The Interactive Leadership Experience at RAF Halton is an amazing and enlightening event. Featuring training from the Airmen’s Command Squadron, it’s a full leadership training day and a priceless opportunity to experience first-hand some of the responsibilities, duties and expectations faced by non-commissioned officers in the UK Armed Forces. This year, RIFT was proud to attend the 2-day event with our Head Armed Forces Liaison Officer, Shaun Micallef-Green, leading the charge.

He wasn’t going in alone, of course. 2 of our specialist Armed Forces support team leaders, Dan Nightingale and Tyler Eliot were at his flanks. Together, they were put through their paces in a series of structured exercises designed to test and bolster leadership and communication skills. At the same time, the event develops key attributes and personal qualities from team cohesion to mental robustness in a tough military environment.

Both Dan and Tyler were quick to volunteer for the experience, and came back with enthusiastic reports. Dan says:

“I was amazed at how quickly the RAF enabled a group of total strangers from all sorts of different backgrounds to quickly bond, work together in teams and actually enjoy the experience. The only thing I would change would be to make the event longer!”

Tyler’s take was just as enthusiastic:

“The whole event was just great and the staff was so positive! I loved the activities and challenges they set, which were a real learning experience. I would definitely do it again and welcome any other opportunities to attend such events.”

Many of RIFT’s employees come from military backgrounds or families, and Shaun Micallef-Green is a prime example. As an Armed Forces veteran, the Interactive Leadership Experience was practically a homecoming for him:

“Having attended many leadership events as a former AGC(ETS) Officer, I thoroughly enjoyed the experience at RAF Halton. It was like a blast from the past. The tasks were extremely well run and the staff was excellent at drawing lessons out of the activities in the debriefs – lessons that could be directly related to everyday work environments.”

RIFT at RAF Halton

That last point is the real key to success for events like this. These are valuable skills to learn personally, but their real value comes from sharing them with colleagues. The objective for our RIFT team was to bring the experience home with them for everyone’s benefit. That begins during the upcoming Big Curry Week, where we’ll be running events and activities of our own centered on the lessons taught at RAF Halton.

We've been working closely with HMRC since 1999 to put the cash back in the pocket of former and serving members of the Armed Forces community.That's what makes us the UK's leading tax rebate and tax return experts.