Stand Up Straight

A few months ago, I noted the Commandant of the Royal Military Academy was publishing a book. I pre-ordered it and promptly forgot about it, so it was a nice surprise when it dropped through the door on Christmas Eve!

“Stand Up Straight” is only 146 pages long. It is beautifully produced, in hardback, and all the profits go to military charities. It is a short and succinct insight into what goes on in those forty-four weeks behind the gates, and gives the reader an inkling of what makes Sandhurst a 21st Century Leadership and Management School par excellence.

This place takes people from a wide range of backgrounds, from ruffians to royalty, and then does something you find in very few organisations. It teaches the leadership pathway from the outset, integrated with what ostensibly are the ‘trade basics’. Compare this to other places; Usually, you join, and become ‘good’ at your job. You want to get on in life, and so put your head above the parapet.  Someone endorses that you might be fit to lead and manage. With very little preparation beyond maybe an assessment centre, you are thrown into the deep end, now looking after the needs of others as well as yourself. Sure, you might get a few courses along the way, but is this not akin to modifying the car whilst it is running along the motorway? And what if it transpires that the ‘modifications’ don’t fit the ‘vehicle’? In all too many cases, it is just allowed to continue on its way, dangerously crashing into things and running them over.

The product that Sandhurst produces isn’t the finished article by any means. A fresh new officer will then be nurtured and moulded by their platoon sergeant, who most importantly subtly imparts the difference between running a platoon, and making a platoon run. But the core is there, and through the years, the values learned help the developing leader hold a true course.

The services aren’t for everyone, and if they get any smaller there won’t be room anyway. This is where there is a great value in books like this. It’s the sort of thing that should really be a gift to anyone just starting out in their career. Ten little lessons that might not only make life a little bit easier in general, but also help with progression as a better leader if that is the route chosen. The need to have structure, sufficient rest and thinking ‘three bends ahead’ when making decisions. And things like understanding your ‘threshold of failure’ can bring about a much deeper appreciation of the benefits of working within a team with diverse strengths and weaknesses.

So if you are looking for a little gift for someone just starting out on their leadership journey, this might be the best tenner you’ll spend on them.

Derek Flint Cert.Ed MCIPR

Maj Gen Nanson, P. (2019). Stand Up Straight. 10 Life Lessons from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. London: Century.