The Human Advantage

A trigger warning- this podcast discusses combat operations in detail, talks about injury, death and the psychological impact of combat, you may want to skip this episode if this will affect you. 

In this episode, our Host Ash Bhardwaj, speaks with WO1 Aidan O’Brien, Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) of Oxford Universities Officers Training Corps. Aidan has served a lengthy military career in the Grenadier Guards, with operational tours in Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, and Afghanistan, and played a pivotal role in both state ceremonial duties and front-line operations. 

Aidan shares his journey from donning the bearskin and scarlet tunic for state ceremonial duties in Nijmegen Company to leading reconnaissance missions and training soldiers at ITC Catterick and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Throughout the episode, Aidan delves into his experiences as a leader, emphasising the importance of adapting leadership styles to support those around you, especially in moments of failure and adversity. He reflects on the challenges of leadership in both combat and training environments, highlighting the lessons he’s learned about resilience, empathy, and teamwork. Aidan also shares personal stories and discusses the evolving nature of leadership in the Army and how junior leaders can be prepared for success on future operations. 

This episode offers an insightful look into leadership, resilience, and the personal challenges that come with guiding teams through demanding operational and ceremonial duties. Aidan’s experiences serve as a powerful reminder of the critical role leadership plays in both military success and personal development.

In this episode, we delve into the theme of courage in leadership, both moral and physical, through the powerful and inspiring story of Warrant Officer Class 2, Johnson Beharry VC COG.

Johnson Beharry takes us through his harrowing experiences in Iraq, where he displayed extraordinary bravery under enemy fire, making split-second decisions that saved the lives of his comrades. He recounts the intense moments of leading his team through ambushes, including the time he ran through fire to disable a weapon system that could have been used against them, for which he was awarded a Victoria Cross.

Beyond his battlefield heroics, Johnson also opens up about the importance of self-care and the challenges of looking after one's own welfare in high-stress environments. He candidly shares his struggles with combat stress, offering a deeply moving perspective on the mental toll of warfare and the strength required to confront it.

Join us as we explore not only the heroic deeds that earned Johnson Beharry this prestigious honor, but also the personal battles he faced along the way, shedding light on the true nature of courage in the face of unimaginable adversity.

In this episode, our host Ash Bhardwaj sits down with Major Robin White of The Rifles to explore the intricacies of leadership through the lens of a seasoned military professional. Robin shares his journey from commissioning into the Light Infantry in 2006 to commanding roles in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Robin's career has taken him from frontline deployments on OP TELIC 13 in Iraq and OP HERRICK 15 in Afghanistan to pivotal staff roles at NATO's Allied Rapid Reaction Corps and The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. Through these experiences, he offers insights into how humility, 360-degree feedback, and effective delegation are essential to leadership development.

Robin also highlights how fostering enjoyment in leadership, alongside building a sense of identity and fairness within a team, can inspire individuals to excel. His stories and lessons provide a comprehensive look at what it takes to lead successfully under pressure.

Join us as we dive into the vital aspects of leadership, from accepting feedback to building motivated teams that thrive.

In this episode, our host Ash Bhardwaj speaks with Maj Charlie Ruggles-Brise and WO1 Dai Chant of 1st The Queen’s Dragoon Guards, “The Welsh Cavalry.” We explore the intricacies of leadership and development through the unique perspectives of two military professionals who have worked closely together since early on in their careers.

Charlie and Dai first crossed paths on Op HERRICK 9 in Afghanistan, when Dai was a junior vehicle commander and Charlie was a new Troop Leader. Their collaboration grew, eventually leading them to command A Squadron, with Charlie as Squadron Leader and Dai as Squadron Sergeant Major.

Dai highlights how developing individuals often happens "in the margins," where leaders adapt their styles to meet the unique needs of their team members. Charlie emphasises the importance of taking teams on the decision-making journey, noting how communication and transparency are vital to effective leadership.

This episode is unique in that it brings together perspectives from both the commissioned and non-commissioned career pathways, offering a comprehensive look at what it takes to lead effectively.

Join us as we explore how leadership is about more than just making decisions, it's about understanding your team, adapting in the margins, and leading with unity. 

In this episode our host, Ash Bhardwaj, speaks to Colonel Jax Powell. Colonel Powell joined the Army in 1994, commissioning into the Royal Logistic Corps (RLC). She has served on operations in the Balkans, Iraq, Afghanistan and Mali. She has also held several Staff roles including stints at the Permanent Joint Headquarters (PJHQ), Army Headquarters, Home Command, and at the Development Concepts Doctrine Centre. Her junior career included a tenure as a Platoon Commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) and, more recently, she has been an Officer Commanding (OC) of an RLC subunit on Op HERRICK in Afghanistan, and the Commanding Officer (CO) of 25 training regiment. Since joining the General Staff, Col Powell has been Deputy Commandant RMAS and Commander University Officer Training Corps (UOTC). Col Jax will be the next Corps Colonel for the RLC.

