The Centre for Army Leadership Podcast

In this episode we speak with Doctor Victoria Carr, Primary School Head Teacher, Army Reservist in the Intelligence Corps, and Centre for Army Leadership Senior Research Fellow.

Combining her experience in leading in the education sector and as a military leader, Victoria provides a unique insight into how teams can benefit from leadership skills and experiences that transcend notably different environments. We discuss the importance of personal resilience, and the part it plays in fostering and nurturing emotional and psychological safety among teams. Importantly, we discuss how the display of 'love' by leaders for their teams is not a too strong of a word to use, even in a military context.

In this episode we speak to Sir Alex Younger KCMG, the former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service. Prior to his six-year tenure as ‘C’, Sir Alex was the Head of Counter Terrorism and obtained many operational roles worldwide. His time at MI6 was preceded by a stint in the British Army - first as a private soldier and later as a commissioned officer in the Scots Guards. 

We discuss Sir Alex’s captivating and varied career experience, which gives him a unique insight into leadership across a plethora of roles and responsibilities. All of his experiences are underpinned by his advocacy for values-driven leadership as a foundation for success, with his definition of vales being ‘a common set of moral expectations’. He emphasises that trust and empowered delegation, to those that know a situation best, is fundamental to collective success, and he comments on having a bias for action, where leaders must generate and use their agency to make things happen, with self-leadership acting as a foundation to be able to do so. He anticipates a future where a combination of complementary human and technological skill will be required by leaders in order to succeed, and that speaking truth to power is, and will remain, central to the success of the UK’s intelligence agencies.

In this episode we speak to Brigadier Jaish Mahan, who commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) in 1994 and has served in roles spanning the medical profession. He has deployed on seven operational tours, including Kosovo, Sierra Leone, the Iraq war and Afghanistan three times. Brigadier Mahan has been an Army Reservist since his transition from the Regular Army in 2016, and was Deputy Commander (Reserves) 7th Light Mechanised Brigade Combat Team, before taking up his current position as Deputy Commander (Reserves) 1st UK Division. 

 

Drawing from his experiences, Brigadier Mahan emphasised the importance of consistent and stable values and highlighted integrity as the pre-eminent one, due to the importance of creating trust between leaders and their teams. He also comments on how a leadership intervention can be pivotal in altering the dynamic of a team and the situation, and how establishing relationships with teams wider than your own, early on, can increase support later. He acknowledges the power of facilitating cognitive diversity in teams, allowing individuals and teams to find their own way using empowered delegation - a concept that the British Army recognises as Mission Command. 

In this episode we speak to former England cricketer, coach and now performance psychologist, Jeremy Snape. Jeremy's cricketing and coaching success at the highest levels proceeded a career which has branched out into performance psychology in other sports and the business world to. He offers a captivating perspective on how leadership is about doing the right thing, which is well aligned to the Army's perspective of leadership, grounded in our Values and Standards. Jeremy's moment of inspiration, driving him on to the path of leadership development and performance psychology actually came from a moment of failure on his part, from a mistake on a single ball during a high-profile match. Jeremy also spoke about the value of when to analyse difficult moments and when to rely on instinct to get you through, and the skill involved in recognising which approach to use when - something the Army recognise as situational leadership; matching the right leadership style and skills to the people that need leading in a particular moment.

 

To follow Jeremy on LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/jeremysnape Explore Sporting Edge: www.sportingedge.com                                          For his podcast: https://shorturl.at/iKPS3 

In this episode, we speak to US Army Major Ben Ordiway and Lt Colonel Kevin Cutright, based at the United States Military Academy at Westpoint. We discuss their developing concepts of Moral Terrain Coaching and how to consider empathy towards our adversary to gain an operational advantage. Both concepts are fundamentally important when the stakes are high, and for leaders to make time to engage with, train and practice the practical execution of morals, ethics and empathy if we are to prevail against our enemies, but also to protect our own forces. At its most basic level, there can be positive tactical advantages gained from being increasingly empathetic towards adversaries by understanding and anticipating them better, and being able to defeat them in more nuanced ways. 

In this episode, we speak to Tony Adams MBE, a football icon renowned for his remarkable contributions to Arsenal and the England national team. Tony's career spans playing at the pinnacle of the sport, where he not only showcased his prowess on the field but also in his captaincy for England. Beyond his playing days, he undertook a coaching and managerial journey that transcended international borders.

