2469 (Exeter St Thomas) Squadron
THE NCO GUIDE
Compiled and Adapted by Mr Myers
2469 (Exeter St Thomas) Squadron
Air Training Corps
2469 (Exeter St Thomas) Squadron
Air Training Corps
Preface
You are now a part of the NCO cadre, and the journey from cadet to NCO is a complex one. You must now make the transition from one who was cared for, to one who cares for others; from one who was taught, to one who teaches.
The concept of leadership spreads through all aspects of life. We glorify our leaders when they are successful, and we blame them for our failures and disappointments when they are not. We spend a great deal of time in selecting our leaders and companies spend millions of pounds in attempting to develop leaders.
This manual is dedicated to the Cadet NCOs of the Squadron. Your cadets depend on your guidance, training and leadership to develop and succeed. Study this manual, and apply what it says, and remember, the successful NCO is an individual who understands himself, the organisation, the environment in which he operates and the people he is privileged to lead.
Wear your rank with pride and honour.
You are –
“The Backbone of the Corps.”
PURPOSE
This manual provides the squadron’s NCOs with a brief guide for leading, supervising and caring for cadets. While not all-inclusive, nor intended as a stand-alone document, the guide offers NCOs a ready reference for many situations.
SCOPE
The squadron NCO Guide describes NCO duties, responsibilities and authority and how they relate to those of warrant and commissioned officers. It also discusses NCO leadership and the NCO role in training.
APPLICABILITY
The squadron NCO Guide provides information critical to the success of today’s NCOs.
This manual is for all NCOs of the squadron, and while especially important for new NCOs, this book will also be useful to junior officers and adult NCOs.
Unless stated otherwise, masculine nouns or pronouns do not refer exclusively to males.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ACO ACP 1
J. Adair – Action Centred Leadership
UK Defence Leadership Centre
US Army FM 7-22.7 Non Commissioned Officer Guide
US Army FM 22-100 Army Leadership
1. THE NCO TRANSITION
1 Today you have started a new chapter in your career in the squadron. You are now a part of the NCO cadre, and the journey from cadet to JNCO is complex. You must now make the transition from one who was cared for to one who cares for others; from one who was taught to one who teaches.
2 An NCO’s job is not easy. You must speak with your own voice when giving orders - don’t show favouritism. This is especially true for your former peers. You must treat each cadet the same and give him the respect he deserves, as you will expect to receive the same treatment in return.
3 Remember you are now responsible and accountable for your cadets. The squadron expects total commitment from those selected to lead, train and care for its cadets.
4 Being an NCO is extremely rewarding, it is an honour and a privilege.
Section I: Assuming a Leadership Position
1 Assuming a leadership position is one of the most important leadership situations you’ll face as an NCO. Everything discussed in the Leadership and the NCO Manual, about what you must BE, KNOW and DO, is relevant to your success of assuming such a position.
2 There are some things to think about and learn as you establish yourself in the unit.
· Determine what your unit and organisation expects of you.
· Determine who your immediate leader is and what they expect of you.
· Determine the level of competence and the strengths and weaknesses of your cadets.
3 You should talk to your leaders, your peers and other key people, to seek clear answers to the questions –
· What is the unit and organisation’s mission?
· What are the standards that you must meet to fulfil the organisation’s mission?
· What resources are available to help you and the organisation to accomplish the mission?
· What is the current state of morale within your cadets?
· Who reports directly to you?
· What are the strengths and weaknesses of your key subordinates and the unit?
· When and what do you talk to your cadets about?
4 Be sure to ask these questions at the right time, of the right person and in the best way. Allow adequate time to ask, if necessary make an appointment with your superior. Be open and honest when asking the questions.
5 Continue to ask these questions whenever you feel that the situation warrants, or the immediate mission changes.
6 The answers to these questions, and any others you may have, will help you to correctly assess the overall situation and to select the right leadership style.
Section II: The Key Functions
THE CHAIN OF COMMAND
1 Command is a position of authority and responsibility to which all NCOs are legally appointed. The chain of command is the structure through which authority passes and commands are given, be sure you use the chain of command properly. Never jump the chain – upwards or downwards.
Authority
2 Authority is the legitimate power of leaders to direct cadets or to take action within the scope of their position.
3 As a NCO, you must know what authority you have and where it comes from. You are also expected to use good judgement when exercising your authority. Military authority begins with the rules and regulations of the Corps and the squadron, and extends through the chain of command.
4 The authority from the Squadron Commander extends through the chain of command, with the assistance of the NCOs, to the flight and squad leader who then directs and supervises the actions of individual cadets. When you say, “Cadet Smith sweep the floor and empty the bins,” you are turning into action the orders of the entire chain of command.
Responsibility
5 Responsibility is a duty to achieve an objective or goal; an obligation to succeed. It is being liable for what you do or fail to do. NCOs are responsible to fulfil not only their individual duties, but also to ensure their teams and subordinates are successful. As an NCO, you are not only responsible for your own conduct, but also for your cadets.
