Advancded Grade for RM Officers- Split from NCO thread

[Dragoon]

Something which is also lost in all this background noise is that while members with experience from the RealMilitary®, whether platoon leaders or regimental commanders, may have a wealth of general knowledge, experience and background in group dynamics and leadership theory, there is a cavernous expanse between motivating people with identical training and compensation, who
are legally bound to follow your directions, from leading volunteers with diverse motivation and experience who always have the option of just going home.

Actually, it's not as big a gap as you might think.  The average EM may not have the option of going home, but he certainly has (and will use) the options of slacking off, conveniently misunderstanding you, and anonymously turning you in to the IG for some percieved infraction if you don't properly motivate him.  The average subordinate NCO or Officer knows a million ways to ignore or undermine your programs if you don't motivate them as well.

Even with pay and UCMJ, if you can't build consensus, you're screwed.  In fact, I've heard it said over and over that if it comes down to you having to bark out an order to get obedience, you've already lost.

While I'm sure there are exceptions (and I've seen a few), once you tell most military officers "you know, these are volunteers and can bolt any time they want," one time,  they get it and use the appropriate tools to get the job done.

[Eclipse]

All very true - which begs the question "why do we wear grade?"

As you say, CAP does not follow this system.  Grade has little to do with your authority or responsibility, so why do we wear it on our uniforms?  The bling factor? Wannabe-ism?

Tradition, primarily - CAP was started and continued with members just out of the RealMilitary®
who had been trained appropriately and understood the concept.  Initially there >was< a meaningful NCO corps, and appropriately doled out responsibilities.  The program has changed, as has this country, requiring more accolades for less effort.  There also, I believe has been a swing (in theory) towards recruiting "professionals" (i.e. aircrew) with no thought given to the fact that these people aren't any more (or less) professional than anyone else, and a lack of thought for
what to do with "Joe 6er" who just wants to help.

Also, there is a difference between "giving orders" and "leading people."  Getting the most out of people involves leading, even if you pay them or have UCMJ authority over them.

There's ways to brick in every arena, public and private, but if you play games with the RealMilitary®, there are significantly more serious consequences than CAP (not that there should be).

Bottom line, the RealMilitary® ORDERS, but CAP is generally a movement of consensus, if only because there are little to know means to force anyone to do anything.

People participate because they want to, doing things they enjoy (not 100% pleasant, or without effort, but things they consent to doing), for which there are tangible or intangible benefits that they see as at least equal to the effort.