So, you think our PD program is weak? What needs to be added?

[Eclipse]

The thing about change is that it cannot be forced, it has to happen because there is a need.

Wanna bet?  How many steam gauge cockpits is Cessna producing anymore?  Pilots have a choice.  Adapt or drive, especially in CAP.
Many of ours said "forget about it, no way", stamped their feet, gnashed teeth, and then took advantage of training dollars and qualified, now we get complaints when we drop a steam gauge at a unit during maintenance.  Yes, a few quit, but most of those were twice-a-year pilots who were just using CAP for cheap flying.

If you cannot make that compelling a point, you can't chance attitudes.

If you are incapable of making a compelling argument about raising the professional standards in your unit, or choose to allow a minor point to become a gateway, then your unit does have issues that may be insurmountable.

[PWK-GT]

^  That was absolutely my experience.

It was no coincidence that the team players were the same ones to start showing up to regular meetings wearing a proper uniform with no complaint and mostly enthusiasm.

People will drop to the level of that which is emphasized.  If the commander allows a lax environment, then even your varsity will drop their standards, usually begrudgingly, and be darn happy when the bar is picked back up off the floor.

It's a lot easier to recruit new members into a room full of people with smiles and crisp uniforms than into a room full
of people with their feet up who can't be bothered to wear a tie.

"Build it and they will come...."

As has been said here, once you set the correct expectations...the rest will fall in line. It might not happen overnight for everyone, but it will give you an great gauge as to who your movers and shakers are going to be. My experience has been that once you have identified those people, you start addressing their needs, tempered with the needs of the unit. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Lose a few members over it? So be it. The REDCAPS still get answered. And by generally more 'tuned in' folks than previously.

When I took over as CC, we had wayyy more members 'on the books' than we do now. Expectations were set, conversations were had...and some did not choose to adapt. But the ones we do keep now are committed to their AOR, and generally progress efficiently...with little need for supervision. And without an active recruiting program ( working on that more now ), my polling of new members indicates that what sold them on the unit was seeing these same members in action. I lose more people to 'life issues' than I do to the tone being set properly, or to making them wear the minimum uniform (non polo shirt) once in a while. I have even had people approach me apologetically when they have to trim back for personal reasons.  YMMV.

And I no longer waste time worrying about those whine-and-cheese parties.

[coudano]

I'll second the update of the specialty pamphlets.  Some of them are great.  Some of them are wretched.


The specialty track schoolhouse is a nice idea, but probably not practical.  instead...
There need to be centrally created and managed (online) communities of practice / centers of excellence for each specialty track.
Assignment to a specialty track should grant access to that ST's forum.
This could be accomplished with a national drop of the pers assignments and some scriptage against software like phpbb or smf or whatever.
I would go so far as to say that cadetstuff is a great model of that, for cadet programs (despite poor saturation lately)
The CAP ITO forums, when they were running, was another pretty good example...


The problem with requiring officer training (in residence) within 60 days is who is going to run a class basically every month or two?  And who is going to fund it?  I get the utility of the program, I just don't think it's reasonable expectation.


More importantly than most of the things that we have traditionally done, I think that the most important thing we need to communicate to new volunteers is along the lines of organizational culture.  Expectations, Taboos, for behavior.  How you, the individual new member, fit in to the organization (what role you are expected to fill, what work you are expected to finish, and on what timeframe // to what level of quality).  Not just slideshows of orgcharts, but actual practical hands-on plugging in and resourcing.  I want new senior members to have a crystal clear, one step after the other, path from the front door all the way to functional (without supervision) staff officer that knows exactly what their job is, and exactly who their supervisor is.  Right now we don't have that, and we lose a lot of people along that way.

but don't know how to march, don't even know what their supposed to do when Left Right Left is called.

Just to nit-pick, left right left shouldn't be being called... it should be hut two three four

They instill and promote discipline - not punitive discipline which is what most people think of when they hear the word, but mental discipline.

Yah they do, but probably not over the course of a couple minutes, maybe an hour, of introductory training...  Particularly for 'hard headed adults' who are set in their ways.

I don't think most cadets REALLY get this until somewhere in the middle/end of phase 1.  For us, that's 12 hours of airman academy, and maybe another 12-16 hours out of unit meetings and other activities, and maybe even an encampment in there too...  before they REALLY get it.


