Leadership Forum 010: Relationships, relationships, relationships, or what it means to “Cover and move”
January 24, 2023
Leadership Forum 011: Are leaders born or made?
February 7, 2023Who is Combat Ready Instructor Hardi Hansalu?
I’ve been keeping an eye on Combat Ready from the very beginning and have assisted as much as possible.
I always want to see and experience training from different perspectives – both as a trainee and as an instructor. That is why I have also taken multiple courses of the Combat Ready training program as a student.
I see myself as a good example of the fact that you are not born a leader, you become one.
I have been in various smaller leadership positions. My main leadership experience has come from working as an instructor in the Defence Forces. I have been doing that for the last eight years.
In 2009, when I first joined the Defence Forces and the Scoutspataljon, I had no ambition to become a leader or an instructor. Everything just sort of happened by itself. One thing led to another, and without realizing it, I found myself teaching in front of a class.
Most of the time, I have had to learn leadership and instructing by trial and error, always through the mistakes I have made.
However, 2021 was a year of change. I went to university. While my main reason for going there was to get a higher education and climb the career ladder, I also wanted to learn something that would relate to my job. As I work as an instructor, I chose andragogy (the science of adult education). That year at school has completely changed my attitude towards education and learning in general. It has made me think more and more about things that seem elementary but are not.
I've started to walk around with open eyes, knowing that every experience or situation is perhaps a lesson that will develop me.
To me nowadays, the climb up the career ladder that comes with higher education is just a minor bonus, and what I really enjoy is the process of growing as an instructor and as a person.
The same year I entered university, I was introduced to the principles of “Extreme Ownership”. It has been very thought-provoking and an opportunity to look back on my career. To analyze all the mistakes I have made and the successes I have had from a new perspective.
As a Combat Ready instructor, I have the opportunity to pass on my experiences and lessons learned. While learning from mistakes is extremely effective, I still hope that for future and current leaders, things will go more smoothly. Not all errors have to be repeated by many.
As a leader is first and foremost a teacher, I can also pass on my knowledge about different nuances of teaching adults. Our aim is to have a lasting system, and this also requires a continuous succession of leaders. I am looking forward to meeting our students, so that we can grow together and change the culture of leadership for the better!
See you soon!
Hardi Hansalu
Combat Ready instructor
