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Failing squadron...

Started by CDCTF, April 25, 2013, 10:41:09 PM

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CDCTF

So, where do I begin. I'll start at the beginning and paraphrase the best I can, as not to bore you with unnecessary details.

In June of last year my squadron underwent a forced change of commanders, at the direction of our then group commander. Our squadron definitely had a number of issues and frankly, it was stagnating, membership was stagnating and more importantly, command was very stagnant. Our 3 year SUI was completed in May, and tons of things were being done wrong. Regulations were not being followed, especially when it came to finances and fundraising.

The SUI was not the reason for the change of commander though, the plan to change commanders had been in the works for 6 months before then, the SUI was more of a formality than anything. Our then group commander asked the father of our most senior cadet to specifically join CAP in order to take over the squadron. At the end of his first six months, he was promoted to 1st Lt and was introduced as the new commander. As one can believe, the existing SMs were angry. All 7 of them left the SQ and went their separate ways. This left myself, our new commander and one new member. All the cadets of course elected to stay (about 15). I had aged out of the cadet program in April and as such, I had a bit over three years experience in the CP, but essentially none as a SM.

Let's fast forward to now, about 10 months later. We are in no better shape with SMs, right now there are 5 of us, but by August, two will leave when their membership is up, because they never had a desire to be in CAP, but joined more or less to assist the squadron temporarily. So, once again, by August, we will be left with myself, one brand new member and our commander.
Here's the issues I'm facing.

1.) A commander that has no desire to be in CAP and is constantly looking for the fastest route out.
2.) Two senior members that have no desire to be in CAP and frankly, do nothing.
3.) A cadet commander (commander's son) who will not lead the cadet program (i.e. in 6 months has never given me a written schedule)

So I am left in charge of AE, the cadet program, trying to get our cadets involved in ES at a local and wing level and probably come August, I'll be the finance and safety officer. Basically, I'm a one man show and I'm sick of it.

Unfortunately, I think the writing is on the wall, I do not believe that our squadron can survive much longer. I know that I cannot. I have one new SM, a long time friend, that just joined. He will be a great asset to have around (current Marine reservist), as he is fantastic at instructing, especially cadets.

What do you guys think? Have you ever gone through something like this? Have you ever seen a squadron bounce back from the brink of destruction? If so, how did it happen?

I am looking for any and all advice on how to proceed. I know that just a few good people can make a world of difference. I just don't have a few good people and frankly don't know where to find them. :-\

Eclipse

#1
You can't fix this without motivated people, whether those come from outside or in the unit.
Recently we've had two failing units in my old AOR, and the fix was to bring in commanders from outside, with no vested interest in
any of the old politics or people, just come in and fix things.  This is proving to be a model for fixing units.

Absent a decent number of new people, the writing is likely already on the wall.

A unit with a couple of demotivated members and no growth on the horizon serves no one.

Your fix, like most of the other problems in CAP, requires more people.

"That Others May Zoom"

Storm Chaser

Eclipse is right. If you want to fix your squadron, you're going to need outside help. I would address this with your squadron commander first. But if he has no desire to be there or do anything about it, then I would bring it up to the group commander. There may be someone qualified in a different unit willing to step up and command your squadron, unless you're up to the task. Either way, if you don't involve your group commander soon, it's very likely that your squadron will eventually cease to exist (remember, you need at least 3 senior members in a squadron). Recruiting, while crucial, will do you no good if the squadron is in such bad shape, since new senior members will likely get disillusioned quickly with your unit and end up leaving as well. You can be a catalyst for change, but you can't do it alone. And right now, you desperately need outside help. I suggest you go get it if you want to turn your squadron around. Good luck!

Private Investigator

BTDT.

Your Squadron was failing three years ago and you just did not realize it.

It was interesting to note you said the SQ/CC was forced out a month after the SUI said your Squadron was all screwed up. The reason your Squadron is failing is the reason why TV networks changes shows, air times etc. If you keep doing the same thing week in, week out eventually it is just boring. I bet everyone in your Squadron has never been in another Squadron. Visit a successful Squadron and see what their tempo is. Then see if you can introduce something new to the Sqaudron.

If you are a Cadet Squadron let me suggest geocaching  http://www.geocaching.com/guide/
Something fun for Cadets and it is ES related.

I know you are not a Senior Squadron but for them I recommend a fly out for that $100 cheeseburger. I can not handle the Mexican food night anymore FYI  >:(

lordmonar

How to fix your squadron.

