Followership In Civil Air Patrol

Leadership can be defined as the ability to guide or direct the actions of others, so as to achieve a common goal. The lesser known term, followership is the exact opposite of leadership. Without leadership, followership would not exist. They coincide with one another and cannot be separated, for without followers, leaders would not be. In Civil Air Patrol, one is expected to be both a leader and a follower; especially as a cadet, one must report to their commanding officer while being simultaneously responsible for their own cadets. Being responsible is part of being a leader, but what makes a leader a leader? For one, others look up to leaders for guidance and for example. Since they are in charge, they will have eyes on them at all times. Leaders with exemplifying behavior will cause excellent behavior in the followers, because young cadets mirror the actions and methods of those before them. While drilling, a cadet is taught to do facing movements by being shown; no amount of verbal explanation is comparable to a demonstration of a right-face. Leadership, in its own right, is a demonstration of how one goes through one's life. …show more content…
As the highest position in the military, the president or the Commander-in-Chief, is responsible for all that occurs on the macro military scale. The people in power below him are, in turn, responsible for lesser trivial tasks. On the micro scale in a Civil Air Patrol squadron, this is also true. It is rarely ever necessary for a Cadet Commander to assist a cadet with their uniform when an element leader is present, for they have different responsibilities. The Cadet Commander is responsible for the overall flow of the meeting, whereas the Element Leader is accountable for the more personal matters of the individual cadets such as