"He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander." - Aristotle

An issue that Cadet NCOs often face is the question: "Who's the boss?" When is an NCO a leader? When is he a follower? What are his obligations toward fellow NCOs?

Every leader is also a follower. From the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the newest Cadet staff sergeant, everyone with a leadership position is someone else's follower. The role they assume depends on the situation and it is important to behave appropriately.

You are subordinate - a follower - to anyone who has a higher grade or holds position over you. You are required to be appropriately respectful of them. But what if the person in question doesn't have a higher grade or hold position over you? Are you their follower? Do you owe them respect and consideration? If so, when?

Consider the following situation:

Your flight is practicing drill. You are a C/TSgt and the flight sergeant is a C/MSgt, so you are an element leader. The First Sergeant is giving all his NCOs drill command practice, and chooses a C/SSgt to lead the flight in drill. The First Sergeant leaves instructions with the C/SSgt to pass command to another NCO after ten minutes, and leaves to attend to other duties.

What are your obligations in this situation? Are you now a follower of the C/SSgt, even though you're just practicing drill and he certainly doesn't outrank you? The answer is YES! During drill, or any organized instruction, you are subordinate to the person who has control of the 'class'. You must follow their orders and treat them with respect. That C/SSgt is acting with the authority of the First Sergeant. You should behave no differently than if the First Sergeant was drilling the flight himself. That is true of the C/SSgt who is leading you in drill and for the C/A1C that is giving a class on aerospace.

Or what about this:

A group of NCOs are the only Cadets left at the squadron building after a meeting. An NCO who has a higher grade than all of you says, "The First Sergeant forgot to have the building cleaned. You guys get it taken care of." Normally the First Sergeant has two or three Airmen do cleanup. Plus, the NCO who told you to clean the building has no staff position.

So, what do you do? Easy, you grab a broom and you clean the building. The NCO who has told you to clean the building has a higher grade, you are obligated to follow his orders. If you believe he has made a mistake, you should take it up the Chain of Command...later. In the meantime, get the job done. Now, it would certainly be more polite and more professional if the NCO who issued the order pitched in, but he isn't required to.

Examples aside, this issue mostly boils down to a simple rule of thumb: If you are in charge or the senior Cadet present, you are the leader. If you aren't in charge or the senior Cadet present, you are a follower.

Let this simple rule guide your actions and you're almost certain to be behaving correctly.