Foreward - by Director Leadership
In 2015 after a decade of Counter-Insurgency, the British Army determined that its understanding of leadership and the development of leaders throughout their careers, must be improved. Since then, much has been delivered: we have established leadership as a capability; published an Army leadership strategy and issued Army Leadership Doctrine. Our mission is to professionally develop soldier and officer leadership skills.
Our Army’s Leadership Doctrine (ALD), first published in 2016 and refreshed in 2021, represented a step forward in outlining our philosophical and conceptual understanding of leadership. Firmly rooted at the heart of our military profession, leadership is a critical element of the moral component of fighting power. Yet for leadership doctrine to be truly effective it must be clearly articulated, understood, and consistently applied by every member of the Army.
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.
Developed over several years and in collaboration with cross-Defence partners, the LCF draws upon the breadth of global leadership research and translates it for the specific needs of the British Army. By building the leadership skills and competencies required to better develop our people, and to build the highest-performing teams, we underpin the key asset capable of achieving the Army’s purpose of fighting and winning wars on the land – our people.
The LCF is for all Army leaders and the Whole Force. It is applicable in barracks, field training and on operations. It can be used by units and individuals to guide their individual and unit development. I wish you every success in your leadership journey. We all have more to learn, if we are to be the best leaders we can be.
Major General Zac Stenning OBE
