Teresa Lines, who formerly served with the 6th Battalion Light Infantry in Somerset, currently works with a security humanitarian team supporting the work of the FCDO. The FCDO (Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office) protects and promotes the UK’s fundamental national interests of prosperity, security and sovereignty while working to shape a stable and open international order. Ms Lines’s remit, as a humanitarian management professional, is to ensure a safe and secure environment for refugees.
Terri Lines has previously worked as a freelance close protection management operative and a freelance investigator management specialist. In the latter role she gathered evidence on behalf of legal companies and investigated matters within both the private and public sectors. She also built evidential cases by following relevant lines of enquiry and liaising with various agencies, as well as through physical and technical investigations.
As a freelance anti-harassment specialist, Ms Lines visited Saudi Arabia to educate the younger generation on acceptable and unacceptable behaviours at music and sporting events. Providing training on what harassment is, how to deal with it and how to report it, as well as how to deal with the victim and the perpetrator, also fell within her remit.
Since serving as a chef with the 6th Battalion Light Infantry Ms Lines has been a keen cook, and she likes to keep up to date with new and exotic dishes and recipes. Her favourite cuisines are Indian and traditional British. To relax, she enjoys reading, watching sitcoms and listening to music, citing some of her best-loved artists as Queen, ABBA, Billy Ocean and Elvis Presley.
What is your typical day, and how do you make it productive?
Morning Fitness, Meditation, Community relations, debriefings, delivery of training and cooking.
• Community relations allow me to listen and gain understanding of their aspirations
• Debriefings with my team allow me to gain feedback on the days activities and develop for the next day
• Delivery of training allows me to give quality training on current trends, this allows the team to be updated on their roles and responsibilities.
How do you bring ideas to life?
Meditation, discussions with others, problem solving and team feedback, then execute.
What’s one trend that excites you?
Artificial Intelligence (AI) excites me and scares me at the same time. Look at what’s came to fruition over the last 40 years.
What is one habit that helps you be productive?
Fitness, I do all my day organisational and plan my work commitments when doing my fitness.
What advice would you give your younger self?
Live with no regrets and don’t take NO for an answer
Tell us something you believe almost nobody agrees with you on?
DNA – Taking DNA samples from newborn babies, this could help for future medical or health problems and manage crime related incidents by having those databases.
What is the one thing you repeatedly do and recommend everyone else do?
Write down affirmations that I read everyday that makes me have a positive outcome to my life every day.
When you feel overwhelmed or unfocused, what do you do?
I talk to my twin sister.
What is one strategy that has helped you grow your business or advance in your career?
Listening to others, creating a team with aspirations of success and continue to develop my strategies, using current educational tools to advance my career.
What is one failure in your career, how did you overcome it, and what lessons did you take away from it?
Due to my dyslexia, I have failed exams that would have led to me being promoted. It’s important for anyone experiencing failure to maintain a positive mindset and showcase their talents in other ways. For example, I am able to educate people through my training ethos of a hands-on approach. This led to me becoming an advisor to senior management on specific subject matters.
What is one business idea you’re willing to give away to our readers?
Creating recycling banks. Using a system that helps you collect recyclable materials and have them disposed for financial gain. While also having the added benefit of helping the environment, you could also help homelessness by employing homeless people who want to develop and better themselves; this would encourage them to gather more materials, leading to more financial reward.
What is one piece of software that helps you be productive? How do you use it?
Grammarly, this helps with my reading and writing capabilities.
Do you have a favorite book or podcast you’ve gotten a ton of value from and why?
Dan Brown trilogy books – brings religion and science together.
What’s a movie or series you recently enjoyed and why?
BRASSIC – reminds me of my extended family.
Key learnings
• How we perceive ourselves socially and economically.
• What we gain from common questions that we contribute daily without thinking.
• How we conduct ourselves on a daily basis without that thought process.