Page 106 - Rifles 2017 Issue No 3

Coaching and mentoring - Sjt Hopkins Leads by example
‘Chosen Men’
Chosen Men – 5 RIFLES Junior NCO Cadre
THE AIM WAS
TO ELEVATE
THE MIND-
SET FROM
THAT OF A
FOLLOWER
TO THAT OF A
LEADER
On a fresh January afternoon, 133 Ri emen formed up for a PFA in West Down Camp, Salisbury Plain. This marked the start of an arduous six weeks designed to assess these Ri emen on their potential. The course was built around two main themes: ‘Trusted Leadership’, and ‘Rfn should be led by the best.’
Trusted Leadership – a Regimental Mind-set
Long before the rank of Lance Corporal was employed by our Regiment, Chosen Men would lead by deserving the right. By passing cadres our Ri emen are still nding that the easiest rank to lose is the hardest to earn. But as the Army Sergeant Major reminded us, in his address during Final Ex, this right should be a call to serve those we lead. He mentioned how our junior leadership, needed for scattered teams of skirmishers, had always been the envy of other regiments. The cadre emphasis was therefore to train as we wanted, our Lance Corporals to lead. Unnecessary and baseless training methods were cut, on the principle that more is caught from example than from what is taught.
Ri emen should be led by the best
The Ri emen arrived on the cadre with a range of experiences among them. Some had not done a CT2 exercise, while others had been going on operations for over a decade. It was essential to establish whether or not the individual could achieve the standard as leadership depends on credibility. As a training team we were constantly surprised by some of the initially ‘unlikely’ candidates excelling.
The cadre programme went through the gears with the following structure:
‘Leaders of men’ week. The aim was to elevate the mind-set from that of a follower to that of a leader. The leadership programme was delivered with an emphasis on experience and reality, and included Capt Chris Mills offering a fresh perspective on ‘Leadership in camp’ and Col Nick Ilic MBE QGM speaking about ‘Chosen Men that have gone before’. After hearing about Lance Corporals of The Ri es and our antecedent Regiments performing extraordinary feats the platoons crashed out of the theatre to the sound of ‘The Advance’ to carry iron logs through the ice and mud to round off the week.
‘Trainers of men’ week. Candidates’ delivery of battle lessons and exercises allowed the section
Sound the Double - the Cadre marches off the square led by Chosen Man LCpl Malcolm