How the Center for Leadership of UCU Trains Instructors for the Defense Forces and Emergency Response Services

In modern warfare, victory depends not only on technology or the number of weapons. Above all, its key lies in people: their motivation, ability to build trusting relationships, act in coordination and in non-standard ways, and not be afraid of responsibility. And also – the readiness to cultivate such an approach within their own units, passing it on together with knowledge and experience. Supporting this has become one of the leading goals of the team of the Center for Leadership of UCU from the very beginning of our cooperation with the Defense Forces of Ukraine.

Still, no team, even the strongest one, can on its own train all those hundreds of people who join the ranks of the Defenders every day. And when such a challenge becomes increasingly obvious, while sergeants and officers who directly work with recruits are in search of an effective methodology, the only way to solve this task becomes the creation of a network of instructors – carriers of the knowledge, ideas, and values cultivated by the Center for Leadership of UCU.

In mid-2025 this idea was implemented once again. This time – in the form of a basic course “Training of Instructors in the Fundamentals of Leadership and Management” for the sergeant and officer corps of the Defense Forces of Ukraine and representatives of emergency response services. And today we will recall what this experience turned out to be. Not only for the course participants themselves. But also for us, as its creators.

UCU as a platform for dialogue and practice

The foundation of any training is the new knowledge acquired by its participants. As well as methodology, research, features of delivery and conclusions that allow each person to look at a seemingly familiar field. All the more so when the mentors are recognized authorities in their domains – the Executive Director and lecturer of the Center for Leadership of UCU Andrew Rozhdestvensky and the teaching-skills trainer Svitlana Buhai.

They were the ones who turned the stay of the 25 course participants on the campus of the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv into an unforgettable educational experience. For a full four days – from July 22 to 25, 2025 – they found themselves in a space for sincere dialogue, the birth of bold ideas, and constructive discussions.

And this is by no means an exaggeration on our part. After all, the participants themselves are people who have represented legendary combat units and educational institutions in the security domain for years:

• the 4th Rapid Deployment Brigade “Rubizh” of the National Guard of Ukraine;
• the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov” of the NGU;
• the 13th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Khartia”;
• the 17th Poltava Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine “Raid”;
• the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade named after Prince Kostiantyn Ostrozkyi;
• the 152nd Separate Reconnaissance and Strike Battalion;
• the Support Service of the 12th Special Purpose Brigade “Azov” of the NGU;
• the Dnipro State University of Internal Affairs;
• the Kharkiv National Medical University.

Are these people different in background and profession? Undoubtedly. Yet they are united by a common responsibility: to prepare those who tomorrow will stand on the frontline or save lives in the rear. And for the effective implementation of this Mission, the participants step by step learned to:

• understand modern approaches to defining Leadership;
• work with the 3C Model and the concept of Leadership Character from the Ian O. Ihnatowycz Institute for Leadership, Ivey Business School;
• distinguish between key management styles and the contexts in which they are most effective;
• apply the rules of effective self-presentation and working with an adult audience;
• work with group dynamics and the building of trust in a team;
• finally, design training programs that combine effectiveness and accessibility, demandingness and respect, discipline and human-centeredness.

And the last point is not accidental in this list. For the main task of the course was precisely the readiness of participants to apply the acquired knowledge in their own training Programs. Those that would take into account the realities of a particular unit, university department, or service. And whether we succeeded in implementing this approach was demonstrated by the very next stage of cooperation.

From Theory to Practice: Inter-Module Work

The “Lviv” module can fully be called a “springboard” for the course participants to reassess all their previous experience in mentorship. The result of this was their individual projects, created to meet the needs of specific units or institutions.

This meant not simply repeating what they had heard, but designing training “for themselves”. For some, these were training for junior sergeants; for others – courses for recruits or members of their own teams. And there were also those whose task was preparing a new generation of the national elite – future medics and officers.

At this stage, the mentoring support from Svitlana Buhai became extremely valuable, thanks to which participants received consultations, clarified the structure of their programs, tried applying the case-study method, and worked with the format of interactive sessions.

This period proved to be no less intensive than the module itself. For it required each of them to combine several roles at once:

• a teacher who has to properly structure material;
• a commander who shapes the culture within a unit;
• and finally, a leader who leads by example.

It was precisely this preparation that laid the foundation for the final challenge – the defense of projects during the offsite module in the Carpathians.

The Carpathians: Leadership Emerging Through Challenges

The concluding stage of the course took place on September 6-8, 2025, when its participants and instructors gathered for joint work in the village of Lazeshchyna in Zakarpattia Oblast. And here the mountains became not just a beautiful backdrop, but a full-fledged element of the educational work. A place that allowed participants to reset against the background of familiar challenges on the one hand, and on the other – to apply the knowledge they had gained in practice.

The first day was devoted to the defense of individual projects. Each presentation – short and to the point – opened up space for collective discussion: whether these programs could realistically be implemented in military units, universities, or emergency service divisions.

The next day the team set out for Mount Petros – the second-highest peak of the Ukrainian Carpathians. The task, which seemed simple, required more than mere physical effort. Conquering the mountain literally demanded from the participants the correct distribution of roles, a steady pace, and – most importantly – the ability to reach the goal under conditions where the strength and experience of each participant were very different. And here in practice one could see what had been discussed in the classroom: how the chosen leadership style, the presence of cooperation, and trust influence the result.

Yet the atmosphere of that day and the views that opened before the participants after reaching the summit were undoubtedly worth the effort. And they received an unexpected continuation when on the mountaintop an improvised commemorative marker appeared, built by participants from different units. A stone pyramid, which they agreed to preserve as a point of return. And also – as a symbol not so much of conquering the mountain, as of shared presence. A sign to which one can come back to remember where it all began.

And it was precisely the idea of gratitude for the shared work that became central at the ceremonial conclusion of the Program. When the awarding of certificates for the new instructors turned into a reflection on the entire path that had been traveled over the previous months. Months that brought together completely different people. And turned this training into a starting point for the participants to implement new knowledge and skills in their own units and training Programs.

So What’s Next?

We have mentioned that this course became another step in our systemic training of instructors from among representatives of the Defense Forces, emergency response services, and educational institutions. At the same time, it proved that learning Leadership must be not only theoretical but also practical, embedded in the realities of the participants’ work.

For the Center for Leadership of UCU, this Program is a confirmation of its Mission: to work with those who today stand at the forefront of change. For it is precisely sergeants, officers, instructors, and lecturers on whom the values and culture in units, universities, and services depend. And beyond that – the very future of Ukraine.

The participants took home certificates. But something else turned out to be far more important:

• readiness to teach Leadership disciplines in their own structures;
• training programs they created, which are already awaiting implementation;
• the experience they tested in the mountains, and the commemorative marker on Mount Petros, which symbolizes their shared work and the continuation of the path.

For our team, however, this stage is only the beginning. Very soon we will launch the Leadership School – the next step in developing this field, which will allow an even broader circle of military and civilian professionals to acquire modern tools of management and team building.So, follow the updates of the Center for Leadership of UCU. For the most exciting things are still ahead!