Leadership

[Field_Sailor]

Damn, Covert, you got my mouth watering with that last post.

[Lupin1]

Originally Posted by Beowulf

There is this girl in my section, and she refuses to listin to me simply out of spite because she didnt get my job. Ive never had a problem with respect, not in marching band, sports, or my breif carrer as a boyscout. Ive tried talking to her in private, Ive tried pretty much everything and she just doesnt get it. She refuses to respect anyone but herself, and she constantly barks out orders she had no right to give. Any solutions?

Well, as a fellow bandie(yeah, low brass) I've definitly dealt with stuff like that. And, I'm sorry to say, in my band at least, there's nothing you can do besides tell your drum major or band director. I mean, it's band... Like the guy said, it's not the military. I know some band's are wicked strict and make my ROTC unit look like a Brownie Troop, but I'm guessing your band isn't like that. Since this IS band, I'd probably just go behind her back and get everyone together to stop listening to her and all let her know how much they don't appreiciate her acting like a bitch all the time. If everyone in the section feels that way, then let her know about it. We've got many people like that in our band, and leaving them alone only makes them worse.

[Covertness]

Ah, the Academies called that The Silent Treatment. It's no longer allowed though. Check out the movie by the same name for details. It's an oldie: black and white. Great illustration of peer pressure and guts.

(in my best Ferris Bueler impersonation....) if you have the means, I highly recommend it.

[Beowulf]

Well, as a fellow bandie(yeah, low brass) I've definitly dealt with stuff like that. And, I'm sorry to say, in my band at least, there's nothing you can do besides tell your drum major or band director. I mean, it's band... Like the guy said, it's not the military. I know some band's are wicked strict and make my ROTC unit look like a Brownie Troop, but I'm guessing your band isn't like that. Since this IS band, I'd probably just go behind her back and get everyone together to stop listening to her and all let her know how much they don't appreiciate her acting like a bitch all the time. If everyone in the section feels that way, then let her know about it. We've got many people like that in our band, and leaving them alone only makes them worse.

Yeah youre right, i think ill just try and pass this one up the chain of command, but this girl is a F R E A K man! Name any undesireable trait, and she has it!

Damn, Covert, you got my mouth watering with that last post.

Hell yeah, me too, that was some motivating shit man!

Covert if yea get cored please help me out...


I am a Cadet Cheif Master Sgt. and am the CSM of my JROTC Corps. From what I have read and learned about real Cheifs and Sgt. Majors in the real armed forces, As the senior enlisted advisor, I should (in theory) be included in all decisions regarding the Corps or my non-coms. But the Corps commander fails to inform me of changes or involves me in ANY decision regarding the corps. Like today i walked into the Enlisted Lounge and saw a promotion notice for one of my MSgt.'s to 2Lt. I had no clue of it until today. I have been presistent in asking my Corps commader to invove me but i just get the run around. She seems to think it is best to keep al decisions confind to the Top 3 ( CC, Deputy, IG). I have also gone to my Enlisted Aerospace Science Instrutructor to get them to let me in, but he stays out and says he shouldnt interweave with the dealings of the corps, because it is a Cadet corps.... How would i go about Telling her, not asking her, to be let in without insulting her? Any help would be great...

WHAT? I'm a senior master sergeant in afjrotc and I'm the corps senior enlisted advisor. You are the main liasion between the cadet enlisted and cadet officers and SHOULD have the important say in that cadets promotion. What if he hasn't shown good leadership and poor conduct? What if you know this but they don't? She is not keeping proper structure in the corp by not including you.

Technically the persons who have the biggest affect in the cadet corp should be; the cadet commander, the vice cadet commander, the highest ranking Nco or the senior enlisted advisor/first sergeant. Even though your not a officer you are technically at proper rank to become a staff member[in other words if their is a cadet staff meeting and their is all officers you should the only or one offew Nco's in that meeting because your position has much responsibility.]

your aerospace science instructer should be involved the cadet corps, they shouldn't be in every single action but everything major that is done,such as promotions and meetings, should defintley be looked at by the ASI and even the SASI.

another thing my cadet commanders have all been females up until this year, why does it seem like girls get first priority when it comes to being in command?

