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Drawing on over 300 years of British Army leadership experience, ’The Centre for Army Leadership Podcast’ looks to establish what is required of our leaders and our leadership, to meet the challenges of both today and tomorrow. For the British Army, leadership underpins everything that we do. It not only ensures we do right by our people, it underpins our operational success. This podcast series seeks to harness diversity of thought and experience from military leaders as well as leaders from the worlds of sport, academia and business, stimulating debate, awareness and critical thinking. Leadership matters to us all with many of our successes and indeed our failures often defined by how well we are led, or indeed by how well we lead. The purpose of the Podcast is to provide a platform where these invaluable leadership lessons and experiences can be shared.
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4 days ago
4 days ago
In this episode, our host Ash Bhardwaj speaks with Lt Col Rob Swan, a leader with a diverse career in the British Army. We explore the intersection of leadership, technical expertise, and the development of teams through Rob's unique perspective.
Col Swan's journey began when he commissioned into the Royal Logistics Corps (RLC) in 2004. His first experience in leadership came when he served as a transport troop commander during Operation TELIC 6 in Iraq, where he led combat logistics patrols. This was a defining period that set him on a path towards becoming an Ammunition Technical Officer (ATO) and, eventually, an Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operator. His leadership experience in EOD is particularly notable, where he balanced technical proficiency with the command of highly specialised, intelligent, and experienced teams.
Throughout the episode, He discusses the challenges of earning credibility when transitioning into leadership roles, particularly when managing teams of individuals with more experience in their technical trades. He shares how trust, both in his team's expertise and his own leadership, was crucial to his success. He also highlights the importance of building a culture where psychological safety is paramount, ensuring that team members feel safe to challenge their leader when necessary, especially in high stakes environments like EOD operations.
This episode provides a deep dive into leadership from the unique perspective of an officer who has navigated both the technical and command challenges within the Army. His insights on developing trust, the value of continual professional development, and adapting leadership styles based on individual team members’ needs offer valuable lessons for all leaders.
Join us as we explore how leadership is about more than just knowledge: it’s about experience, trust, and building strong, capable teams through the right balance of challenge, support, and understanding.
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