Army leadership publications

Army Leadership Code

The British Army needs to move with the times. The contemporary operating environment is increasingly uncertain, complex, and dispersed, and leadership has never been more important. This publication explains how we will meet this challenge in war and in peace, with our approach to both being as similar as possible.

The Army Leadership Code is founded on our Values. To us, Courage, Discipline, Respect for Others, Integrity, Loyalty and Selfless Commitment are much more than words on a page, they are what the British Army stands for, and what sets us apart from society.

We apply our Values to what we do using our Standards of Appropriate, Lawful and Totally Professional behaviour. The Army’s Values form the character of our leaders, who live them 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, whatever the situation.

The Army Leadership Code consists of seven leadership behaviours:

• Lead by example
• Encourage thinking
• Apply reward and discipline
• Demand high performance
• Encourage confidence in the team
• Recognise individual strengths and weaknesses
• Strive for team goals

Army Leadership Doctrine

The purpose of the Army leadership doctrine is to codify the British Army's thinking on leadership, drawing together ideas, principles and methods that have been proven to work throughout history. It provides a focal point for British Army leadership and is designed to bring coherence and a shared understanding of leadership across all ranks of the Army.

As with all doctrines, the intention is not to restrict individuality or stifle imagination, but to help develop leaders, learn from the experience of others and adapt for the future.

It is not designed to be the sole source of information on leadership, but a solid foundation to encourage further study and discussion by Army leaders. 

Centre for Army Leadership, Army Leadership Doctrine (2021), AC 72029 ©Crown Copyright

A British Army Followership Doctrine Note

The British Army exists to fight and win wars on land. War is a collective endeavour and success demands the best from our people, both as individuals and, more importantly, as high-performing teams. Effective teamwork underpins our philosophy of mission command. It requires leadership at all levels, inspiring and motivating others into action. It also requires values-driven, proactive, and professional followers, performing at their best to achieve the mission. All leaders are themselves followers and nearly all followers have the ability to lead. From Private to General, we all have a responsibility to follow.

Followership is the act of an individual or individuals willingly accepting the influence of others to achieve a shared outcome.

Centre for Army Leadership, A British Army Followership Doctrine Note (2023), AC 72029-1 ©Crown Copyright

Leadership Competency Framework

The British Army’s Leadership Competency Framework (LCF) is the next step in our journey to professionalise the delivery of leadership. It builds upon the thinking and ideas contained within our Leadership Doctrine and provides a comprehensive structure for the professionalisation of through-career leader development.

Centre for Army Leadership, Leadership Competency Framework (2024), AC 72279 ©Crown Copyright 2024