New National Commander elected

[JC004]

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I just don't expect much from any of our national leaders, just hope that they don't do anything stupid.
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WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS?!  AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO FINDS THIS REALLY SAD?!

It's this and people say that hopefully National won't impact their squadron.  I think this is all REALLY SAD.  Like depressing sad.

[RADIOMAN015]

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I just don't expect much from any of our national leaders, just hope that they don't do anything stupid.
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WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS?!  AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO FINDS THIS REALLY SAD?!

It's this and people say that hopefully National won't impact their squadron.  I think this is all REALLY SAD.  Like depressing sad.

I think most personnel at the squadron level have little or no interest in going ons at National HQ (I would throw region in there also) other than hoping that the appropriate support will be there for the squadron, or sort of like medical profession creed "do no harm".  (I know in our wing,  the wing commander's policy is that the wing staff is there to provide support and assistance to the squadrons in the wing :clap:)   Interestingly I attended another local squadron's open house today and I know the unit commander, he had even forgotten there was a national election and advised him who was elected (less than a two minute conversation)   -- we then went on talking about local things our squadrons were doing.
RM
     

[RiverAux]

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I just don't expect much from any of our national leaders, just hope that they don't do anything stupid.
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WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS?!  AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO FINDS THIS REALLY SAD?!

It's this and people say that hopefully National won't impact their squadron.  I think this is all REALLY SAD.  Like depressing sad.

Oh, it is.

But, I can't think of a single thing that any National Commander has pushed for that has ended up being a good thing.  I can think of several bad things, but perhaps that is selective memory at work. 

I'm sure that probably all of them actually have done a few good things behind the scenes in their time in office, but we have no way of knowing what those things are. 

At least our organization has a little taste of democracy in it that puts somewhat of a leash on how much harm they can do, but on the other hand, it also limits how much good they can do since they have to get others to vote with them to get things changed.  Decision-making by committee can be limiting in both a good and bad way. 

[RADIOMAN015]

The CAP Center for Innovation, as envisioned, would need resources and command support.  I don't see why it COULDN'T happen if they wanted to do it - it's not about individuals, politics, or the like.  It's about the mission and people.  That's it.

Hmm, didn't the National website, at one time have a "Best Practices" area, that allowed posting of some innovative methods I think it wouldn't be that difficult to set up something by every major functional area and have each "functional area" adviser review & approve, than post to the website.
RM

[flyboy53]

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I just don't expect much from any of our national leaders, just hope that they don't do anything stupid.
...

WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS?!  AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO FINDS THIS REALLY SAD?!

It's this and people say that hopefully National won't impact their squadron.  I think this is all REALLY SAD.  Like depressing sad.

Oh, it is.

But, I can't think of a single thing that any National Commander has pushed for that has ended up being a good thing.  I can think of several bad things, but perhaps that is selective memory at work. 

I'm sure that probably all of them actually have done a few good things behind the scenes in their time in office, but we have no way of knowing what those things are. 

At least our organization has a little taste of democracy in it that puts somewhat of a leash on how much harm they can do, but on the other hand, it also limits how much good they can do since they have to get others to vote with them to get things changed.  Decision-making by committee can be limiting in both a good and bad way.

I would rather be optimistic and watch how things unfold

I met the new national commander twice during the '09 NSC. I vote we give him a chance.

[JC004]

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I just don't expect much from any of our national leaders, just hope that they don't do anything stupid.
...

WHY DOES EVERYONE SAY THIS?!  AM I THE ONLY PERSON WHO FINDS THIS REALLY SAD?!

It's this and people say that hopefully National won't impact their squadron.  I think this is all REALLY SAD.  Like depressing sad.

Oh, it is.

But, I can't think of a single thing that any National Commander has pushed for that has ended up being a good thing.  I can think of several bad things, but perhaps that is selective memory at work. 

I'm sure that probably all of them actually have done a few good things behind the scenes in their time in office, but we have no way of knowing what those things are. 

At least our organization has a little taste of democracy in it that puts somewhat of a leash on how much harm they can do, but on the other hand, it also limits how much good they can do since they have to get others to vote with them to get things changed.  Decision-making by committee can be limiting in both a good and bad way. 

That's really SAD. 

