John Bates

Captain John Bates manages to combine his love of the ADF working remotely from the UK for the Reserves while running a construction business in Devon.  His Bachelor of Organisational Leadership was achieved with the support and encouragement of the ADF.

What was your UNE qualification/s?

Bachelor of Organisational Leadership.

Online or on-campus study?

Online

How was your experience with UNE lecturers?

Great. UNE’s platform made communicating with lecturers very easy and those lecturers who were engaged with the technology made you feel as if you were in a bricks-and-mortar classroom.

What was your reason for studying at UNE?

Twofold: The ADF encourages personal and professional development and provides financial (and other) resources to support you; there’s simply no excuse not to. Also, I never finished my studies when I was younger as I was constantly travelling, achieving my degree was important to me in proving to myself that I was capable of it.

Your current job?

I currently work remotely for the ADF in the evaluation of logistic training on a Reserve basis. Full-time I run a business in the construction industry in the UK.

The personal qualities needed to do your job?

In my role for the ADF there is a requirement for a fairly high degree of interpersonal and analytical skill, especially when working remotely, so I’d say qualities like sincerity and being observant are important. In my role as a Company Director there is more of a leadership and administration focus, so perhaps compassion and consistency are more important.

If you weren’t in this line of work, what do you think you’d be doing instead?

I’d be back in the ADF full-time! I relocated to the UK with my partner in order to be closer to family, but I’ve never lost my love for the uniform. If we ever find ourselves back in Australia, I can’t see myself doing anything else.

Your advice for anyone interested in pursuing this type of career?

Anyone wanting to pursue a career with the ADF should just go for it; I cannot recall a more positive impact on my character, nor can I recall anyone I’ve served with who wouldn’t do it all over again (oh, and it helps to be fit and you’ll never get anywhere without your mates!). As for starting your own business? Look around your current workplace and ask yourself if you could do everyone’s job all at once; if the answer is yes, get comfortable with being in debt and you’ll be fine!

The biggest challenge and biggest achievement you’ve experienced in your work or life in general?

Biggest challenge would be the First Appointment Course at the Royal Military College – Duntroon; growth is an uncomfortable process and RMC was 18 straight months of growth. Biggest achievement? It’s the small things I take most pride in, like helping someone out at work or in a difficult time. My fondest memories are the times when I’ve worked within a team that has accomplished something relatively small that had a profound impact in an individual.

How has your UNE qualification aided you in your career?

I think understanding the Organisational Development process has allowed me to understand the ADF workforce a little better, so I guess you could say it has given me some perspective. The leadership units also provided an extra layer of depth to the continuous leadership development I am engaged in with Army. On a superficial level I think it’s just been good to have the qualification under my belt as it demonstrates a level of commitment to self-improvement that is important to demonstrate in my line of work.

What inspires you inside work and outside work?

I draw most of my motivation and inspiration for what I want for my family. I can’t give them the earth, but I always want them to have whatever it is that they need to feel fulfilled; that’s what makes me jump out of bed in the morning. I’m also moved by experiences; if I haven’t done something before, or if I can find a way to do an ‘old thing’ a ‘new way’, then I find that pretty inspiring.

Do you volunteer your time for a community project or organisation?

I do some volunteer work for some local sports teams that I have been involved with previously (as a player), mostly in an administrative role. Time for such volunteer work is getting more and more precious with the growth of my business, which is frustrating, but in a really positive way. I’ve previously done some mentoring work through local a local high school and once the business is a little more settled I’d really like to get back into that. I was lucky to grow up with not only a great father, but also plenty of other positive male role-models; I know that not everybody is that lucky and I feel that this is an area in which I can contribute.

In this time of Covid-19, how has the virus impacted your work?

From the perspective of my work with the ADF, it’s gotten a lot more people working remotely and experiencing what I have been experiencing for the last few years. I think that’s a good thing because the general consensus seemed to be that working from home was easy… I don’t think too many people think this way now! As for work in the UK construction industry, we’ve gone from strength to strength. Our work was fairly easy to manage in line with the various restrictions imposed upon us and the 1-2 month period of shutdown resulted in a backlog of work that we are still clearing through.

Anything else you would like to share?

Be kind.

The GSO FAC (General Service Officer First Appointment Course) is a powerful beast; if you come out of the course the same person you were when you went in, then you didn’t do it right! I don’t think I’ll ever stop singing its praises.