A. S. Elliott Get the free workbook

The Vice-Captain
Principle

Leadership learned by doing - in five arenas

Book cover: The Vice-Captain Principle by Aaron S. Elliott

A leadership book with no theory in it. Just what actually worked, and what didn't, across a hockey pitch, a committee room, a charity ride and a product team. Written by someone still doing all of it.

The premise

Five arenas, one set of lessons

Leadership hides in places that don't have "leader" in the job title. The book pulls its lessons from five of them:

Sport

Captaining and rebuilding a hockey club, not just running it.

A charity ride

London to Brighton, leading when everyone's a volunteer.

University

A study group and a business challenge, before anyone gave me a title.

Politics

From a local campaign to a seat in the council chamber.

Tech

From writing the code to running the product.

The author

Husband. Father. Captain. Chief Whip. Group Leader. Manager.

Aaron S. Elliott has spent years leading in more than one arena at once, and getting it wrong often enough to learn something worth writing down. He captains a hockey side, leads a group on his local council, and runs digital products for a living.

This is the book he wishes someone had handed him at the start: proof that leadership isn't reserved for people with the right job title, and that you can learn it almost anywhere if you're paying attention.

Leadership isn't a job title. It's something you can pick up almost anywhere, if you're paying attention.

Be first through the door on launch day

The Vice-Captain Principle lands in October 2026. Get the workbook now, and I'll make sure this list hears first.

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