For my money, senior members that aren't Leadership Officers or Deputy Commanders for Cadets need to know the following drill:
1.  Stand at attention (properly)
2.  Parade Rest and At Ease, and when to do each
3.  Right/Left and About Face9
4.  Present and Order Arms (properly, no goofy windmilling/etc) (and when/where to/not to do it)
5.  How and where to walk, with some sort of military bearing (not necessarily even squared corners)
6.  Reporting statement
7.  Shake, Take, Salute

Look, drill is hard to master.  Even people who know a lot about it (like Air Force MTI's) still get it wrong now and then.
You gotta be a downright drill nerd to teach it to cadets and do it right.  MOST CAP senior members do not need that level of proficiency and knowledge, and the time and effort it would take them to attain it would be better spent in other endeavors.

[Fubar]

Problem solved.  Few uncomfortable conversations, and a wholly effective unit in the wake - squadron of merit as a matter of fact, in its first year with cadets after a 10+ year absence, and arguably the most effective / active ES unit in the wing when I moved up.

Mr. Eclipse, you're definitely someone I've pegged as an expert (and I assure you, it's not due to volume, but quality), so please understand I am not questioning your results. In fact, I'd like to learn from them.

I've guesstimated that 90% of the senior members of my squadron would find something else to do with their volunteer time if forced to wear anything but a polo and be told they have to spend a portion of meetings learning drill. Like you said, "CAP should not be a burden, nor unpleasant" and everyone has their individual pain thresholds. For some, marching around in squares or putting in the time necessary to have a decent looking uniform is for some reason that threshold around here.

When you were named commander and laid down the law, what was the composition of your squadron like? Was it mostly those who were mission focused but also appreciated the military mindset that CAP started with and a few polo-shirters sprinkled in who sat in the back and hoped for a meteorological intervention? Or was it the other way around, a group that was mission focused who couldn't be bothered with "the military stuff" who had to learn to either like or live with military customs and courtesies?

A squadron that loses all but one or two of its members may not survive the rebuilding process. It would definitely take an extremely dedicated squadron commander who is committed to the long haul. A squadron that looses just a couple of even the most dedicated folks should be able to rebuild, although probably not quickly, depending on the size of the unit. I'm curious which way Mr. Eclipse's unit went.

[RADIOMAN015]

The CAP PD program is fine as it is.  There's the right mix of on line self study as well as in residence requirements that allow flexibility for the working adult members.   Of course the big issue is the the quality of adults we recruit.  If we bring in a lot of low aptitude personnel, it results in a training/development issues.

Generally squadrons can do a good job of training & developing personnel.  We don't need weekend basic training (which basically had been tried with level 1 training in the past).

I personally don't believe that the type of uniform worn (e.g. white aviator, golf shirt or AF type uniforms) has ANY bearing on the contribution of adult members to the program.
RM 

[ProdigalJim]

From a semi-outsider perspective...

As a former cadet, I recall a different mindset among cadets AND seniors about time spent on PD matters than I sense, third-hand, here on these boards. We spent A LOT more time working on our respective tasks...I got GT and Comms knocked out, and when we weren't working on our squadron stuff we were doing UTXs with the late, great 174th TFW on the weekends. As I'm just coming back after a 28-year-hiatus, it looks as if we're less willing as an organization to demand more time of our folks. Maybe these are regional differences, I can't really claim to know.

But it just seems that, volunteer or not, we CAN ask folks to put more time into the tasks for quals. In the large, semi-urban fire department with which I volunteer, we're a combined career-volunteer system, and the volunteers have to take EXACTLY the same classes, with the same number of instructional/contact hours, as the unionized career firefighters. Some volunteers groused about it...some have left because of it. But one result is that when you see someone wearing a black helmet, you know that person is 100% qualified to A) back you up in an interior structural firefight; B) deliver hands-on patient care on a busy highway; C) pump water; D) etc. It feels a bit like Guard v. AD, and there is some degree of that kind of back-and-forth among members, but when it comes down to it, nobody operating on the fireground is a major hazard to the rest of the team because of inadequate training. Our volunteers don't get fully qualified for 15 to 18 months...and that's a long time to wait to ride a fire engine, if that's why you joined. OTOH, everyone is safe and effective.

So I think one PD improvement would be increasing the hours and direct-instructional time for many quals, especially those that involve physical or complex skills (GT or MO). Being a Logistics officer, while important, doesn't necessarily require the candidate to master a set of physical skills.

Better online resources for cooperative learning would also be good.

Update the pamphlets. Not just with prettier illustrations either...in some cases, the thinking behind them is very outdated.

Run more local/regional schools...bigger than a squadron, since not all can muster the resources. Maybe at the Group level? And then require people to give up a couple of weekends to get their quals done. As I've mentioned in a previous post, I spent an aggregate 22 weeks at the Fire Academy, while raising kids and doing a full-time job. Nobody *made* me, in the sense that I volunteered...but, having done so, I was on the hook for all the obligations that came with it.

