Leadership Skills - The Army Way

An insight to the day from Ellie and Vicky:

At the end of October last year, Life Environmental Services were one of only a few companies selected to be invited to Bodney Camp in Thetford for a leadership activity day, where the aim of the day was to introduce us to the way the Army teaches leadership with a focus on both theory and practical application. Vicky and I were asked if we were interested in representing the company and, of course, we jumped at the opportunity.

After arriving at the camp that morning, we were provided with tea, coffee and biscuits, with a chance to have an initial chat with some of the guys from the Army leading the day, and some people from other companies lucky enough to attend.

We then had multiple talks based around what a leader is, the qualities they possess, and how over time, it would be something we could become, as well as joining together in groups to share our ideas.

That afternoon, we then went off around the camp in small groups with a leader and participated in multiple activities both mental and physical. For the mental tasks, we had to make a box that would transport one cup of water to another without spilling it and secondly make a small aerodynamic vehicle to win a speed race, both testing our leadership and team work skills, as well as our quick thinking ability.

You could probably say we both enjoyed the physical activities a little more! We endured what was only a tiny snippet of the physical strength they have to prove to even join the Army in weight and running tests, a scavenger hunt to find all things related to a mission in the woods, and lastly (and definitely the best) shooting the training guns at targets. 

It was an unforgettable experience, one which ended the day with an “Exercise Future Leader” certificate for us both. We cannot praise the guys who took the day enough, they were all amazing, made the day extremely fun and very informative. I do not think anything could have made us appreciate how amazing these people are from hearing their stories and experiences, and how lucky we are to have them fighting for our country. We would absolutely recommend taking this opportunity if it ever arose for anyone! Oh… did we mention we won every single task we were set either as a pair or in a group? No wonder they were asking us to join the reserves!