret Compass
“Everything is only the sum of the little bits you put together. One thing at a time. You don’t need to do everything all at once. Start telling people about it. Deconstruct whatever it is you would like to do and turn it into the little steps you need to take to make it happen. Say it out loud. Saying it to other people makes it becomes real. When I told people about it it was real and existed. It takes a village to raise a business.”
Zakia Moulaoui
Founder, Invisible Cities
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