The use of calm, soothing words more in the style of avuncular footballer David Beckham and less like Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in the film Full Metal Jacket has been offered up as an alternative model.
In the 1987 film Hartman has responsibility for a bunch of Vietnam recruits who quickly learn just who is in charge at boot camp:
Regimental Sergeant Majors (RSMs) have typically always used shouted orders in the same style to enforce discipline and focus attention on the immediate task at hand.
But Warrant Officer 1st Class Matt Howarth, head of the Army’s Non-Commissioned Officers Academy, told Soldier Magazine, the official publication of the British Army, the time has come for a new tactful approach:
There are people who believe the drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket is what we’re like.
But the era when people shouted and screamed is long gone — for me, the picture of a good leader is more like David Beckham who never seemed to raise his voice.
The Daily Mail reports he added the ideal senior NCO should be more softly spoken and of good, gentle temper.
That would be directly opposed to more traditional stereotypes as parodied over the years by UK performers and shows like Monty Python:
“For me, the picture of a good leader is more like former England footballer David Beckham, who never seemed to raise his voice, was always approachable and who learned from his mistakes,” he said.
The role of an RSM has changed vastly since he joined in 1999, as they are more approachable to the soldiers they are responsible for, according to fellow Warrant Officer Ciar Crow.
Smiling David Beckham is seen as he gives a thumbs up in the Royal Box during day one of The Championships Wimbledon 2024 at All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club on July 01, 2024 in London, England. (Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
Although the WO1 was less taken by the Beckham softly, softly strategy.
“You’d need to convince me that Beckham is the ideal model. My assumption is that he is a good leader but I’m not sure he has ‘a good telling off’ in him,” he said, according to The Sun.
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