Step One:  Determine your short term mission requirments.   Choose what you want to do with your squadron...CP, ES, whatever.  This allows you to focus on getting a program up and running by limiting what you are trying to acomplish.  With limited SM membership you cannot do all things....so focus on just one and build from there.

Step Two:  Once you haved determined what you want to do......determine what training shortfalls you have and then ask group/wing for assitance to get the members you have trained to do the mission that you want.

Step Three:  Build on that....focus on the one mission, build up your membership for that one mission training as you go.

Step Four:  Determine your squadron's future goals. How do you want to expand?  Do you want to just focus on the one mission and increase the size of your unit....or do you want to expand your missions.

Step Five:  Once you know how you want to expand, build a training plan to accomplish this.

Step Six: Begin targeted recruiting for this new expansion.

Step Seven: Train your replacements......plan early for changes in membership, staff, command.     
PATRICK M. HARRIS, SMSgt, CAP

CDCTF

Quote from: Private Investigator on April 27, 2013, 07:41:39 PM
Visit a successful Squadron and see what their tempo is.

I have visited a very successful squadron in our area, and I agree, their tempo is quick, they PLAN stuff,  they have motivated cadet staff and a lot of seniors.

Quote from: Storm Chaser on April 26, 2013, 02:23:42 AM
I would address this with your squadron commander first. But if he has no desire to be there

Right now my main fight is with our cadet commander and his inability to, well, do anything, and the fact that our commander, being his father, doesn't want to get his son all butthurt by telling him he's failing. I haven't brought up these issues to our group commander b/c I was hoping to work within the unit, but, that time has probably long past. So group commander it is!

Quote from: lordmonar on April 27, 2013, 08:04:18 PM
Step One:  Determine your short term mission requirments.   Choose what you want to do with your squadron...CP, ES, whatever.  This allows you to focus on getting a program up and running by limiting what you are trying to acomplish.  With limited SM membership you cannot do all things....so focus on just one and build from there.

For sure right now the focus is the CP, that I feel I have a an obligation to the cadets. Most of my effort goes there.

I guess right now I'm just frustrated beyond belief. Could I plan and schedule a pretty decent cadet program? Sure, but I'll be darned if I do the work while I have a warm body filling the position of "cadet commander". My commander is a nice enough guy, he just has no interest and I'm sick of trying to run things past him, get his "approval", when he doesn't really care that much. Kind of a "help or get out of the way" type of situation.



NIN

#6
Having rescued a couple failing squadrons in my day (I swear I could write a book about that):

1) Have a schedule.  Nothing makes participation by your membership more difficult than having no idea what is coming, etc.  Building a rational, repeatable, predictable schedule is important.  Have regular planning meetings and an accessible schedule.  The Internet in a lot of ways helps this.

2) Establish and enforce the standards.  The regulations are your first set of standards to uphold and enforce. They're already established. They're the baseline.  Enforce the existing standards.   Then,  eventually, you'll note that there are other areas in which you need to define standards.  Everybody who has been a commander knows there are literally dozens of other things that you, the commander, need to make clear to your members that the regs give you some latitude on.  A very small example is t-shirts: does the squadron wear black or brown?   How about "the meeting starts at 6:30. If you're not there, you're late."?

3) Communicate the schedule and the standards to all.

This worked in Cub Scouts for me, too. Took a failing unit and turned it around.  *poof* Used EXACTLY these steps.

(ETA: I note that I've said "commander" here throughout.  But think of what you can do as a staff officer to assist the commander in executing the above three.  You're the AE guy: Have a schedule of AE classes that you know you can execute. Make it interesting and pull it off.   Make sure you've planned sufficiently far ahead that you can plug your schedule into the overall unit planning process. Participate in the overall unit planning process, too, so that the interests of the AE section are well represented.  "AE standards" are not really that complex, but be sure you're hitting the Yeager requirements for seniors hard, that cadets are not just pencil-whipping their AE mentoring requirements, that the pieces and parts of the AE program that are spelled out and required are actually being accomplished and documented, etc.  And then be sure that you're getting your info out there by communicating:  the AE schedule is on the calendar to be communicated to all, the cadets are aware that the standards in 52-16 for AE are going to be followed, etc. This is how solid staff work at the lowest level can have a "trickle-up" effect to make the unit better)
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
Wing Dude, National Bubba
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

CDCTF

Quote from: NIN on April 28, 2013, 11:41:23 AM
1) Have a schedule.  Nothing makes participation by your membership more difficult than having no idea what is coming, etc.  Building a rational, repeatable, predictable schedule is important.  Have regular planning meetings and an accessible schedule.  The Internet in a lot of ways helps this.