And strengthen the basic intake instruction for new SMs...it sets the tone for PD. One of the main purposes of any "basic" training program, whether the Marines, the fire service, or McDonald's Hamburger University, is to steep the new person in the culture and expectations of the organization. It "seals" your membership. At present, it's too haphazard to ensure that everyone coming in gets exposed to the same culture, expectations, values and the like.

Prodigal Jim

[RiverAux]

You seem to be mixing professional development (the stuff you need to do to get promoted) with ES qualifications to some extent. 

[ProdigalJim]

I ask the same sorts questions here and get everything but a workable solution.   

I've noticed that, too.

As you've seen before, my CAP experience is A) very old and B) only cadet, so take my opinion only for what it's worth. That said, in my professional life I've managed small and large organizations, launched products and stood up brand-new organizations from scratch, so I must be fooling enough people most of the time to get something done!

It sounds as if a combination of history, geography and present circumstance would prevent you from going as far as Eclipse did all at once. As a former cadet, I, too, believe that SMs who work with or around cadets ought to be able to handle basic D&C and C&C. That said, I don't think that means cadets won't learn something valuable from a committed, knowledgeable "polo shirt."

Perhaps in your unit, an incrementalist approach would work. Just try to find one or two seniors with some prior military, or prior cadet, service. They tend to be better at the D&C and C&C stuff. Let them be the primary "modelers" for the cadets...and then, in a very non-onerous way, let them start getting some of the remaining seniors up to snuff on basic uniforms, behavior and customs and courtesies. It really could be something as simple as a 15-minute review during every weekly meeting for seniors. "Today, we're going to learn how to do a really snappy salute."

Your guys don't have to look like the Air Force Honor Guard at Arlington Cemetery. But I think even some of the "polo shirts" might actually enjoy mastery of some of the finer points. And for those who just can't/won't...use them for what skills they bring to CAP. As you said, you're not going to 2b a great pilot just because he can't execute a Right Flank perfectly. OTOH, maybe said LTC might appreciate learning how to square away his uniform a little bit. Everyone likes to feel competent!

Maybe workable, maybe not. But an attempt to be constructive.

[ProdigalJim]

You seem to be mixing professional development (the stuff you need to do to get promoted) with ES qualifications to some extent.

I am, a little bit, but that's deliberate. I think they're connected. The attitude toward learning and improvement developed in one area carries over to the other. At least, that's been my experience.

[RADIOMAN015]

Since you asked.




1.  D&C.  Whether the officer will work with cadets or not, he should know how to fall in, do facing movements, stand at attention, parade rest, and at ease.  He should know preparation/execution commands.  He should be familiar with basic drill movements; forward march, column, flanks, and rear march.  Also... how to do an in-ranks inspection.

Refer to current level 1 training, it's basically standing at attention, parade rest, and saluting that has to be mastered.

In my career in the AF at any "working" duty station, there never was any parades/marching other than the occasional standing in place at attention/parade rest.  The AF (as well as CAP) has much more important things to do than to have adults marching around in circles

RM     

[Eclipse]

I've guesstimated that 90% of the senior members of my squadron would find something else to do with their volunteer time if forced to wear anything but a polo and be told they have to spend a portion of meetings learning drill. Like you said, "CAP should not be a burden, nor unpleasant" and everyone has their individual pain thresholds. For some, marching around in squares or putting in the time necessary to have a decent looking uniform is for some reason that threshold around here.

Let's be clear, we are not talking about spending "portions of meetings" - maybe one or two to get everyone up to speed as coudano indicated above - then an expectation that people use it.  It won't kill anyone to stand in formation.

When you were named commander and laid down the law, what was the composition of your squadron like? Was it mostly those who were mission focused but also appreciated the military mindset that CAP started with and a few polo-shirters sprinkled in who sat in the back and hoped for a meteorological intervention? Or was it the other way around, a group that was mission focused who couldn't be bothered with "the military stuff" who had to learn to either like or live with military customs and courtesies?

In most cases Polo Shirts were an effort, with the majority showing up in civilian clothes.

The unit had about 65 members on the books and no cadets.  Despite rhetoric about being a "flying unit", there were only 2-3 with a
form 5 and less as mission pilots.  There were plenty of pilots, but few CAP pilots.   Because of that, and the unit's central location, the aircraft got a lot of hours, and was impeccably maintained, but the unit's readiness was essentially zero.  No ground teams, few, if any, base staff, and zero professional development or progression.  The majority of those over 1st Lt. were professional or aviation-related appointments or transfers.

