The nature of modern warfare is changing rapidly. Whether its deterrence, peacekeeping, or active combat, service personnel need, more than ever, to be adaptable, insightful, skilful and able to recover quickly from set-backs.

Thank you for joining me again as I speak to a fellow traveller in life, and the world of coaching, Dr Chris Mackel. Chris is a highly experienced coach with a deep business background. I discuss with Chris his coaching work with senior officers in the British Army. I learn about their career paths, their expertise and their responsibilities - to their troops and their families, to civilian support staff and - when deployed - to the wider communities where they are situated.

Recorded in May 2025, we explore the challenges of modern military leadership - from motivation, to adaptability, to responding to failure, and explore two approaches Chris uses in his work. Chris describes the DISC personality profiler for particular use in his one-to-one coaching work, and the Connect 4 model for use in teams - which focuses on trust, constructive conflict, commitment and accountability.

We conclude with reflections on what this work with the British military has given to Chris, and how his work and wider life is shaped by his Christian faith.

Resources

Disc Assessment