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Leading the way XV: The Myth of Command = Leadership

Major Matt Heusser, CAP

Or "Half a League, Half a League, Half a League, Onward..."1

The type


Cadet Colonel Smith is a legend. He attended eight National Cadet Special Activities, IACE, was Cadet Commander of a Squadron, Wing Cadet of the year, Commanded an Encampment and Chaired a CAC. He earned every ribbon the Cadet Program Offers, as well as a Commander's Commendation and Meritorious Service Ribbon. He is a great leader.

Examining things from a different angle, however, can show us a different picture. When C/2Lt Smith became cadet commander of his Squadron, it was rather large and competed in the Wing Drill Team and ES Competitions every year. The year he commanded, they only had 2 basic cadets attend encampment, and competed in neither competition. When he left as a C/Maj to go away to college, he turned over command to a C/Ssgt who wasn't ready for the job.

When he was in college, C/Maj Smith essentially moved to wing staff, although on paper he was assigned to a struggling Composite Squadron. During the next year, he chaired the Wing CAC, and they did not pass a single proposal of significance to command, nor did they pass one up to the Region CAC. Besides a Cadet Ball, and a poor-quality leadership school, the CAC sponsored no activities that year. That summer, C/Lt Col Smith served as a deputy commander for encampment, where he was essentially dead weight, and didn't add anything to encampment. He taught the class on national special activities, which was boring, but no one from command was in the room, so they didn't know.

The following year, C/Lt Col Smith Commanded encampment (after all, he had experience) and the encampment was just like many previous to it. Retention % and quality of staff applicants the following year were very poor, but no one thought to look back on the leadership of C/Col Smith. (After all, he's a Spaatzite2)

Six months later, C/Col Smith is awarded the Meritorious Service Award for his personal accomplishments, and some one is heard to say "He is a great leader."

Even though no one actually follows him.

The Point


All too often, Leadership is confused with personal achievement. Holding leadership positions doesn't make one a good leader, and neither does passing tests or attending lots of activities. When units shrink and quality suffers, something is wrong.

Examine yourself


Every time Boulle-Norman gets a new Cadet Commander, they get same speech "You came in as a C/XX, with a Staff of Y Mitchells and Z Earharts. Last year, we had A cadets attend encampment, B Cadets attend region CLS, and C Cadets attend encampment staff. A good measure of your leadership is to better those numbers for encampment this year, and leave a more qualified commander and staff than you were given. Other good measures include the quality of your meetings and activities, and how well you teach your posterity to do the same. Your leadership ability is not measured by how well you do, it's based on how well you inspire others to do."

I'll say that again: A Phase I Cadet may be measured by how well he is following; a Phase II Cadet must be measured by his subordinates and peers. I submit to you that, once you are a master of the program, if you aren't inspiring others and improving recruiting, quality, and retention, then you are just dead weight.

The glory of the CAPF 50


Somewhere around the end of phase I/beginning of phase II, Cadets need to begin to learn that the next level of personal excellence is recruiting, equipping, training, and motivating subordinates. One good way to do this is the CAPF 50, the Evaluation for the Leadership Laboratory. Cadets may be excellent in drill, uniforms, and custom and courtesies, but be rude, mean, or just plain ignore lower-grade cadets, who lose motivation and quit. By noting this on the CAPF 50 and explaining it in counseling, an enlisted cadet can be motivated to "take it to the next level."

I think we'd all agree that it a far easier thing to teach an enlisted Cadet to think in terms of leadership/unit, than to teach C/Col Smith to think that way.

The Litmus Test


Ever talk to a phase II Cadet? I mean, really sit down and try to figure out what he's struggling with? In many of those discussions, the Cadet may just be going through the motions -- passing tests, holding positions of increasing responsibility, attending activities, and getting promoted. The Cadet may have the form of leadership, but lack the substance. The litmus test? How does this Cadet feel about subordinates.

If the NCO is frustrated and running out of ways to motivate his subordinates, then it's often possible to give practical suggestions to lend him/her a lifeline. If the C/NCO blames his subordinates for not advancing, hinting that they are stupid, then this NCO may have a bigger problem that might take mentoring to fix. Mentoring attempts to show, by personal example, that there is more to the program than personal advancement.

Take care of your troops, and your career will take care of itself3. Take care of yourself first, and any good commander is going to put you last in line4.

Matthew Heusser, Capt, CAP
Leadership Officer, GLR-MI-265

Footnotes:

  1. The subtitle is the opening stanza to The Charge of the Light Brigade by Tennyson.
  2. The singular; Spaatzen is the plural.
  3. Inspired by Dwight L. Moody's famous quote:
    "If a man wants to improve his reputation, he must first look to his character. After that, his reputation will take care of itself."
  4. Inspired by yet another famous historical figure.

Matt Heusser was a CAP cadet for most of the 1990's, spending most of his "cadet-hood" in the Maryland Wing. Moving to Michigan four months prior to his 21st birthday, his oddest feeling was the day he woke up, saw the uniform with the three diamonds hanging in his closet, and realized that he would never wear it again. Currently, he's a Leadership Officer in Michigan Wing's Boulle-Norman Cadet Squadron, specializing in military skills, Drill Team and applied leadership. He's available by email at Matthew.Heusser@mks.net.

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