An Officer Cadet and a Head Teacher: Reflections on the Reserve Commissioning Course By Vic Carr Last year I made an error. I posted in LinkedIn. I posted about being a middle-aged Headteacher, a female officer cadet, starting her reserve course at Sandhurst. Why was it an error? Not because I received a pile-on. On…
The Modern Regimental Sergeant Major By WO1 Lee Jones I write this as I reach the end of my non-commissioned career, finishing my time as RSM of the 1st Battalion, The Rifles. Before I left, I wanted to share my thoughts on what I think it means to be an RSM these days. Gone are…
Rifle vs Support Company: How Cultural Bias is Damaging the Infantry’s Specialists By Carl Brindley There are two thousand years of experience to tell us that the only thing harder than getting a new idea into the military is getting an old idea out. B.H. Liddell-Hart As someone currently serving as the Officer Commanding (OC)…
Learning to Lead – The Hard Way By LCpl David Griffiths It is easy to write about leadership. Putting pen to paper or finger to keyboard is the easy part. It takes no real effort and can be done from bed. The real difficulty lies in practicing leadership. I have learnt this the hard way.…
Get off Their Backs! A JNCO’s Guide to Avoiding Micromanagement By Ben Hayden I walked down the stairs to the company offices ready for the obligatory 1030 post-phys roll call. At 1020 I was welcomed by the sight of 72 Guardsmen, stood in the rain in three ranks, nearly ten minutes early on a wet…
Locked Up Potential: Thief, Prisoner, Soldier, Priest By The Army Leader Team Does the leadership style or the lessons learned in one institution translate from that organisation to the next? Paul Cowley MBE is a man whose life has been spent working in and around different institutions; he served time in a young offenders’ prison…
Get Your AR Right – Every Year By Brig James Cook The Army’s reporting system often gets a tough ride. People do not always get the job they want and we are in a competitive business with high quality people. That said, it is well recognised that, as in any office environment, there are things…
50 Free Online Courses for Your COVID-19 Self Isolation By The Army Leader Whether you are self-isolated at home due to family infection, following government advice, or dispersed to protect yourself before you get activated as part of the Army’s Covid Support Force, this does not need to be wasted time. Of course you can…
Rethinking Planning and Improving Survivability By Des FitzGerald On the evening of the 10th June 1944 in the chateau at La Caine, 18km Southwest of Caen, the officers of the Headquarters Panzer Group West had their evening meal disturbed by an air raid warning. They rushed into the gardens to watch what was happening, coincidentally…
Honest Mistakes and Better Soldiers By Lance Corporal David Griffiths My Company Commander once briefed my company on how to make honest mistakes into positive experiences. He explained how they were, in retrospect, good if not essential things. We can all read about leadership and talk about being better soldiers until the sun goes down…