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…
Names Matter: The US Military Must Take a Strong Stance on Bases Named after Confederate Leaders By Dave Hansen, US Army. The opinions in this article are his own and not an official representation of the US Army, DoD or the US Government. On Monday the 8th of June US Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy stated…
Lockdown Leadership: A Guardsman’s Perspective By Guardsman David Griffiths As you read these words the lockdown may well be relaxing and almost over. But when I wrote them, I was, as you probably were, in the sixth week of a lockdown that changed all our lives perhaps more than we thought it would. It led…
Leadership Lessons for Father’s Day If you’re a father, then Father’s Day is a great day. Depending on the age of your children, there’s half a chance you’ll get a lie in, you’ll probably get taken out for a meal somewhere and with any luck your children will at least attempt to pay you some…
Role Models and Vulnerability By Richard Clark If you read any book on military leadership then you will quickly realise the importance of relationships; trying and exert authority without the approval or consent of your subordinates is destined to failure. No one will work for a prick, it’s as simple as that. The importance of…
Five leadership lessons for children An Army Leader’s Father’s Day – Part 1 If you’re a father, then Father’s Day is a great day. Depending on the age of your children, there’s half a chance you’ll get a lie in, you’ll probably get taken out for a meal somewhere and with any luck your children…
The Unpopular Man: Leading as a Lance Corporal By CSgt Aaron Kerin In July 2006 I attended my Potential Junior Non Commissioned Officers’ Cadre. I was still junior. Fresh faced (even, perhaps, baby-faced). I’d arrived in the battalion only 18 months earlier, only 18 years old. But I had completed a tour of Iraq, Operation…
James Mattis’s Leadership Philosophy By The Army Leader You’d have to have been living in a hole to not have heard of James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis. The current Secretary of Defense and former United States Marine Corps General has a legendary reputation in the US armed forces. It’s a reputation built on stories of his no-nonsense combat and…
Breaking the Mould – How to Change, Develop and Improve Instruction By Martyn Cook Recently I witnessed, with a heavy heart, a group of trainees being disciplined by their Corporal instructor. Swearing, derogatory language and general de-motivation – it really was sad to listen to. And thankfully, it’s very rare to see these days. When I took the Platoon Commander, who was watching, aside…
Never Off Duty – Are You A Social Role Model Too? By The Army Leader Today I watched Padre Johanna Jepson and Lt Col Nick MacKenzie talk at the Centre for Army Leadership. The talk was livestreamed over Facebook. They talked about the inmate rehabilitation programme at Louisiana State Penitentiary in a talk titled ‘Unexpected…