I'm sure there are numerous things that the national leadership has pressed over the years that has been good, but we need things that are felt down to the local unit and have a real impact on them.

As much as we want to be separate from them (and it seems A LOT - I mean A LOOOOOOT of members do), what they do or don't do DOES impact us at the squadron.  When we have members deciding not to attend ES training because they don't get missions, or quitting for the same reason, what national, region (kinda), and wing are doing in that area matters A LOT.  If they aren't developing our base of missions and making it so we get as many missions as we can support, members LEAVE.

That's just one example.  Another example issue is how freaking complicated it can be trying to run a unit as a volunteer.  You get all these new requirements, things like that, and it makes it hard to do your job.  Communication from national (like I had set up, read to go in the form of the National Commander's Blog and National Staff Blog) that is clear, consolidated, and regular would make a huge difference.

There's a lot that the national level could do to make a real difference that we could feel at the local level.  I just don't feel like they are going to do that because they rejected the only specific blueprint laid out to make this reality.

I'm sorry but it really bothers me that what I would say is probably the vast MAJORITY of the membership doesn't want anything to do with their National Headquarters.

The CAP Center for Innovation, as envisioned, would need resources and command support.  I don't see why it COULDN'T happen if they wanted to do it - it's not about individuals, politics, or the like.  It's about the mission and people.  That's it.

Hmm, didn't the National website, at one time have a "Best Practices" area, that allowed posting of some innovative methods I think it wouldn't be that difficult to set up something by every major functional area and have each "functional area" adviser review & approve, than post to the website.
RM

This still exists in some form but it is very lightly used, not integrated into things, and doesn't function the way we had this set up to function.  If you look through the best practices stuff that they have, you very quickly get to stuff posted years ago.  It is barely updated, barely used, and not working heavily toward making things easier for the local units.

[RiverAux]

Hmm, didn't the National website, at one time have a "Best Practices" area, that allowed posting of some innovative methods I think it wouldn't be that difficult to set up something by every major functional area and have each "functional area" adviser review & approve, than post to the website.

Yep, but either no one ever bothered to send anything in or the things that were sent in weren't posted.  Seemed like a good idea, but didn't seem to go far.

[LGM30GMCC]

Does it occur to people that NHQ works on National level initiatives and those have indirect impact on what happens at the units. The CAP/CC is a voice/ambassador for all of us at the very highest levels

Examples:
Pairing with more closely with AFA, and AMA enabling getting Cyber Patriot and MARC off the ground. Those are things a local unit could start, but it takes NHQ to make it nationally available.
Overseeing the aircraft MX budget. This means individual wings don't have to foot the bill which may not affect some of the rich wings as much as the poor wings, but aircraft are expensive to MX.
Tire replacement program for vehicles. CAP/SE noted that there was a nationwide trend of tire issues. Squadrons/wings couldn't afford to replace tires on a regular basis, now NHQ picks up the bill.
ORMS, WMIRS, eServices are all NHQ functions that you likely use at the local level and provide national level support making it easier to maintain records and to report them to everyone who needs them.
NCSAs - Seriously, NHQ oversees these and provides a lot of funding to ensure there are some very high quality programs at low cost to the organization
They buy the freaking vans and airplanes your local unit/wing get to play with.
Ensuring we have successful audits, and when we were having issues taking on the burden of paying for wing administrators (something many wings likely could not afford on their own)
Interacting with 1st AF and the Chief of Staff of the USAF. That is something your local unit is not going to be doing and really provides a lot of high visibility to the organization.
The new Aerospace Dimensions and Learn to Lead curriculum
The 'new' standardized training for ES specialties making a GTM in one state theoretically equal in training to a GTM in another etc.
Free Cadet Uniform program. It may not always work wonders, but it's better than what we had before (which is to say nothing)

Your local unit may have issues that NHQ can't solve, but to say they have no impact is a foolish and blind thing to say.  They are constantly working on things that make an impact. Before you disparage them and say NHQ or the CAP/CC don't affect your operations, think of all the support they have given and continue to provide.

