READY FOR TODAY – EVOLVING FOR TOMORROW
Junior NCOs, Senior NCOs and Warrant Officers of Imjin Barracks gathered in the Imjin WOs’ and Sgts’ Mess for a day of leadership study and workshops
ensuring they support similar aspirations
and development in their subordinates.
Areas that require constant review
include
generational
mind-sets,
communication methods, the operational
environment, and culture shifts.
To remain relevant requires evolution and
change. If evolution does not occur the
organisation will cease to be relevant and
will become ineffective. The NCO Corps,
by its very nature, strives to enhance
professionalism, adapt to change, and
use innovative new methods. Within HQ
ARRC, this ethos has led to the creation
of an NCO Leadership Development
Committee whose role is to oversee and
direct ARRC investment in in the human
capital of its NCO cohort.
Leadership Challenges for an
NCO in a NATO HQ
When working at regimental duty
NCOs have considerable authority
and autonomy. In a Headquarters
environment NCOs can feel more
constrained because there is less
opportunity for empowerment. This
difference can be exacerbated by the
diff ering opportunities between and
within branches. Another consideration
is
the
requirement
to
support
professional development in line with
national requirements. Knitting with the
needs of the organisation and the NATO
NCO responsibilities is a challenge;
one the NCO Leadership Development
Committee is currently striving to
understand and overcome.
Soldiers are taught Leadership from the
beginning of Army life. Private soldiers are
encouraged to show leadership in camp
the challenge is finding a method of
developing leadership in the office-
focused, firm-base environment. This is
a challenge that we must rise to if we
are to maximise the human capital of our
NCO cohort.
Effective and influential NCOs are essential to
help balance and shape the best strategy for the
organisation.
or on operations. The first challenge for
an NCO in a NATO HQ is the change in
responsibility. The requirement to ‘lead
soldiers in a regiment using methods
such as motivation, inspiration, discipline
and reward’, becomes ‘working with lots
of officers and fewer soldiers from a wide
range of nations’.
Related to this is the fact that the
definition/employability of NCOs is not
consistent across all NATO nations. This
can result in NCOs not being employed in
the most appropriate role within the HQ,
something which should be considered
when new NCOs arrive at the ARRC.
The environment also changes. When
working in a regiment or on a military
course, leadership continuation training
is mostly done ‘in the field’, often
on exercise. Within a headquarters,
Conclusion
An organisation is only as good as its
people. NCOs are a key part of any
military headquarters. The skills and
knowledge they have gathered over the
years can and must be adapted and
exploited to maximise their contribution.
Forward
thinking
and
conscious
investment will exploit full intellectual
capability. A mind-set change and
innovative development programmes will
ensure we teach our soldier ‘how to think’
and maximise investment in their human
capital.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
SSgt Amy O’Hara is currently serving as
Chief Clerk in the G3 branch at HQ Allied
Rapid Reaction Corps.
ALLIED RAPID REACTION CORPS
57