Penguin Random House invites you to the launch of The Essence of Success: Insights into Leadership and Strategy from Sport, Business, Politics and War by Greg Mills and Emanuele Pirro.

Guest speakers: Former President of Botswana Ian Khama, Mcebisi Jonas and Helen Zille.

Event details

Date: Thursday 23 October 2025
Time: 17:30 for 18:00
Venue: Villa Arcadia, Hollard Campus, 22 Oxford Road, Parktown, Johannesburg
RSVP: rsvp@penguinrandomhouse.co.za

About the book

How have people managed extraordinary things to escape the shackles of their circumstances? Can success be taught, or does it depend on personal talent alone – is it nature or nurture? Does luck have a part to play?

The Essence of Success finds common threads across different disciplines – sport, business, war and politics. A consistent set of leadership attributes emerges, around personal organisation and dedication, maintaining attention to detail while keeping an eye on clear and realisable long-term goals, assiduous planning and careful prioritisation, building a team that delivers institutional capacity and personal support, compiling experience and building skills, focusing on changing yourself rather than others, taking a long view and thinking things through to the finish.

All these factors contribute to the achievement of success over different eras, in diverse settings, in public life as well as private business, in conflict and in the sporting arena.

The book’s overall message is one of empowerment, whatever the level of your potential. Just as Sir Chris Hoy told the authors, ‘The only person you have to beat is yourself, yesterday.’

Categories International Non-fiction South Africa

Tags Book events Book launches Emanuele Pirro Greg Mills Johannesburg Penguin Random House SA The Essence of Success