Interviewer: Louis Zezeran This is the second in my series of getting to know my new teammates in Combat Ready. In these podcasts I try and dig into one aspect of their military career or life and learn more about them. In this episode I get to know Priit, our head of sales who has did two tours of duty in Afghanistan with the Estonian Scouts battalion. He has stationed at a forward operating base (FOB) far away from the main forces where they had to fortify their position and be able to look themselves. The base bordered a local village and it was the job of the troops to form a relationship with the locals. Part of their daily patrols was to ask how they can help and provide whatever assistance they could. The difficulties came as when Priit's group would leave, the Taliban would come in. Unfortunately their version of trying to "create a relationship" with the villagers usually comprised threats of violence. The local people may have been good but when the Taliban have a gun to your daughter's head, anything is on the table. We also get into how Priit's team dealt with coming under fire and the value of Standard Operating Procedures in high pressure situations. This was a facinating talk where Priit calmly walks me through an average day on patrol * What happens when your vehicle hits an IED * How the company leader was building a relationship with the local elders * Eerie silence in town means the sh*t is about to go down * When they came under fire from the enemy, "cover and move" was everything. In the final part of our conversation, Priit opens up about his transition from military to civilian life. His military experiences have not only equipped him with valuable skills but also shaped his ability to build meaningful relationships in his personal and professional life. If you have any questions, write to me: louis@combatready.ee Keep an eye on our activities and future trainings: https://www.combatready.ee Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CombatReadyEE Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/combatreadyee LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/combatready Want to learn more about the principles ofcombat leadership and how they apply to business and life? Try our Online Academy, currently in Estonian but coming in English Oct 2023: https://combatreadyacademy.ee