In this episode we speak to Sergeant Ashley Siddall of the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). He began his career at the Army Foundation College Harrogate, at the age of 16, culminating in him joining the RAMC. After completing his trade training as a  medic, providing pre-hospital care, Sgt Siddall joined 16 Medical Regiment, and has since deployed to Afghanistan on Op HERRICK 13, has served on Op OLYMPIC in London, and on operations in Somalia. He proceeded to complete the Black Serpent course to provide medical support in the joint service environment, before being attached to various combat regiments, including The Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) and 1st Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment (1LANCS), where he worked in their Regimental Aid Posts on operations, exercises and in barracks. Ash is now posted to 22 Multi Medical Regiment, as a Troop Sergeant to 32 (A) Squadron. 

We discuss his leadership journey, and the significance reflection has played in allowing him to develop, and re-frame his approach to leading, as well as the negative impact that toxic leadership has on junior leaders finding their leadership style. 

In this episode, we speak to Major David Love, Royal Military Police (RMP), in his role as SO2 Army Leadership at the Centre for Army Leadership (CAL).

We discuss how the CAL are developing the concepts and theory of leadership into tools that the Army can use. He focusses on the importance of understanding your people, and how by taking a human-centred approach to leadership enhances unit and team cohesion, as well as drawing upon the strengths of each individual to achieve greater operational outputs. We also discuss the role of unit identity and the importance of creating the feelings of belonging to forge a cohesive team. Underpinning all of this was understanding the role that empathy plays, firstly by reflecting on examples of where he had been led poorly and being able to evaluate that to shape how he would lead when he was given that responsibility.

In this episode we speak to Lieutenant Colonel Ed Fraser of the Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, formerly the 1st Battalion The King's Regiment, which he commissioned into in 2001. He served in Afghanistan on Op HERRICK, and twice in Iraq on Op TELIC. Away from regimental duty, Lt Col Fraser instructed as a Platoon Commander at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, was a Staff Officer in the Army HQ Operational Training and Advisory Group and served as a Military Assistant to the Commanding General US Army Europe. He also led a Mission Support Team for the African Union Mission in Somalia on Op TANGHAM. He attended the Advanced Staff and Command Course at the Defence Academy before his tenure as Commanding Officer of the 4th Battalion The Duke of Lancaster's Regiment, which saw him oversee their contribution to Op INTERFLEX. 

We discussed Lt Col Fraser's self-awareness of his leadership style and how it has developed over time, drawing on two particular examples from training prior to Platoon Command. He comments on competency, the ability to do your job from a technical perspective and knowing your your craft entirely, and the necessity of pairing it with human understanding - knowing your people and what makes them 'tick'. Lt Col Fraser recognises the significance of identity and creating a shared purpose, and references to the experience of creating sub-unit identities which aligned with the purpose of training Ukrainian soldiers, on Op INTERFLEX, to facilitate operational effectiveness across the whole team. 

In this episode we speak with Lieutenant Colonel Simon Farebrother MC. Simon commissioned in 2001 into the Queen's Dragoon Guards (QDG) - a light cavalry regiment that specialises in reconnoissance. He served on operations on Op BANNER in Northern Ireland, on Op HERRICK in Afghanistan, and on Op TELIC in Iraq. His troop was attached to 3 Commando Brigade during the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, for which Simon was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for gallantry.

Away from regimental duty, he was a Troop Leader at the Army Training Unit in Winchester. He later taught newly promoted Majors on the Intermediate Command and Staff Course (Land) at Shrivenham, before attending the Advanced Command and Staff Course himself. He later commanded the Army Foundation College at Harrogate throughout the COVID pandemic, and is now Deputy Chief of Staff at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS).

In this episode we learn how the partnership between officers and non-commissioned officers is vital to the Army's performance, and how the organisational culture we create as leaders determines the way people integrate and behave.

In this episode we speak to Major Daljinder Singh Virdee MBE. Major Virdee commissioned into the Royal Army Medical Corps in 2015 as a pharmacist Professionally Qualified Reserve Officer. Following regimental duty with 256 Field Hospital, he re-roled as a Medical Support Officer and went into full-time Reserve service (FTRS). He has since worked in staff roles at Headquarters Regional command, generating forces for deployments and policy and guidance to aid in community engagement and recruiting. Along the way, he developed engagement guides with certain British communities, and codified the dress code for Sikh soldiers. 

This episode explores the power of staff work in cultural change and the challenges of teamwork and leadership in the policy environment. We also consider the opportunities for the learning of leadership in the British Army, which is otherwise omitted based on assumption of understanding in some civilian occupations.