One of the most valuable lessons I learned about leadership and teamwork since I have been at the Air Force Academy did not come from an experience in Combat Survival Training, it did not come from a Senior NCO or Officer mentor, and it did not come from the football field... it came from a couple of high school kids in a JROTC program.

Every year, the Air Force Academy hosts the National Invitational Drill Meet, where drill teams and honor guards across the country come to compete for a national championship. Competition is intense and everyone is under pressure to perform. For three years I escorted visiting teams and acted as a liaison between the Academy and the team, in that capacity I got a chance to watch them prepare and watch them in action. I had the unique opportunity to escort the best team one year and the worst team another year. These are the stories of the teams:

Team 1: A Marine Corps JROTC team from Nevada

Long before Team 1 arrived at the competition they had been following a regular training schedule where they worked on their routine several times a week. The JROTC unit used drill as a means to an end, using it to teach bigger lessons in leadership instead of an end unto itself by teaching drill for the sake of drill. In practices they videotaped themselves to critique the practice and find ways to improve. They made a point of being selective in whom they picked for the team. You had to earn your way on by performing well and agree to frequent practices, the team members wanted to be there and were proud to represent their unit.

At the competition, team 1 asked for and accepted criticism from anyone they could find, always looking for flaws and ways to fix them. The team was organized: they had containers for all of their gear so that everything was always in the same place when they were preparing. Every member of the team had a specific responsibility in the preparations: one was in charge of shoes, one was in charge of service coats, one was in charge of checking hair, and so on. They prepared the same way every time so that during the most stressful time their preparations worked like clockwork rather than chaos.

Cadet leadership made it a point to be professional and mature. Senior ranking cadets led the team with the supervision and advice of the NCO coaches. Cadets corrected cadets, cadets motivated cadets, and cadets were responsible for cadets. The coaches were present, but in the background giving encouraging comments, getting the team revved up before they went on. The team wore the simplest uniforms they could so that the only their performance would stand out. The team watched other teams for ideas on how to work better. The team's parents were present but stayed in the stands to cheer them on. The team took care of each other. One is example of how they took care of each other was their final preparations, they checked each other over and passed around a bottle of water right before they went onto the drill field. When one team member was having problems with a uniform or dealing with the pressure the entire team rallied behind that person.

Team 1 designed a challenging drill routine and executed it almost flawlessly.

Team 2: An Air Force JROTC team from the Midwest

Shortly before the competition, the JROTC unit commander decided the entire unit should compete so they could all feel 'special' and travel to the competitions. The team practiced half-heartedly about once a week and changed their drill routine at the last minute. They did not have time to get comfortable with the new routine. Many members of the team did not want to be there; in fact many did not even want to be in JROTC. They wanted to win, but their hearts were not in it.

Once they were at the competition, Team 2 took personal offense to criticism from each other and from outsiders. The team focused solely on drill, winning, and showing off. The team went into a panic before the competition; they had lost items from insignia to flag poles. The team was led by the NCO in charge of the detachment, and he treated them like he was their abusive father, yelling at them and cursing at them when they did anything wrong. He was the one enforcer, he was the one in charge, and he made sure everyone knew it. Cadet leadership thought that professionalism meant more insignia on their uniform, shorter hair, and a more exaggerated command voice than anyone else. Cadets bickered with their teammates before and even during the competition. The team wore 'subdued urban camouflage' BDUs with white bootlaces and maroon berets, they argued that it made them look distinctive. The judges shared with me they felt embarrassed for Team 2's choice in uniforms. The team watched other teams to point out errors so they could feel better about their own mistakes. The team's parents interfered with every part of the competition from ordering cadets around to arguing with the judges. A member of Team 2 passed out from dehydration and many members of the team went onto the drill pad with glaring and obvious errors in their uniforms. When one team member had problems with a uniform or trouble dealing with the pressure, the entire team ostracized that person.

Team 2 chose a drill routine that was way out of their skill level and performed miserably.

Lessons Learned

There are a myriad of lessons to learn from this, from specific tips and tricks for winning a drill competition to general leadership and planning concepts.
You can read in the CAP leadership books about the value of laissez faire leadership style versus authoritarian or directive styles but you do not really understand it until you see it in action. This example illustrates the benefit of trusting your people and letting them take charge. Team 1 did that in everything from delegating authority to the higher-ranking cadets to delegating responsibility for the preparations to even the most junior cadets. It was their team and it was their competition to win. The concept here is ownership, why do Air Force crew chiefs work so hard to maintain their aircraft? It is partly because they are consummate professionals, but it is largely because it is their aircraft, it is their name on the canopy rail, and they will do what it takes to make sure their aircraft is ready to fly that day because it reflects them personally. Do your cadets truly feel that it is their squadron?

This example also shows what a difference good feedback can make. CAP values feedback, but it is very difficult for many people to get past pride and other barriers in learning to accept criticism. Once they do learn to accept criticism, the improvement in their performance is incredible. Team 1 watched and critiqued videos of their practices, they gave feedback with no concern for egos and learned from their mistakes. It is no coincidence that the Thunderbird Aerial Demonstration Team does the exact same thing. It takes some getting used to, but it works

What amazed me was how the traits combined in each team to form greater glory or greater catastrophe. In military and business speak we call this phenomenon "synergy." The story also shows how the things you do in practice affect how you perform when the chips are down. Famous coach and motivator Vince Lombardi once said that "winning isn't a sometime thing, winning is an all time thing." Team 1 attacked everything they did like winners, their mindset was similar to the Air Force core value of 'Excellence in all we do.' Perhaps the Air Force is on to something: it seems to work for us in the skies of hostile countries.

This story also leads to a few interesting questions for you: Is your squadron more like Team 1 or Team 2?

What if these were operational units in combat? What would happen to a unit that worked like Team 2?

Do you train with the intensity you will need in an emergency?

Food for thought,
James "24 days" Naugle