If you took a random sample of 100 cadet officers and stuck them in a room, and asked them how things should be, you would probably get two clear themes:

"False Militarism": This school of leadership correctly observes that cadets want to be challenged, to be elite, and to feel like the Military. The way to make them feel elite, then, is like the Military - make them feel stupid, and use fear/intimidation tactics break cadets down, then build them back into the image you want. Lots of push-ups are a definite plus.

"Social Activities": This school correctly observes that cadets often stay in CAP because of the friends they make, so CAP should be a place to meet, greet, have fun, and learn about aerospace. We should all sit around and have a picnic while looking at a model of the solar system.

I submit to you that both of these schools start with correct observation and come to the wrong conclusions.

False Militarism

It should be obvious that we can't do in 1 week with a 12-year-old what the Military can do in 8 weeks with adults. Military NCOs have 8-15 years of active duty experience and 8-12 months of drill sergeants school before they become basic training instructors. Military NCOs can tell the difference between pushing an individual and just being a bully.

False Militarism in CAP doesn't create leaders, it creates bullies. Here's why: At 12-years of age, our cadets just aren't developed enough to realize what the staff "has in mind." Instead, the Cadets see the reality: Encampment is a hazing ritual that one must survive. Cadets returning from a false militarism encampment typically have one of these three attitudes:

1. I hated that. I quit.
2. I hated that. I can't wait to do it to somebody else!
3. I hated that. I want to try to make sure that never happens again.

Sadly, attitude #1 and #2 are the most common, especially in younger cadets. How many people have been to an encampment where a flight sergeant said "PRESENT ARMS! Order FRONT! What are you doing? I said order front, not order arms! Why did you put your arm down! You need to pay attention to detail! " or, even worse, singled out the cadets that screwed up and force them to do something embarrassing. The argument is that those cadets "learn" and don't do it again. That may be true, but of the Cadets in my flight at my basic Encampment, I was the only one that was still a CAP member two years later.

In fact, my basic encampment was so well known for it's false Militarism, that four
years later, the encampment was nick-named "Back to Wright-Patterson" because the Cadet Staff thought recent encampments were "too weak."

False Militarism is also associated with all the trappings of coolness - including the flight commander who boasts of saying "You are going to do push-ups until I'M TIRED", then sits down and sips a coke while eating M&M's.

Think your wing doesn't have this problem? Let me ask you a question: At your basic encampments, do you allow basic cadets to drink cola or have dessert? Do you allow the staff to? Your reasoning may be sound: Basics need a week to "clean out" there systems and see all the mental/physical improvement that brings. But...do you ever tell them that? Or do they think that you're just a bully...and "I can't wait to do that to someone else!"

The biggest myth of false militarism is that "that's the way the military does it." Aside from a very few high-intensity schools, the day-to-day military does not use fear and intimidation to lead because it doesn't work in the long term. Intimidation may force obedience to orders, and it may force subordinates to push themselves, but, in the long term, it breeds resentment and anger. You may get the results you want today, but sometime soon, your subordinate is going to realize that he can quit - and he will.

It's fine to have high standards and consequences when those standards are not met. One trait of False Militarism is that it criticizes the person and not the action. Saying "You are STUPID!" won't fix anything - saying "X was a stupid thing to do. Here's why. Don't do it again" might actually motivate a real change in behavior. I'll say it again: criticizing the action instead of condemning the person is a great way to lead.  

Many people abandon False Militarism because of it's conclusions, and they forget about the problem False Militarism tried to address: Cadets want to be challenged, to be the best, and to feel like the Military. They give up on all standards in an effort to make CAP "fun", and fall into the myth of social activities. That's another problem that we'll talk about next month.

Disagree with me? Want to see more practical tips and less discussion of the obvious? Or have a leadership style you think needs to be exposed? Drop me a line.