Yet, among the triumphs in both playing and management, we delve into the poignant moments of Tony's life - specifically, his challenges with alcohol addiction and mental health. Our discussion navigates the complexities of Tony's leadership approach, both on the pitch and throughout his personal life. We examine how he effectively managed the relentless pressures inherent in leading at the highest echelons of the sport, offering a profound insight into the resilience required to navigate such a demanding and spotlighted career.

In this episode, our host Colonel Henry Llewellyn-Usher speaks with Commander UK Strategic Command, General Sir James (Jim) Hockenhull, KBE, ADC Gen. General Jim commissioned into the Intelligence Corps in 1986 and has extensive operation experience across the globe. His Staff experience includes role at the UK Ministry of Defence, and at the US Command and General Staff College. He has extensive experience working in and with multinational forces. He was Chief of Campaign Plans in Headquarters Multinational Force Iraq, and Chief Plans at Headquarters Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) and subsequently deployed to Afghanistan. On promotion to Brigadier in 2009, he assumed the role of Director Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) at Army Headquarters, and in Sep 2011 he returned to the Ministry of Defence as Head Military Strategic Planning. In June 2013, he was promoted to Major General, and deployed to Kabul as Director of the Ministry of Defence Advisory Group, before taking up his post as Director Cyber Intelligence and Information Integration in Mar 2015. In Dec 2018, General Jim assumed the appointment of Chief of Defence Intelligence on promotion to Lieutenant General. In 2022 General Hockenhull was appointed Commander UK Strategic Command.

In this episode, we speak to Lieutenant General Ian Cave CB, as he reflects on his imminent departure as Commander Home Command.

General Cave speaks about how he views leader development as a whole-career endeavour, and how his early leadership lessons continue to impact on his leadership style today. He speaks about the importance of self-awareness, and the ability to adjust his leadership style to the varied situations he has found himself in as a military commander. He also speaks about the strengths of young people in the Army today, and how he welcomes both the expectations they have of their leaders, and their modern approach to how they apply their own leadership styles.

General Cave notes the spirit of openness and the value of welcoming challenge in a leadership approach as a great start point, but that this needed to be routinely practiced and rewarded within the team if it is to become genuinely effective. He also shares his view that humility was the most preeminent trait in great leadership, and that humour, of the right nature, and at the right time, can go a long way in lifting the morale of a team under pressure.

Finally, as he describes how it felt to be leading the military contribution to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's funeral, and His Majesty King Charles III's coronation, he fell back on the value of wearing responsibilities lightly and using the Army's Values and Standards as the foundation for getting things right when under pressure.

In this episode we speak to Brigadier James Cook OBE, who commissioned into the Royal Artillery (RA) in 1995. He has served most of his Regimental Duty in 29 Commando Regiment RA and commanded 105 Regiment RA. He completed the Combat Arms Fighting Systems Course at the Royal College of Military Sciences in 1999, and has instructed soldiers in training as well as being a Company Commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

As a member of the General Staff, he has focused on the future of warfare as Assistant Head of Concepts in Army HQ, been the Assistant Head of Career Management of the General Staff in the Army Personnel Centre, and is now Director of the work that is developing the future of the Army's personnel and talent management: Programme CASTLE.

He is also the Chairman of Army Rugby Union and a member of the Army Football Union Board, being appointed an OBE in 2016 for services to Army sport. He is also Chair of the RA historical committee, and the chair of both a Governors' and Parent Teachers' Association. He completed his Phd in 2020 on how the British Army transformed during the first World War.

In this episode we speak to the Chief of the General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders, KCB, CBE, DSO, ADC Gen. Commissioned into the Royal Green Jackets (RGJ) in 1984, he served in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Bosnia, before commanding the 2nd Battalion RGJ in 2005, where he managed their transition to become the 4th Battalion the Rifles, deploying with them to Iraq in 2007. In 2009, he commanded 20th Armoured Brigade, a role in which he deployed to Afghanistan to command Task Force Helmand in 2011. Subsequently, he served as the Chief of Defence Staff's Liaison Officer to the US Joint Chiefs of Staff in 2012, later becoming Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Operations) in the UK Ministry of Defence. Following his command of the 3rd (UK) Division in 2015, General Patrick assumed the role of Commander Field Army in 2016. He later took command of Joint Force Command (now Strategic Command) in 2019 and, in June 2022, became Chief of the General Staff and professional head of the British Army.