Leadership Lessons
韩国AV Cadet Jemma (Year 11) reports on a recent excursion to Victoria Barracks and some military leadership lessons applicable to us all.
Last Thursday, 10 Year 11 students had the privilege of visiting Victoria Barracks with Shore School, Scots College and Kincoppal-Rose Bay School to develop our leadership skills.
We were addressed by Brigadier Wells, along with captains and corporals from the Australian Army. They shared their personal leadership values and how they have applied them to some immensely challenging situations.
We collaborated on activities throughout the day and learned the importance of a pressure test, to gauge our abilities in a controlled environment, to ensure we remained confident in ourselves and each other.
A highlight was hearing firsthand from a lieutenant colonel about his experiences with two different types of leaders. One corporal led physical training with the same structure and commands every week. The other corporal led the activities in an individualised manner, accounting for personal differences. At the end of the day, both were treated with respect but only one received help to pack up by the trainees.
The corporal explained that this example shows there is immense value in how something is done rather than just what is done. The meaning for us Cadets was that regardless of the position you hold, whether in a sporting team, school, or a job, it is important to act with others' interests in mind.
We then heard a touching story of a captain deployed to Afghanistan. He was challenged with the task of choosing and evacuating 4,168 people to Australia. Whilst not all of us serve in this way, we can learn from this contribution and the spirit of putting others before ourselves and feeling empathy for what it might be like to stand in another’s shoes. This defence force personnel spent days awake, donating their food to the civilians, having been prepared by previous pressure tests and building the ability to trust the man or woman next to them.
As an experience, the day was very valuable and contained lessons that can be applied to anyone’s approach to leadership. I think the key points were:
- Don’t expect someone else to do something you are not prepared to do yourself.
- Lead in a way that makes others feel supported and show empathy, as everyone is fighting a great battle of their own.
- Most importantly, know yourself as a leader and understand how to respond in situations.
We were highly grateful for this experience and hope that next year, more Wenonians can learn first-hand from the men and women who serve and protect our nation.