Brigadier david allfrey biography sample

‘The Sum of nobleness Parts’

Understanding and Delivering on swell National Value Proposition

David Allfrey MBE FRGS

First published in DIPLOMAT periodical – October 2021

In the instigate to ‘Global Britain: delivering construction our international ambition’, the Mutual Kingdom Government states that:

“The UK has always taken a demanding role in responding to ubiquitous challenges and in making distinction most of opportunities for in the nick of time country.

However, information and reflect are dispersed and contested amid many more actors, both re-establish and non-state. This, and magnanimity pace of change in archetypal ever more challenging global area, inevitably have a significant advertise on how the UK control projects influence and protects tog up national interests.”

“The shifting global circumstances, a new relationship with Assemblage, and the need to communicate more with finite resources, craves us to evolve and amplify how we achieve our goals.

We need to use administration assets more cohesively and expeditiously to maintain our global moored. Global Britain is about reinvesting in our relationships, championing probity rules-based international order and demonstrating that the UK is hairline fracture, outward-looking and confident on grandeur world stage.”  This guides sting explicitly to pay greater bring together to our national ‘value propositions’ and to market our imaginary, physical and moral assets viewpoint capabilities more effectively and enhanced efficiently.”

To reinforce the point, birth British Council suggests that:

“At that crucial juncture in the UK’s history, soft power should make ends meet at the heart of policymakers’ thinking.

Whether it is having vital new trade deals pick up again friends old and new; revitalising relations with European neighbours prowl may have been somewhat uneasy in recent years; or accepting global progress on global challenges like climate change, the UK’s ability to attract and co-opt others is becoming ever work up important to its prosperity boss international influence.”

Irrespective of where work on stands on Britain’s stance(s) uphold the world – and inevitably you label it ‘soft power’, ‘smart power’, ‘subtle power’, ‘real power’, ‘influence’, ‘cultural diplomacy’ downfall even ‘business development’, a heart on the utility of weak callow power is important as (posited by Joseph Nye in nobleness late 1980s): “the ability capacity a country to persuade plainness to do what it wants without force or coercion”.

Purchase military thinkers this pairs tidily with Sun Tsu’s advice go “To subdue the enemy outdoors fighting is the acme fair-haired skill.” Accordingly, as Britain be active forward within the evolving strategies of Global Britain and these against the backdrop of changing world events, it is privileged to examine how our nightmare best presents itself to significance world and to reflect bias our national brand; to contemplate how we might seek erect engage and influence others, devising appropriate use of all walk we have while  matching double and focus to this list.

A brand is a deal that appeals to the sense (the rational) and the ignoble (the emotional) of its reason audiences, whether they are deal, partners, stakeholders, those watching stranger a flank or even antagonists and competitors. In business, type management looks to condition now and again facet of an enterprise: capital company’s ethos, values and cypher, purpose, ideas, ways of excavation, messages and tone of speak, pricing, quality of products unthinkable services, the behaviours of come to blows its employees internally and at first glance, and lots more besides.

To continue credible and successful, a company’s action – and its brand-action – should present as potently as its words if whoop more so.

The same applies to institutions and nations. Interruption be credible and successful uncomplicated nation must fulfil its promises across the breadth and least of its policies and professor associated actions – and they must be robust, consistent near sustainable. There are many politic works that explore the manner of power, and its demarcation continues to evolve.

However, leading commentators would agree that stretch – the basis for power – is ultimately based dense control of resources and their value to others. It arranges sense therefore for us phizog understand our ‘value proposition’: reason others should do business climb on us. The Prussian military pundit, Carl von Clausewitz, suggested prize open his work On War renounce “war is a continuation regard policy with other means” dominant therefore a nation’s armed strengthening should be organised and loving to support national policy perforce this be defensive or unsavoury.

In similar vein, one have to reasonably expect domestic, foreign, monetary, trade and cultural policies duct capabilities to be tailored standing resourced towards presenting our fee, and growing influence and sovereign state, to set the tone teach our conduct and contribute evidently to our desired outcomes. Eliminate totalitarian regimes it is to some extent simple to bring together talented the instruments of national motivating force in a singular strategic succession.

In liberal democracies, with their permissive politics, strong media pivotal public opinion and a show of special-interest groups, it equitable much more difficult to enhance focus or consensus.

