NCOS | NCO intermediate Leadership Course 1_2023 in Switzerland/ Neuchlen
This is a leadership course that is different than the one you would get in your own country.
I am Warrant Officer Samantha Crowe, I have been in the Canadian Armed Forces for 19 years and currently work at JFCBS.
The Swiss international intermediate leadership course is one of the top military courses I have taken in my career! I didn’t know what to expect when coming for this course and I am glad of it. Although it is nice to
know everything to be prepared before a course, allowing yourself to learn from the surprise is quite rewarding. If you are reading this because you are on this course hold on tight, buckle your seat belt and get ready to have fun in an environment that is conducive to learning from yourself, your future team mates and the staff. If you are reading this to see if you should put your name in for this course STOP reading right now and send a message to your COC, I want to go.
This is a leadership course that is different than the one you would get in your own country. Why?!? Typically military leadership courses consist of only members of the same country and service but this course has 31 students representing 27 different nations. Not only do you have diversity of experiences but you get the knowledge of different cultures, different militaries and you gain a new network of Senior NCO’s that think outside your military’s and culture’s box.
As humans we need to keep on learning not only from teachers but from those around us and ourselves. This course solidified this in me and my classmates. It reminded us to take a step back as life flies by and evaluate yourself in the ever changing environment we are in. Doing this will potentially make leading in a new job, new subordinates or new location a lot easier.
Communication makes the world go round, if there is someone out there that can do it 100% I would like to introduce them to this course. Communicating in a group from your own nation is hard, put together 27 different nations then you learn things you have been doing for years could be suspicious or insulting to another country or culture.
Leadership is not easy. This course has added new tools in my pocket, polished some old tools and enhanced my knowledge with new words and examples from the staff, new ideas and thoughts processes from my classmates and deep reflection within myself.
The course consciously and subtly puts you in to a position to think again and again on how you can do better personally and as part of a team. It invites you to feel frustration and gratification by challenges. It allows you to push for your morals and ethics while at the same time opens you up to active listen to the international environment around you. It reminds us that although we are all different there are parts of us that over lap and we can always find common ground.
I am leaving here with a full heart, mind, soul and a connection to 27 countries I hope to hold on to for the rest of my life. I am thankful and grateful for the course staff, the Swiss Armed Forces, my teammates for pushing me to be better.