One question repeatedly raised at Group staff meetings was "With all those members and nothing going on, what are they doing?"

The answer was that the previous unit CC stressed the social aspects of CAP over the operational - birthdays, who is sick, where to eat dinner, and of course the wing is to blame for all that is wrong in CAP.  The mention of outside activities was cursory at best, if at all.

When I left, we had about the same number of members, but I believe about 17 were cadets, and the senior rolls had been "normalized"
to move the empty shirts either to 000, patron, or outside the unit.  A small percentage of members had far exceeded their normal active membership tenure and simply chose to disengage and retire.

There was plenty of gnashing of teeth, with the "best" comment coming from one member of significant longevity "He can't be a commander, he's not even a pilot!".

My mantra was "don't waste the members' time".  We had agendas for meetings, goals in place which were communicated to the members, and focused the entirety of "CAP time" on "CAP stuff".  Previously there had been a weekly "newsletter" which we realized had more information about the doings of the airport, pilot's association, and local aviation happenings, then CAP activities.  Ending that was a point of contention, but a game-changer.

I was accused of just about very sin against man and nature to my face, and I am sure to this day even more behind my back, which I simply took as a sign of success.  My goal and job there was not to make friends, but to bring the unit to the state of readiness and efficacy it thought it actually had.

My comment about CAP not being a burden is intended first and foremost regarding the commander and his staff - those who have chosen to carry the weight of the unit and all the responsibilities.  As I have said before, my biggest mistake was in not pulling the band-aid off quicker, instead delaying uncomfortable conversations in the hopes that the members in question would step up (or out).  This stretched the "pain" of change far too long for everyone, taking more than a year to see real results which could probably have been accomplished in less than 6 months.

As some background and defense of the previous CC, he had been in place nearly 18 years, most of which was during a time of little change and low expectations.  His focus for years had been simply keeping the doors open and his tenacity and relationship with the airport garnered a lot of resources, including free heated hangar space, a building to meet in, and related donations, but with all that working for them, they weren't actually doing much (CAP related).

I, on the other hand, had sat in the back of the room for nearly two years as an uninformed SMWOG (in '99 regs and pubs were still mostly hardcopy state secrets), wondering why I was still showing up, before moving to Group staff and seeing the "real" CAP.  In my professional life I was a "dot-bomber" who embraced change and chaos as a normal way of life. Radical leadership transition was something I experienced every year or two for a decade.

Before being appointed I had been away (with Group) for about 5 years, and on returning had mandates regarding my appointment (readiness, attitude, cadets, not necessarily in that order).  On reflection, this was probably the best course of action, since a current member would likely have been more worried about irritating friends than making changes. 

I sleep well during otherwise frustrating CAP nights with the thought that the unit's subsequent success is my legacy, but the reality is that I was just the Morgan Freeman of the story, with the majority of the real work, especially on the cadet side, being done by my deputies and staff.

[ol'fido]

We have a Training Leaders of Cadets(TLC) Course. How about a Training Leaders of Seniors Course(TLS) to teach Mentoring and PD Coaching.

You may want to look at two publications:

CAPP 50-7 (2004)  MENTORING:  Building Our Members

CAPP 229 (2009)  ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE Specialty Guide

I AM aware of these publications. But just because books are on the shelf at the library does not mean that anyone is going to read them. OE is an executive training tool geared for those SMs who want to advance to the higher levels of command and staff. The pub on mentoring is fine. That is the how to guide. As it is however, mentoring is a module in CLC. What I am suggesting is a more broad based, grass roots training program for those mentors. We need trainers for seniors just as much as we do for cadets. How many staff positions are geared toward training in the cadet program? AE, DCC, CDI, DDR, etc. How many are dedicated to training our seniors? DCS(if you have one) and PD.

Because the cadet program is one of our three core missions, we are very intense and comprehensive with promoting it and implementing it. We need to be just as agressive with our senior member training because they train the cadets. I don't care what a senior's job, title, age, rank, or anything else is;every senior member is a leader and a role model just by the virtue of being there. It's up to us to determine whether they are a good leader and role model or a bad one.

In other words, to train the trainers and train them well.

[CAP_truth]

Someone please tell me how a senior can be a deputy commander of cadets or unit commander who does not know basic D&C or C&C. Every phase one cadet is suppose to know the cadet oath, some senior members should know what that means. Civil Air Patrol is by act of Congress the official Auxiliary of the United States Air Force. I do not like the polo shirts. Not all members need to be pilots. Not every member of the USAF are pilots, but everyone contribute to the mission.