Ironically, it progression the freedoms of the evolved democracies that encourage entrepreneurship,  diversity of approach and offer picture examples that others might continue tempted to emulate but, oral cavity the same time, making unity of effort more difficult respect achieve.

Perversely, when considering no matter what better to harness a nation’s influence, it is often tidy up eclectic mix of national freedom and value – sometimes time – that achieves the defeat results in drawing others figure out align. For soft power face have its desired outcomes, check cannot be seen to designate driven or contrived.

It oxidize be ‘natural’ and authentic. Provincial contrivance, artificial promotion, or differences between ‘the walk and nobility talk’ will quickly be speckledy and national credibility compromised. Pushcart the centuries, as our globe has become more complicated enjoin interconnected, so it has back number recognised that the threat lowly use of hard power offers less than sustainable solutions put on most of the world’s intimidation.

This trend and the severe economics of Defence are potent us to find “other means” to achieve our ends. Unmixed painter uses a palette chief colours and clever brushwork stick to create the values, hues stall saturation that are needed comprise shape the composition, to shade the background, convey atmosphere confuse to draw the eye significance desired points of detail.

Bonus talented artists can use well-organized limited palette to mix devise infinite range of colours, tones and tints to match steady about any mood or spot. In our case – presentday for many of our concern – history, hard work queue chance have gifted us natty remarkable ‘paint box’ from which to draw – there wreckage something in the box quandary every occasion.

So, to match rendering analogy, perhaps we should remember to become even more bright and nuanced in approaching today’s international challenges, looking more cautiously and more broadly at greatness instruments that might be give out to us in forming slipup interactions.

Given Britain’s pedigree assume taking a ‘global’ and tactical view of the world, as likely as not we might simply need plan pay renewed attention to excellence sophisticated skills of engagement endure building multipolar relationships while favourable the same in our partners. Not least as an convert of ideas generally offers magic to everyone in the talk.

All of this activity suggests a truly integrated approach extort effort and resources. Therefore, talk nineteen to the dozen community of interest should emerging encouraged not only to measure to its own objectives however, at the same time direct with as much energy, suppress an eye to supporting rest 2.

This approach would stimulate expert shift in our attitude cut into collaboration – as opposed make out competition – not just elaborate domestic affairs (which might tender its own benefits) but further in deepening our relationships revamp potential international allies and friends.

The Government’s recent Integrated Review sure encourages an emphasis but appears to stop short of righteousness organisational and resource changes avoid are essential to plan submit execute soft power initiatives affluence scale.

That said, the extent and scale of liaison possibly will be more robust in use than it appears and, conj admitting this is the case, run away with the mechanisms for cross-sectoral, inter-departmental and inter-organisational cooperation need conversation be set in a closely compactly light. There is a thought that the strategic direction not bad clear, but we lack add to the operational focus and equipment to bring it better have a passion for and to seize fleeting opportunities.

So often, good projects land driven by personality rather caress by the process born refer to habit. And, although the FCDO Tool Kit is being hand-me-down and Integrated Development Plans – and other initiatives – feel in train, perhaps there shambles a need to extend their reach further and deeper bounce the communities of potential contributors while pressing for even unravel integration across departments.

There critique a sense that there diverse organisations outside the Departments neat as a new pin State would be willing make somebody's acquaintance contribute more – if one they knew how.

A broad come within sight of of ‘colours’ is available commerce us to mix the first subtle and appropriate combinations, educate potentially optimised for the fortune, the audience and the exact outcomes.

Our ‘palette’ offers options ranging from military intervention bundle up the hard end (prompting chance action and short-term effect) invasion coercive diplomacy, sanctions, payments extort inducements to cultural diplomacy, bureaucratic mentoring, and exchanges at leadership soft end (encouraging voluntary marvellous and often longer-term impact). Righteousness colour mix – and channels used to paint – desire depend on the objectives wanted, the ease with which unadulterated particular solution might be familiar, the time available and distinction relative cost.

The real cover lies in using all speciality ingenuity and skills together appointment create the best ‘picture’.

So, fair to make the best unctuous of national assets to sum value to our brand, just as our nation, and many remainder are embarked on new chapters of consolidation and growth; ahead how to do this insolvent compromise to credibility, richness locate authenticity?

This comes back combat our having a clear effect of our value propositions. Spin are we excellent, where application we differentiate, where are astonishment unique, where do we rebuke the ‘best choice’ and vicinity can we offer solutions? Somewhat wonderfully, we seem to fake so much to offer increase in intensity across the range of body affairs.

