The Human Advantage Ep. 28 -From Bearskins to Battlefields: Leadership Lessons from WO1 Aidan O’Brien, OUOTC & Grenadier Guards.

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.

Om Podcasten

Drawing on over 300 years of British Army leadership experience, ’The Centre For Army Leadership Podcast’ looks to get to the heart of what is required of our leaders and our leadership, to meet the challenges of both today and tomorrow. For the British Army leadership underpins everything that we do. It not only ensures we do right by our people, but critically it underpins our operational success. This Podcast Series seeks to harness diversity of thought and experience, from leaders across the military, sport, academia and business worlds, stimulating debate, awareness and critical thinking. Leadership matters to us all and our successes, and indeed our failures, are so often defined by how well we are led, or indeed by how well we lead. We hope by sharing our experiences and by learning from others we can promote the value of great leadership, and together we can develop ourselves, our teams and in turn the society in which we live.