For sure this is our biggest problem, I have our schedule/outline set up on Google Docs and shared across our cadet staff (who is supposed to be responsible for planning most of the cadet meeting except for safety, CD, and the AE activities I do) The problem is our cadet commander doesn't do anything, never even looked at it. He's our only cadet officer, so , I'm kind of stuck with him.

I guess my bigger overall question is, how do I approach a situation in which a cadet commander (who I was with in the CP and am friends with today) is falling flat on his face and is standing in the way of any meaningful progress in the planning of a schedule?

NIN

Couple different ways:

1) Mentoring. If you were in the CP with him, then this is going to be closer to "peer-to-peer" mentoring.  You, obviously, can see the forest for the trees. He can't.  Over a Coke & a burger, you have to lead this horse to water. (thats how I'd probably do it)

2) You have an AE schedule. Cadet Commander doesn't look at it. Be 100% sure that you're communicating the schedule to EVERYBODY in your lane (ie. up to the DCC, Commander, its on the website, whatever), not just putting it in the Google doc and expecting all to look at it.   But "Delegate and check" and "continually follow up" are in your realm here.  Maybe 3 weeks before the next AE class, you say "Hey, Cadet Schmuckatelli, you're all set for the AE class on the 13th, right?"  Then 10 days or so out "Hey, who is the cadet instructor for that AE class? I want to put it on the schedule."  Then 2-3 days out "Is C/TSgt Bufftuck going to be OK with that class next week?" You start this way and then ease off.  "Hey, you did see that AE class is on the 12th next month, right? No?  Did you look at the schedule?"  Then the next month "Who is instructing the AE class? The one on the schedule? Yeah, that one."

Eventually, he may actually look at the schedule.

It may also be necessary for him to fall on his face.

"Cadet Schmuckatelli, we discussed this AE class for weeks and you've ignored me.  Now it is tonight and you tell me 45 minutes beforehand that you had no idea that there was an AE class and therefore you don't have anybody designated to teach?"

I hate to say this, but there are plenty of different ways to box a cadet officer like this in so that it is patently obvious that he's not doing his job (*cough*).  Usually it involves getting the squadron commander to buy off on your AE plans 100% and then it become "the commander's AE plan" and when the cadet commander falls flat on his face due to inattention or mis-management of his duties, you're no longer the bad guy.

Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
Wing Dude, National Bubba
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

Eclipse

Quote from: NIN on April 28, 2013, 11:41:23 AM((snipped))
1) Have a schedule. 

2) Establish and enforce the standards. 

3) Communicate the schedule and the standards to all.

Heed the NIN. This is basically the roadmap to just about anything in life with a structure.

As to the cadet failing, again, establish the standard and expectations, and either he "does or does not", failing may be uncomfortable for both of you, but also the best lesson for both as well.


"That Others May Zoom"

NIN

Quote from: Eclipse on April 28, 2013, 05:42:49 PM
Heed the NIN.

I'm a little frightened you actually said this.  Down this path lays the dark side... :)
Darin Ninness, Col, CAP
Wing Dude, National Bubba
I like to have Difficult Adult Conversations™
The contents of this post are Copyright © 2007-2024 by NIN. All rights are reserved. Specific permission is given to quote this post here on CAP-Talk only.

a2capt

Who says you *need* a cadet commander? You don't have one now. The DCC can issue the directives, and when there's a cadet that demonstrates they can fill the billet..

Who says it has to be an officer, who says it has to be the highest in the room? It's not uncommon in this organization to have rank and position be all kinds of awkward. Maybe not as prevalent in the cadet ranks, but certainly not unprecedented.

CDCTF

Quote from: NIN on April 28, 2013, 05:28:33 PM
I hate to say this, but there are plenty of different ways to box a cadet officer like this in so that it is patently obvious that he's not doing his job (*cough*).

I have done this in a way the fast few weeks. Due to classes wrapping up and being busy with projects and finals, I have not been able to be at the last two meetings. However, I've kept in contact with the cadet commander and cadet staff via email. All the junior C/NCOs seem to be able to respond and acknowledge my existence, but our 19 year old cadet officer doesn't seem to think he owes anyone an explanation of his actions. So, next week, the private meeting (i.e. confrontation) will take place.

