ULM, Germany – Training enables Capabilities. For this reason, JSEC is cooperating with military and civil academies all over the world to improve knowledge and skills of its multinational personnel. Recently, two non-commissioned officers (NCO) returned from high-class courses of the Professional NCO School BUSA (Berufsunteroffiziersschule der Armee) in Switzerland and speak about their experiences.
For Barnabas Cseh, OR-8 in JSEC’s Operations Division, attended the Advanced Leadership Course. “Deriving from the name and level of the course and the key word is “Advanced” I expected more dry and monotonous lectures. Fortunately, I witnessed the opposite”, he remembers his first thoughts after his arrival in Lucerne: “The course provides numerous of techniques and tools for certain situations trough presenting different type of leadership style, providing several patterns and templates that gives the ability to the incumbents to find the best form of communication that represents their individual leadership style.”
The course was amazing, meeting people from all around the world, from Australia over to Morocco
This is one of the goals of the training at the Swiss Armed Forces: “Switzerland, as a Partnership for Peace country, offers exceptional leadership courses for NATO and partner nations, emphasizing a robust, multicultural learning environment”, emphasizes Swiss OR-9 Stefan Kobel, Chief NCO Development at BUSA: “These courses, designed to develop intermediate and advanced leadership skills, provide invaluable experiences for military professionals from around the world.”
For OR-7 Martin Hirschmann and OR-8 Barnabas Cseh the NCO Courses in Switzerland were a great opportunity to improve their skills and to build up their multinational network. Swiss OR-9 Stefan Kobel (right) is Chief of Development at the NCO School BUSA and Course Director of the Advanced Leadership Course. Photos by NCO School BUSA
Each course is conducted in two classes, with 15 participants in each, ensuring personalized attention and a high-quality learning experience. OR-7 Martin Hirschmann of JSEC’s Support Division was one of them at the Intermediate Leadership Course: “The course was amazing, meeting people from all around the world, from Australia over to Morocco. Learning their experiences and their cultures. Learning the different types of personalities and how to deal with them”, he reported after two weeks in Neuchlen in the middle of the Swiss mountains. Additionally he learned a lot about himself as a leader and as a person: “It was an amazing experience with hard work and good times. At the beginning of the course, there were 29 individuals, as time moved on, you could notice that suddenly we were a group, at the end, we were a team.”
In possession of this knowledge it is easier to select the proper approach and communication style that support your success
It is the intention of the course director, that the trainings are engaging and educational. "The daily intercultural interactions serve as eye-openers, enhancing the participants' leadership skills in ways that are crucial for professional non-commissioned officers operating in an international context", OR-9 Stefan Kobel emphasizes: "These courses are an essential component for anyone aspiring to excel in a multinational military environment."
The Hungarian Master Sergeant Barnabas Cseh is highlighting another focus of his course – the communication training: “A whole week was dedicated to media interview and proposal making technique. In possession of this knowledge it is easier to select the proper approach and communication style that support your success.” MSG Martin Hirschmann strongly recommends his comrades to attend courses like the ones at the NSO School BUSA: “They will become better leaders, they will learn a lot about different types of personalities.”