A few years ago, and once upon a time, there was a cadet grade of cadet sergeant. My new assignment was to become our Alpha flight's soon-to-be flight sergeant. What was really going on was my entrance into the world of leadership. Among other things needed for leadership, keeping the crowd motivated and interested is one of the hardest battles to fight in the cadet program. As I stood in front of a flight of cadets, I lost count after ten, the staff stood afar amused at the lack of knowledge I actually had towards this job I was supposed to master in five seconds. I think on it, and the more it jogs my mind, the more I begin to look past any personal ideas and focus on the rationales behind the matter.

To make things clear, what was on my mind at the time was anything but focused on the greater lesson. Any regular would have done the same. I asked myself, as the sweat trickled down my face, "What do they think they're doing putting me in front of all these people without telling me what to do?" The answer is now clear. I had made it obvious that I was bursting with desire to lead the cadets, and that I could do it better than anyone else. My opportunity was granted far sooner than I had expected. The real answer is how do you respond when submerged in the middle of a predicament? And accompanying that, how can you make your response move those cadets? How can you make it spark inside and keep them on fire for Civil Air Patrol? How can you motivate them to become leaders, just as you have found yourself on the road? There is never just one question and one answer. To think this way closes the mind to the confounds of a systematic lifestyle. The weather is not sunny just because it's daytime.

My task appeared simple. Drill the cadets. It was obviously more than that. I failed to realize that there was more to it than simply yelling a bunch of commands to make cadets move. More than keeping in step and calling things on the correct foot. Greater than showing off to my superiors my desire to take charge. It was setting the example to my subordinates and showing them why I really wanted to go the extra mile. As I said, I chose poorly that day. It was just the beginning. Imagine if I had given up. Giving up is selfish. It kills motivation and morale in squadrons. As leaders, who are followers, listeners, and students, the motivation we raise in our cadets are a direct product of how we handle ourselves and situations as they are presented, even in the aftermath if our decisions are not always correct.