The evidence is there and overwhelming, it just needs to be brought to everyone's attention.

Quote from: a2capt on April 28, 2013, 06:06:23 PM
Who says you *need* a cadet commander? You don't have one now.

That's very true, I don't have one now. Unfortunately there is no one close that could take over, but, I would rather do the job myself and not have a cadet commander than have one and still do the job myself.

Tim Day

This is a very tough situation. If you choose to accept this mission -

I recommend you start small, working with at least one other SM who is dedicated to keeping the spark of a living squadron alive, and focusing on the cadets who care.

Divest of squadron chores that don't support that minimal mission. You may not need to retain finance officer duties if your cadets aren't doing much that requires money.

Safety can be handled via the online courses and you can address it in everything you do.

Reach out to parents and involve them.

Help cadets advance as rapidly as they can. Encourage them not to stagnate. Push them to take tests and promote.

To the extent you have the authority, don't put cadets in jobs that don't correlate to their grade (e.g., don't install a new cadet commander until you have a C/Capt). The current cadet commander will eventually attrite, age-out, graduate, or get bored. It's not like he's going to get a useable recommendation letter from the current CC.

Reach out to neighboring squadrons, the group, etc, and try to pile on with their activities. You don't necessarily have to put your CC on report in order to help your cadets.

By the way, if you do this you'll be modeling how to handle this type of situation for your cadets - who will probably run into similar scenarios in their post-CAP career.

Tim Day
Lt Col, CAP
CDC, MER-VA-102

Tim Day
Lt Col CAP
Prince William Composite Squadron Commander

Private Investigator

Quote from: doodah5 on April 29, 2013, 07:47:39 PM
Tim Day
Lt Col, CAP
CDC, MER-VA-102

Good advice sir and welcome to CT   :clap:

Storm Chaser

Even if you can't get the cadet commander to work or get him replaced, there are other things you can do to get around him. Get a strong first sergeant, for example, and make sure he's Cc-ed on all your communications. Task them both and instruct the first sergeant to not wait for the cadet commander to get stuff done. Seeing the first sergeant doing most of the work may actually inspire the cadet commander to pull his weight. If he doesn't like it, oh well. You still outrank him.

While you've received plenty of good advice here, I would not discard talking to the group commander if you still have trouble getting things to change. After all, you don't want the squadron to fail due to the inability or unwillingness of the current squadron commander to fix things.

LCG8928

#16
Besides the cadet commander whats the morale situation with your cadets? Because of the situation of your squadron I doubt they've really been doing that much recently and might be frustrated. You can help keep the squadron together by planning a fun activity with the cadets. Ask them what they'd like to do and plan it with the cadet commander and the other senior members.  Just for examples maybe something like rock climbing, hiking, or touring an aviation facility. If you do fun stuff and involve the cadet commander and the senior members that don't care you can perhaps motivate them to stay in the program and pull their own weight. Try to build a sense of camaraderie.

Private Investigator

Quote from: Storm Chaser on April 30, 2013, 10:01:20 PM
While you've received plenty of good advice here, I would not discard talking to the group commander if you still have trouble getting things to change. After all, you don't want the squadron to fail due to the inability or unwillingness of the current squadron commander to fix things.

When I was a Group Commander I replaced a ES centered Squadron Commander with a Squadron Commander who was a 'friend' of the Cadet Program and that Unit did exceptional and the Cadet numbers quadrupled.  8)

Private Investigator

Quote from: LCG8928 on May 05, 2013, 01:24:21 PM...  Just for examples maybe something like rock climbing, hiking, or touring an aviation facility. If you do fun stuff and involve the cadet commander and the senior members that don't care and perhaps motivate them to stay in the program and pull their own weight. Try to build a sense of camaraderie.

The spirit just needs to be rekindered. That is some fun stuff indeed   :clap:

Woodsy

Quote from: Private Investigator on May 05, 2013, 05:12:49 PM
Quote from: Storm Chaser on April 30, 2013, 10:01:20 PM
While you've received plenty of good advice here, I would not discard talking to the group commander if you still have trouble getting things to change. After all, you don't want the squadron to fail due to the inability or unwillingness of the current squadron commander to fix things.

When I was a Group Commander I replaced a ES centered Squadron Commander with a Squadron Commander who was a 'friend' of the Cadet Program and that Unit did exceptional and the Cadet numbers quadrupled.  8)

How many of the ES-focused seniors did you lose?