[caphornbuckle]

CAPP 151 Respect on Display:  It isn't just for cadets

http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/media/cms/P151_9028588D89DD2.pdf

Respect on Display. When we render military-style customs and courtesies,
the Core Value of Respect is on display. Air Force traditions like
the salute, and everyday American customs – even friendly greetings
like, "Good afternoon, sir" – symbolize our commitment to a sense of
teamwork that is built on a foundation of mutual respect.

Saluting and standing at attention are part of D&C.

Adults in CAP back in the beginning also stood in formation as well as performed other D&C maneuvers as part of their training.  Not saying we should go that in depth with it today but the basics should be covered.

[JohnKachenmeister]

Since you asked.




1.  D&C.  Whether the officer will work with cadets or not, he should know how to fall in, do facing movements, stand at attention, parade rest, and at ease.  He should know preparation/execution commands.  He should be familiar with basic drill movements; forward march, column, flanks, and rear march.  Also... how to do an in-ranks inspection.

Refer to current level 1 training, it's basically standing at attention, parade rest, and saluting that has to be mastered.

In my career in the AF at any "working" duty station, there never was any parades/marching other than the occasional standing in place at attention/parade rest.  The AF (as well as CAP) has much more important things to do than to have adults marching around in circles

RM   

The online level 1 is inadequate.  For an officer to be useful to CAP, he must have a baseline of knowledge, which includes D&C.  Otherwise, he cannot supervise cadet operations.

If all he wants to do is one job in CAP, then he does not need to go through any PD at all.  He can stay a 1st Lt..  If he wants to advance in rank, he should be willing to accept greater responsibility.

[flyboy53]

Since you asked.

1.  D&C.  Whether the officer will work with cadets or not, he should know how to fall in, do facing movements, stand at attention, parade rest, and at ease.  He should know preparation/execution commands.  He should be familiar with basic drill movements; forward march, column, flanks, and rear march.  Also... how to do an in-ranks inspection.

Refer to current level 1 training, it's basically standing at attention, parade rest, and saluting that has to be mastered.

In my career in the AF at any "working" duty station, there never was any parades/marching other than the occasional standing in place at attention/parade rest.  The AF (as well as CAP) has much more important things to do than to have adults marching around in circles

RM   

The online level 1 is inadequate.  For an officer to be useful to CAP, he must have a baseline of knowledge, which includes D&C.  Otherwise, he cannot supervise cadet operations.

If all he wants to do is one job in CAP, then he does not need to go through any PD at all.  He can stay a 1st Lt..  If he wants to advance in rank, he should be willing to accept greater responsibility.

STRONGLY AGREE. This is another case of a watered down or dumbed down program. Make it a weekend seminar like CLC, do some marching and give tests with measurements.

[EMT-83]

The online level 1 is inadequate.

Level 1 is NOT an on-line course - please erase that idea from your brain. Yes, the material is available on-line, but it needs to be presented and reinforced face-to-face. If your new folks are not getting this, you're setting them up to fail right from the start.

Almost every suggestion I've read in this thread is stuff that already exists. Instead of reinventing the wheel, why not work the program as it's written?

[JohnKachenmeister]

You are correct.  Level 1 has to be reinforced face-to-face.  In our Group, that face-to-face is at a weekend training OTS, where the new officers march (about 90 minutes) learn to report to an officer, cover a lot of basic classes in CAP that gives them about 1 or 2 years worth of knowledge in 2 long days.

That is the difference between "Minimum adequacy" and "Excellence."

[manfredvonrichthofen]

You are correct.  Level 1 has to be reinforced face-to-face.  In our Group, that face-to-face is at a weekend training OTS, where the new officers march (about 90 minutes) learn to report to an officer, cover a lot of basic classes in CAP that gives them about 1 or 2 years worth of knowledge in 2 long days.

That is the difference between "Minimum adequacy" and "Excellence."

PERFECT KACH!!! I love seeing that, when you get someone who is truly into the program and really has the volunteer attitude, you can do more with them in two days than you can with someone else in a year.

[lordmonar]

I've guesstimated that 90% of the senior members of my squadron would find something else to do with their volunteer time if forced to wear anything but a polo and be told they have to spend a portion of meetings learning drill. Like you said, "CAP should not be a burden, nor unpleasant" and everyone has their individual pain thresholds. For some, marching around in squares or putting in the time necessary to have a decent looking uniform is for some reason that threshold around here.

Let's be clear, we are not talking about spending "portions of meetings" - maybe one or two to get everyone up to speed as coudano indicated above - then an expectation that people use it.  It won't kill anyone to stand in formation.

About half of my seniors would walk if required to do D&C and stand formations.....even for a weekend.