When you have too many cadet staff.

[RiverAux]

I just got an email from our former C/CC who is now the C/XO.  Basically, she's concerned that her talents are not being used because the new C/CC isn't giving her anything to do.

Have you asked her what she WANTS to do? 

[Stonewall]

Nope.  Just got the email from her yesterday.

[Turtle1]

We have a similar situation in our squadron.  The cadet in question was definitely a high speed cadet from the time he joined, he has rotated through all the positions some even twice.  Now it seems as if there is nothing left, he does not voice this he is a good sport. When he turns eighteen we are encouraging him to go for scanning training and to continue to mentor the current staff.  The current staff is a bit immature so sometimes they do not realize the wealth of knowledge that they have right in front of them.

[cnitas]

I might have her get a feel for the new cadets who just entered the pipeline and what they might like to do as far as a weekend outing.

Perhaps she could plan a 'graduation'/Curry picnic, or a trip to a local AE venue (tour of a local airport's operations, AF Base, etc) for the group just as they finish the pipeline.  We have even had sucess with a hike and then an overnight campout out in the woods.

 

[DBlair]

I've seen the situation Stonewall explained in his original post several times, both WIWAC and currently in my unit. I remember a time when there were 4 C/LtCols, a few C/MSgts, and a variety of cadets in other grades (both enlisted and officer) in a composite squadron (total of about 50-60 cadets if I remember correctly) and it reached that point whereby these C/LtCols kind of felt like they outgrew the unit and almost felt out of place or like they weren't being utilized effectively.

Effort was put into figuring out what their specialty/niche was and how they could best serve the unit. They were asked about what they liked doing, as well evaluated according to their record of what they've accomplished during their years as a Cadet- in order to use their track record as a barometer of what they excelled at doing. One of them was a hardcore ES/GSAR type and so he was put in charge of organizing GSAR activities/training and was eventually part (ADY) of Wing's ES staff. He did a great job and it resulted in pretty much every Cadet being active in ES.

Another of them was all about the CP and was extremely sharp and highly effective at training Cadets in CP related things, so he was put in charge of the Basic Training program whereby he (and a few Cadets as his staff) were in charge of the new Cadets and training them before they were ready to join one of the regular flights. This, combined with the unit's heavy recruiting efforts, helped to produce a constant flow of some really sharp new Cadets and set the standard pretty high. He did an amazing job, inspired them, and was instrumental in the success of these newer Cadets- many who later became Cadet Officers, NCC members, and a variety of other extremely sharp Cadets.

Another was put as the Cadet Commander, and the last was put as the Deputy Commander. The other officers were put as Flight Commanders, and the C/MSgts as Flight Sergeants and the First Sergeant. The Deputy Commander didn't really have all that much to do and so he was ADY as the Cadet Commander of another local unit since they were completely void of Cadet leadership. This allowed him to serve his home unit as needed and also act in a command capacity in developing another local program which was largely a sister squadron and often did things together. With his guidance, this sister-squadron developed from a stuggling unit to a highly-functioning program.

My point is that rather than letting a senior Cadet feel like they don't have a place anymore (the reason I've seen many leave CAP), it is important to figure out where they shine and how their talents can best be utilized.

In the situation Stonewall described with 10-12 Cadets, half being staff, this does remind me of a variety of units I know of with all chiefs and no Indians. My suggestion would be to completely reorganize the Cadet Staff, condensing as necessary. With a membership that small, there is no need for so many staff positions. Consolidate the positions, embark on a massive recruiting campaign, and explain that the more members the unit has, the more staff positions will be opened. As for the current C/XO, figure out what is her niche and then give her the opportunity to shine in that capacity.

[Cecil DP]

Speak to the young lady and ask if she has any idea of what needs to be done in the Squadron that she will take on. If there is no suitable job for her, check with another unit (there are two others within 20 miles of you) or your next higher echelon to see if they have a position for her

[Pingree1492]

There have been a lot of replies here advising you to have her start some sort of recruiting and retention thing, which from other posts, you have done.  Now that you have those 7 new recruits, you have to ask yourself, "Is my cadet staff ready to handle them?"

Here is my advice, but not knowing the personality and persuasions of the cadets in your unit, YMMV.  I would recommend that you assign her to the Leadership Officer role, instead of the Executive Officer- with so few support staff positions, the position doesn't make a great deal of sense.

Have her do an analysis on where your cadet staff lie in their training.  Are your sergeants & chiefs good at teaching drill?  Are they teaching customs & courtesies properly, have good uniform wear, etc?  Are your cadet officers performing their duties properly- especially your Flight Commanders?

Have her identify areas where your cadet staff is weak in its training (there has to be something!), and develop and manage the execution of a training plan to fix the discrepancies.  She doesn't have to do all the teaching, etc, but she should plan and monitor the execution of the program.

You can recruit all the new members you want, but if your cadet staff isn't up to snuff, you can't expect to retain them.  Leave the training of brand new cadets up to your sergeants and chiefs, it should be an officer's job to oversee and direct that training, not do it themselves.

[tribalelder]

Your cadet officers study 'the book' (SDA's).  If they're mature, turn tasks over to them.

WIWAC(1965-1970), there was an 18 month period where all of the routine administration was in cadet officers' hands. This was back in the day before we became SO centrally controlled-I can not recommend being quite this creative anymore.

The squadron had 6+ Earhart cadets active, not yet away at school-this cadre was nicknamed "F Troop".  For that 18 month period, my rendition of the CC's signature was on the signature card at Maxwell. Another cadet kept the property book.  One was instructing seniors in drill and ceremonies.