6 Leading always involves responsibility. When you see a problem or something that needs to be fixed, you do not wait for your superior to tell you to act. Your objective should be to build trust between you and your superiors, as well as between you and your subordinates, by seeking and accepting responsibility.
7 There are two basic kinds of responsibility:
· Individual Responsibility: Everyone has responsibility; it includes everything in your conduct and performance.
· Command Responsibility: NCOs are responsible to implement the orders of their superiors. There is a lot you are responsible for, but guidance is your principal responsibility.
Accountability
8 Accountability is being answerable for your Authority and your Responsibility. You have to answer, not only to your fellow cadets, your seniors, and your commander, but also you must answer to the Corps itself. You must answer for the things you do and for the things you don't do. If you do well then there is no problem, but if you do not perform to standard then you must answer to your superiors.
9 Everyone in the squadron has individual accountability for their own conduct and actions, this does not change when you become an NCO – it increases! Just as you have command responsibility, you also have command accountability, in as much as you are accountable for the actions and conduct, not only of yourself, but also of your cadets.
DELEGATION
10 Delegation is one of the most important leadership skills, and one of the easiest to get wrong. Just as officers cannot participate in every aspect of the organisation, most NCOs cannot handle every action directly. To meet the squadron’s goals, officers delegate authority to NCOs who, in turn, may further delegate that authority to cadets.
11 Unless restricted by law, regulation, or a superior, you may delegate any or all of your authority. However, such delegation must fall within your own scope of authority. NCOs cannot delegate authority they do not have; equally subordinates may not assume authority that superiors do not have, or cannot delegate.
Limitations
12 Delegation isn't just a matter of telling someone else what to do. There is a wide range of varying freedom that you can confer on the other person. The more reliable they are, the more freedom you can give. The more critical the task, the more cautious you need to be about extending freedom, especially if your job depends on getting a good result.
13 Even though you may delegate a task or duty you CANNOT delegate the responsibility or accountability for that task. If you are given a task then the responsibility to ensure that task is completed is YOURS, and yours alone – it does NOT become the responsibility of the person you delegated it to!
14 You cannot shirk your responsibility by saying ‘I told Smith to do it, it is his fault not mine’. You were told to do it and the fault is yours; it is YOUR responsibility to ensure all the tasks assigned to you are completed, because it is YOU who will be held accountable, NOT the subordinate you delegate to.
15 Having the rank and authority to delegate does not mean you can get everyone else to do your jobs – that is just laziness and a complete abuse of power.
Steps to Successful Delegation
a. Define the Task
i. Confirm in your own mind that the task is suitable to be delegated.
ii. Confirm you have the authority to delegate it.
b. Consider Resources
i. Consider people, location, premises, equipment, money, materials, other related activities and services.
c. Agree Deadlines
i. When must the job be finished? Failing to agree this in advance will cause any monitoring to seem like interference or lack of trust.
d. Support
i. Think about who else needs to know, and inform them. Do not leave the cadet to inform other NCO or staff of their new responsibility.
e. Feedback
i. It is essential to let the cadet know how they are doing, and whether they have achieved their aims. If not, you must review with them why things did not go to plan, and deal with the problems.
ii. You must absorb the consequences of failure, and pass on credit for success.
Section III: Duties
1 A duty is something you must do by virtue of your position and is a legal or moral obligation, and an NCO’s duties are numerous and must be taken seriously. This includes taking care of cadets, which is a priority. Corporals and sergeants do this by developing a genuine concern for their cadets’ well being.
2 Leaders must know and understand their cadets well enough to train them as individuals and teams. This will give cadets confidence in their ability to perform well. Individual training is the principle duty and responsibility of NCOs. No one in the squadron has more to do with training cadets than NCOs. Well-trained cadets will likely succeed and develop. Well-trained cadets properly do the tasks their NCOs give them.
3 A good leader executes the boss’s decisions with energy and enthusiasm; looking at their leader, cadets will believe the leader thinks it’s absolutely the best possible solution. There may be situations you must think carefully about what you’re told to do. For example, duty requires that you refuse to obey illegal orders.
4 This is not a privilege you can claim, but a duty you must perform. You have no choice but to do what’s ethically and legally correct. Making the right choice and acting on it when faced with an ethical question can be difficult. Sometimes, it means standing your ground and telling your supervisor you think they are wrong.
5 If you think an order is illegal, first be sure that you understand both the details of the order and its intent, then seek clarification from the person who gave the order. This takes moral courage, but the question will be straightforward: Did you really mean for me to… steal the part… submit a false report… shoot the prisoners?
TYPES OF DUTY
6 Non-commissioned officers have three types of duties: specified duties, directed duties and implied duties.
Specified Duties
7 Specified duties are those related directly to your rank and position. They include all official directives such as Corps regulations, ACPs, squadron orders, and job descriptions. These orders explain what you must do and the standards required of you when doing it. There should be no question about who does what or who has responsibility for what; specified duties detail exact responsibility and duty requirements.