If you've taken driver's ed, you've heard the phrase "maintain your lane" or "stay in your lane." The implication is clear: wandering out of one's own pre-designated driving space can be hazardous to you and those around you.

The same holds true as an NCO or officer: It is imperative that you "remain in your lane" when doing your duties (and, in some ways, its imperative that you "honk the horn" on others who encroach into your lane).

Example: You're the Cadet Aerospace Education Officer. You regularly participate in planning sessions with your squadron, and you're the "point of contact" for Aerospace stuff on the cadet side of things. You work closely with the unit's aerospace education officer, and when its time for scheduling aerospace training for the cadets, you take the lead in scheduling, organizing the classes or speakers, etc.

One day, the squadron gets a new Cadet Leadership Officer. You know him, you guys got your Mitchell awards at the same time, and he's recently come back to the unit after a short break for soccer season.

At the last cadet staff meeting, the new Cadet Leadership Officer graciously volunteers you to teach a class on "Aircraft Powerplants" later in the month. Last month was an airline pilot guest speaker, and this month and next month are already set aside for rocketry-related subjects in advance of your wing's model rocket competition. Besides, you have Aircraft Powerplants on the schedule for the month after the rocket competition.

You object on the basis that you've got a training plan and resources lined up for rocketry already, and that has already been approved by the cadet commander, the squadron's aerospace officer and the squadron commander. The Cadet Leadership Officer says "Well, fine, then.. don't take my suggestions.."

At the next cadet staff get-together, he suggests to the cadet commander that "Maybe aerospace needs to be focused more on airplanes than rockets and technology....." You overhear this, but being the smart cookie you are, you just keep your mouth shut.

A month later, one of the NCOs who coordinates Emergency Services training stops you in the hallway.

"Sir, Lt Jones told me that the schedule was switched this month and that my ES class was going to replace your aerospace class and that his leadership class was going to replace my ES class on the schedule. Just wanted to make sure this was the case."

You're exasperated. Lt Jones is a rather competent cadet in the leadership arena, but he keep swerving out of his "leadership lane" and bumping into aerospace, emergency services and trampling the Operations Officer's finely crafted schedule. Lt Smith, the Cadet Operations Officer, knows nothing about this schedule change. He's wrapped a little too tight for Operations and flips out when you ask him about this schedule change.

"Again with the fooling with the schedule! What is up with that guy? That's the 2nd time he's done this in a week. Last week, he told both the flight sergeants that they had to have their flights in a leadership class in 15 minutes, then he didn't show up in the classroom until 10 minutes late, and neglected to mention this 'pop up class' to either the flight commanders, the first sergeant, the cadet commander, or ME. That was scheduled for OPSEC training, and the squadron security officer is unhappy that everybody who didn't have the OPSEC sign-off were not in his class and now the unit is out of compliance for OPSEC.."

"Wait," you ask, "What was so all-fired important about his leadership class?"

"Nothing that demanded everybody miss the OPSEC briefing! It was a good NCO leadership class, but could it have waited? Now I have to take time out of the schedule to do OPSEC *again* before the first of the month or we're in trouble for not having this sign-off. I need to find the cadet XO and put a stop to this..."

The Ops O storms off in the direction of the cadet staff office, and you're left to ponder Lt Jones' actions."

Clearly, he can't stay "in his lane" as the leadership officer. The Aerospace program is fine and well-rounded, the ES program fits nicely in the schedule and of course, then you have the ops officer and all his angst now. If the guy would just schedule and run leadership activities, within the framework he's been given, things would be fine, right?

This works outside of a unit, too.

I once had an officer from another squadron who got in my grille about a disciplinary action we were taking with a cadet in my unit.

I was the cadet leadership officer at the time, and my recommendation to the commander was a 1 grade demotion. This officer, a staff officer in the other unit, knew the cadet from a group-level activity and felt that he was "getting railroaded." Problem was, this officer only had the cadet's version of the facts, not the the 360-degree view. So this guy literally corners me at a group meeting one night and proceeds to tell me that me and my commander are wrong and that we should be ashamed of ourselves, etc.

Now, he was like his unit's comm officer or something. This had *nothing* to do with communications, and since he was in another unit, it had nothing to do with his unit, too! The cadet had committed an infraction of the magnitude that demanded a 1 grade demotion, and that was that. My squadron commander agreed and initiated demotion proceedings per 50-16 (this should tell you how long ago this was!), the group commander, the group CP and the group IG all knew what was going on, and it was pretty much a done deal.

Then this guy shows up. Devoid of the facts and way, way, way outside of his "lane" on this matter. After he got done bending my ear, I said "Come with me, Lieutenant.." and dragged him over to my commander, said "Ma'am, we need to see the commander on this.." and we all visited ourselves into the group commander's office, where this Lt was promptly told that unless he had relevant information that pertained to this particular cadet's case, he was outside of his purview of communications as it pertained to his squadron and he should "butt out."

Well, of course, he didn't, and so he complained to the Group IG, who basically told him "You're wrong, this had nothing to do with you, please mind your own business and go away."

Again, another example of a guy who cannot "stay in his lane." Not only did he expend unnecessary time and energy on something that totally didn't have a thing to do with him, his duties or the unit, but by swerving all over the road, he sucked up substantial amounts of everybody elses time and energy, and in the end he had absolutely no result. (the cadet did his demotion time, earned his grade back, and motored on). He eventually wandered out of CAP, but not before he made a ton of noises about going to the county sherriff's office about "child abuse" (there was none), and "the whistleblower act" (which we later would have another issue in my unit about, which is part of why 39-2 makes specific reference to how members are not 'employees')

So folks, remember: If you have duties, do them, but do them within the framework of your position and place in the organization. We all have plenty to do, and I don't expect my leadership officer to start doing my recruiting and retention work until the CP section is 100% up to snuff.