[Field_Sailor]

Strictly speaking, she doesn't HAVE TO involve you in anything. It is the smart and right thing to do, but... she is in charge.

Also when I was in AFJROTC (grad '99). I was the CC. If I didn't have confidence in my staff I didn't put them in the loop. I'm not insulting you, but do you have her trust? Are you one of her trusted cadets? Did she put you in your position? Things to look at. My CV was a horrrible-backstabbing "bitch," so I decided not to let her in on things tell the decision was made, just to FYI. My SASI and ASI were very involved in my unit, but it was my choice.

As for women being in charge, during my four years and the 2 years surrounding (8years), I have only seen 2 female CC's and 1 CV. (the one CV didn't become CC, she was the second semester CC, if you guys break you command staffs into semesters like us).

I am a second year cadet, i have been to 2 Summer Leadershop schools Graduated number 1 and 3. I am very confident in my leadership ability and so are all my NCOs. The mind set of our corps is horrible, i dont know if any of you have been to A&M but there corps is run by ALL the seniors, and that is exactly how ours is. We have cadets that are C/SSgt. - C/Col. with jobs ranging from nothing to corps commander. So in reality, we have cadets that have no rank and no worthwhile jobs makeing all the desicions that effect my NCOs and the corps. Here is a prime example of what i do threw eveyday...


Today i held my weekly NCO meeting. We talked about the ups and downs of our corps. after the meeting i sat down and typed it up to present to my Corps commadnder she wasnt there do i showed the Deputy.. Well she read threw the list and at the end of it said "Well, we talked about all this stuff in senior period" (Senior period is the period where all the seniors are in ROTC and they talk about Command issues) I told her, how am i supose to knwo what yall talk about im not in the senior period, i get all my info-limitied as it is- from the ASI...i could of said more but i restrained myself...she didnt look to happy about that being said...Appently, they are going to "talk" about my list during 2nd period tomrrow.....Sigh....i hate my coprs...

[Field_Sailor]

You ahve two choices...
Make it better
or slide through this year till they leave.

Like I said I was a CC, they guys or girls I dind't htink performed well or I dind't trust didn't get much out of their "title." Don't suck up but gain their trust. And, as much as I hate to say it, sometimes you have to say "yes Sir/Ma'am," salute smartly, and carry the hell on. Fight it another day. Try to be seen as someone who wants to help not as the troublemaker. It can be a fine line sometime.

[Covertness]

Look man, here's the real deal. Why are you in JROTC? Are you there to be in command one day (senior year)? Have a little bit more authority each year? Be better next year than you are this year?

Yeah? OK, I can live with that. All admirable goals. You must understand that in any heirarchy there are good leaders and bad leaders. The latter I call commanders but that's a subject for another day. Your current cadet CO sounds like a piss poor leader. Guess what? The world is full of 'em.

You are picking a just fight but you are bucking a game that you can't win. You have to deal with that fact and pick your battles. If I were you, I'd STFU and be the best NCO you can be under the circumstances. Oh, I recken you could bitch and moan loud enough to win but in the long run you will loose. Control that which is controlable, adapt to that which is un-controllable.

To be a good leader you must learn to follow. You are now under the command of a piss poor commander. Learn from it because you will see this animal again. Don't focus on what this CO is doing wrong. Focus on what you can do right.

Its all and swell, just to sit it out and wait till my senior year. But i wont be there that summer to plan my senior year, ill be attending Basic for the Army....So if i dont change the mind set of the corps now or within the next year, it will stay the same. Becuase my other fellow Sophmores couldnt lead ducks to water if they had a map. And I am not about to sit around twittleing my thumbs while my corps goes to hell in a hand basket. I have already made some headway today, I talked to my SASI about my position and convinced him to either move me into the senior period or give my position to a senior next semester, so that whom ever a pick for CSM next semester will actually know what the hell is going on. Next is to get everyone to think of the corps as a buisness, not a social gathering. SOmething i can easily do with my NCOs, but for officers and airman will be a diferent story...

[Field_Sailor]

Nice start, remember though it is JROTC, so don't loose any friends. The point is to learn have an intro to the Military, do civic stuff and HAVE FUN.

I am about to join rotc and i was wanting to know all i can about it from an experienced member before i joined can you explain a little bit to me?