Leeds Beckett University - City Campus,
Woodhouse Lane,
LS1 3HE
Leadership in the British Army
The series, which showcases eminent leaders from different sectors and kick-starts dialogue and debate on what leadership in the 21st Century involves, was launched on Tuesday 3 November by the Major General, a former Commandant of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Honorary Colonel of the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery and President of Royal Artillery Orienteering.
In his talk, Major General Skeates alluded to the notion that, whilst the leadership model established by the British Army is emulated worldwide, there is much it can learn from its allies, academia and its colleagues in the public and commercial sector as its evolves its approach in developing the next generation of ‘battle-ready’ leaders.
Speaking at the lecture, Major General Skeates said: “Leadership cannot be taught, only learnt; a sentiment that underpins the British Army Training Corps. The theory of it is simple, but the practicality is very difficult and takes years to execute efficiently.
“A proficient leader adheres to the model which comprises courage, discipline, respect, integration, loyalty and selfless commitment in equal measures - following any of these blindly or too rigorously can result in the downfall of any good leader.”
Professor Simon Robinson, Director of the Centre for Governance, Leadership and Global Responsibility, added: “To welcome Major General Skeates to our University was a great honour. His talk was both insightful and inspirational. I could particularly relate to his idea that an individual’s leadership skills should not be measured by their success or failure but how they deal with- and resolve- situations when out of their comfort zone.”
The Centre for Governance, Leadership and Global Responsibility was launched in 2014 as a University-wide research centre. It aims to address issues in governance and responsibility, across all sectors, in a global context. For more information go to the Centre for Governance, Leadership and Global Responsibility.
The full list of talks in the series is:
‘International business and the response to corruption’ - Laurence Cockcroft, Thursday 19 November 2015 from 5.30pm to 7pm.
‘Adding Value in the Public Sector’ - Professor Dean Fathers, Thursday 28th January 2016 from 5.30pm to 7pm.
‘Narrative – putting both strategy and culture in the shade!’ - David Welbourn, Thursday 18th February 2016 from 5.30pm to 7pm.
‘Process, practical coping and performance: Achieving sustainable excellence indirectly through phronetic self-cultivation’ - Professor Robert Chia, Thursday 21st April 2016 from 5.30pm to 7pm.