[PA Guy]

^^^^^^^^^^^
:clap: :clap: :clap: :clap: :clap:

[majdomke]

Hmm, didn't the National website, at one time have a "Best Practices" area, that allowed posting of some innovative methods I think it wouldn't be that difficult to set up something by every major functional area and have each "functional area" adviser review & approve, than post to the website.
RM

http://members.gocivilairpatrol.com/cap_university/best_practices_exchange.cfm

[ZigZag911]

In most large nonprofit organizations, the folks that run managerial and supervisory levels (that is, anything beyond "local") are normally full time, paid employees.

I know this is true on Scouting (Boy or Girl), believe it to be so in ARC, for instance.

In CAP, from group level up, we are volunteers.

Each wing has a state director and a wing administrator, salaried as AF civilian employees.
Each region has 2 or 3 USAF officers, 1 or 2 USAF NCOs, and 1 or 2 civilians...at least on paper; since 9/11, they are ALWAYS understrength because of greater needs elsewhere.

I will be the first to agree that often CAP above squadron level gets ridiculously political.

However, let's not lose sight of the fact that these CAP members, whether we agree completely with their point of view or not, dedicate a tremendous amount of personal time, money, and energy to this organization.

They're not perfect people, none of us are.

But, even as the squadrons are indeed the places where "the rubber meets the road" in CAP, as so many of us like to say, we ought to remember that the groups, wings, regions, NHQ, NB and NEC are full of hardworking fellow CAP members trying to keep that very "road" in good repair!

[RiverAux]

Each wing has a state director and a wing administrator, salaried as AF civilian employees.

I believe that the wing administrators are CAP employees, not civilian AF. 

[jimmydeanno]

Each wing has a state director and a wing administrator, salaried as AF civilian employees.

I believe that the wing administrators are CAP employees, not civilian AF.

Correct.

[ZigZag911]

My mistake about wing admins salary source...always have trouble keeping straight who works for whom!

[RogueLeader]

I have met the new CC at the NCR Conference last October, and during a Question/Answer period; I asked a question that I got BS for answer.  That told me quite a bit.   

[davidsinn]

I have met the new CC at the NCR Conference last October, and during a Question/Answer period; I asked a question that I got BS for answer.  That told me quite a bit.   

So what was the question and answer?

[Has been]

To reply to several posts:

We have elections because it is required by our constituion and by-laws. We have elections because we are also a corporation and when the National Board is in session it is acting as the corporations "board of directors" and boards of directors elect COOs. One would also hope that many brains are better than one.

It is not unusual to have only a few candidates. I have followed the elections of National Commanders since the late 80s. The most candidates I can remember is five candidates. The bottom two are favorite sons or people with a chip on thier shoulder or self-proclaimed wise men. They get very few votes and are eliminated early.

In order to be "qualified" as a candidate for National Commander you must have sucessfuly completed (not been fired or removed or non-renewed etc.) a term on the national board. That brings us down from from 60,000 candidates to a few hundred. Practicaly speeking you also need to be able to travel 50 weekends and be able to drop what you are doing and travel mid-week 24 to 36 times a year. You also must be able to take calls (several a day) any time of the day and respond to (way too) many emails during the day. This limits us to people who work for themselves or are retired (or have one heck of an understanding boss.) Lastly we normaly turn over 25% of the board every year (terms of office end) so if  you have not been sitting on the board (or have a highly visable National Level job) in the last two years it is likely 50% of the board does not know who you are. Your chances of getting elected are very slim.

Lastly, you have to want a 60 hour a week job that does not pay and comes with 60,000 (give or take a few with self-dicipline and who know better) who will second guess everything you do. The other fringe benifit is you have to put up with rumors and articles in tabloids.

[Flying Pig]

So do these candidates have to undergo some sort of psych eval?  Because only a freakin sadist would want to be National CC!   I could barely handle being a SQ CC.  But then again......I have a full time job, 3 little kids....and a hot wife that I need to keep entertained!

[RogueLeader]

I have met the new CC at the NCR Conference last October, and during a Question/Answer period; I asked a question that I got BS for answer.  That told me quite a bit.   

So what was the question and answer?

Question was about if the rumor that all AF style uniforms were going away was true, and there was no answer, just how the AF valued our work and how much USAF wants us to be more involved.

[Eclipse]

Question was about if the rumor that all AF style uniforms were going away was true,

What "rumor"?