Northamptonshire managers learn soldiers' management techniques from Army

The bosses were learning military methods to be used in their workplaces.

‘Exercise Executive Leader’ introduced participants to the key parts of Army leadership before they took part in several tasks to test their new skills.

Lieutenant Colonel Matt Ketterer, the Commanding Officer of East Midlands Universities Officer Training Corps who organised the day, said: “This event provides an insight into Army Leadership and an opportunity for the executives to review how they lead using best practice from both the military and civilian domain.

“It also highlights the practical skills that all members of the Army will develop and how they can be brought back and applied to the civilian workplace.”

Public sector and private sector organisations took part in the event including Northamptonshire County Council (NCC) and Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

Caroline Thickens, a Public Health Intelligence Manager at NCC said: “I’ve recently started managing a new team so I thought it would be good to refresh the leadership values so I could take it back to the team.

“It’s different to the standard leadership training and there is a lot to learn.”

Stephen Marks who is a Public Health Principal at NCC added: “It’s a useful opportunity to see how things are done in a different environment, you can always learn from the way things are done in different organisations.

“I think it’s reinforcing that some of the most important things about good leadership are very basic, it’s about integrity, honesty, trust and understanding people.

“It’s not necessarily as complicated as some people might think.”

After a final challenge participants were presented with certificates of achievement.

All of the organisations that took part have signed the Armed Forces Covenant and have earned a Silver Award or higher through the scheme.