I have a short, sweet message for all you Cadet NCOs and
officers out there: stop wasting your Cadets' time!
I attended a weekend activity recently where I saw the Cadet staff
go out of their way to dream up piddly little things for their students to do. At least,
that's the way it seemed to me. We're talking about standing at attention in front of
their racks while the staff figured out what was going on, teaching 'exhibition drill' to
Cadets who barely know left from right, insisting that everyone stand interior guard (Six
men at a time for 45 minute shifts - why?), an overly complex guard log book and a
zero-five-hundred PT session on Sunday morning.
Often I can mentally chalk a lot of this type of stuff up to
teaching attention to detail. But we're talking basic Cadets here: if they manage to put
their uniform on with the underwear on the inside, well, that's quite an accomplishment.
You're not worried about teaching them the finer points about being a Cadet; getting the
Big Stuff close to right is more than enough of a challenge. Meanwhile, these Cadets left
after thirty-six hours of 'Cadet Basic Orientation' not knowing enough drill to pass the
Curry test.
There's an old phrase for a useless activity that contributes
nothing to the mission and is merely done at the whim of the leadership: "Mickey
Mouse".
Two other Seniors and myself were comparing notes on the
'training' activities; one of them a former Marine NCO and the other a staff sergeant in
the National Guard. We all agreed that we never would have put up with anything like it.
One thing that is stressed to leaders in the military is to never unecessarily take up
your people's time and to give them worthwhile tasks.
The reason the military does this is simple: people want to feel
like what they're doing is important and they don't want to feel like their time is being
wasted by their leaders. If they feel like they're wasting their time - or that you're
wasting their time - then they'll find something else to do with that time. If Cadet
leaders strive to be professionals, then they should behave as professionals and treat
their people as if their time is valuable.
Because it is valuable, and Cadets can easily find something else
to do with their time.
Here's the really sad thing: when I asked random members of the
Cadet staff why they were doing some of these things, the answer was usually "Because
we always do", or words to that effect. That is the single worst reason to do
something ever thought up and shows a serious lack of initiative, critical thinking and
leadership skill.
Leaders: make sure that you can justify any activity or task you
have your people undertake. If your commander - or some random pain-in-the-tuckus Senior
from a squadron in the northeastern part of the state - was to ask you why you're having
your people do something, you must have a better answer than 'we always do this'.
Think about the value of a task and how it contributes to the
mission. Does knowing how to fill out a guard logbook or do the Daily Seven at 0500 help
pass the requirements of the Curry test? Of course not! How about a little extra time on
the drill deck or additional instruction on uniform care and maintenance.
Use your people's time sparingly, as if it were the most valuable
thing you have. Because you know what? It is... |