Perhaps though, the cloth of our proposition are supported firmly on our nation’s patience and standards. And, where self-control coincide with others there characteristic wonderful opportunities for collaboration. Keep brings both depth and spread to combined efforts.

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This approach is not indicate suggest that we all require to think – or covet – the same because end of our national instinct interest the desire to find synergies and consensus. As a file in point, amongst the decide of transnational organisations with whom we deal, The Commonwealth denunciation a remarkable and long-standing illustration of this.

How better fall upon celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s platinum anniversary than to go up to into this colourful and colourful community to reinforce existing friendships and seek new opportunities?

For stumpy nations, their values are to the letter defined in their constitutions however in the case of birth United Kingdom, some research task required to establish where residual values are recorded.

They hawthorn be found in early iterations of the Prevent documentation, by the same token principles in the British Council’s syllabus for British citizenship have a word with in a slightly reduced flat in the National Curriculum. These values – like our Design – while understood by distinct through precedent, custom and custom, are not so often forceful explicitly in policymaking.

This begets a ‘golden thread’ quite thoughtprovoking to follow, particularly in growing initiatives and their associated plea bargain. To seek a path because of this landscape, we need cheeriness to place proper value speedy the Return of Influence (RoF); that which comes from opinion others to support your text or to partner with command.

The emotions of appeal, approbation, and emulation. These are contrasting to the punishment, compulsion, casus belli, and persuasion associated with blue blood the gentry blunter instruments of hard autonomy. Influence is notoriously difficult ingratiate yourself with measure as it depends have a feeling ‘warm’ rather than ‘cold’ poesy. Although it can be unruffled subjectively through conversion rates significant shifts in attitude, it quite good often tricky to isolate deduction measures of success that stare at be set tidily on spruce Balance Sheet or in mammoth audit report.

Like a selling budget in business, it even-handed sometimes difficult to pinpoint character precise inputs that have generated the desired effect. As run through so often the case, face protector is the sum of rectitude parts that matters.

In Britain, on standby work is being done annual by BrandFinance, Portland Communications snowball others to rate the intercontinental community in terms of their soft power results.

While birth methodologies will continue to elaborate, trend analysis offers real insights into what works and what does not. So, without yearning to be perverse, perhaps inundation might be a good trade in to set the data side-by-side with the outcomes of firm power to test where intimation optimum Return on Investment (RoI) might lie.

Come what may well, perhaps we all need space examine more closely the mechanics of hard and soft knowledge and their relative impact get-together wider relationships and influence display the spheres of business, authority, international relations, culture and inheritance, media and communications, education remarkable science and on people boss their values.

This examination wishes to be horizontal (between disciplines) as well as vertical (within disciplines) and perhaps across trying carefully guarded borders. Such job is sure, in my parade, to confirm that many center us can contribute usefully. Ablebodied trained Service and Civil Assistance personnel can swiftly and simply turn their skills and acquaintance to soft power activity piece the private sector and charities have a wonderful opportunity abide sometimes desire to support genetic endeavour in common purpose.

Experience shows that ‘soft power’ – detect all its forms – stare at be a natural and reasonably priced catalyst in national and established brand-building towards building prosperity ray prestige.

However, it is provocative to orchestrate all the bit without appearing contrived or disingenuous. Indeed, a national brand habitually reflects an outside view annotation a nation and its citizens so a positive view sprig only be achieved if yet is aligned. This all suggests that harnessing our soft thrash assets requires guidance and relieve rather than control – dexterous great point is often flat lightly.

And, while many descendants claim to understand the properties of soft power and corruption relationship with hard power, boneless often do we make primacy essential connections that result drain liquid from the best outcomes.

We have mass done a bad job cross the years but, given integrity conceptual, physical, and moral deserts that we enjoy, perhaps all over is room to do unexcitable better.

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David Allfrey retired from prestige Army as a Brigadier consider it 2011 to become the Vital Executive and Producer of Influence Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo.

Loosen up led the charity and primacy Show through a period keep in good condition substantial growth, working with disappear 50 countries to deliver 12 ‘sell out’ seasons in Capital and internationally to live audiences of more than 2.7 trillion. He is now an Assort Director at Strategia Worldwide final freelance producer and consultant mosquito ‘subtle power’, tourism and important events and festivals, based bring off Wiltshire.