In our squadron, we have these pre-promotion tests for current cadets, where they’re given a team building task, and a flight to do it with. They need to lead the flight, and make sure they can get the task done as sucessfully as possible, within a certain time span, and your job is supervised by staff cadets. I had mine last week, and I knew what I should do, but I was struggling with having the confidence to get it across when it was happening, I think it might have just been nerves. The first flight I did it with was fine, the second just didn’t listen at all, and I couldn’t get them to focus. The NCO’s watched the second time, and I feel like it must have given a bad impression of the way I could lead. Honestly, I do really want to become a Cpl by the time I age out, and I’m wondering, if I can do mine again, how I could improve?
As a former RAF IMLC (Sgts) & AMLC (FS) instructor; without having seen you on a leadership task or in charge of cadets, it would be hard to give you advice. Leadership can not be taught, it is a natural trait. That said, what opportunities, tools and guidance have you been given to enable you to practice your leadership skills? They are there, but unless you are properly coached on how to apply them, it can be difficult to lead a given task. It is not about who shouts the loudest either, shouters and bawlers are amongst the worst leaders, needing to over assert themselves to get the message across. They are most likely to lose the focus of the team, as they will switch off.
Here are a couple of quote that were used by the Airmen’s Command Squadron when I was there:
- Leadership has been described as the ability to influence others . An effective leader moves followers into action not with coercion but by eliciting their desire and conviction in the vision and goals articulated by the leader. Misused influence can bring about catastrophic results.
- “Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it.”
- Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States, and former General of the Army
Do some reading on leadership (John Adair is a good read) and ask for leadership roles (duty cadet is 1, if your Sqn does them) so that you are given the opportunity to lead and show your leadership potential, whilst building your confidence.
I hope that this helps. Good luck.
Nonsense
Interestingly, they teach the exact opposite of this in RAF IOT. I know, because I did it.
To the OP, ask for feedback. Your unit know you better than we do and saw your leads, they can give you the pros and cons, and, additionally, they know what they’re looking for.
In the meantime, don’t worry. There’s always time. There will be other promotions.
Leadership can be taught that’s why we have MBAs. If it couldn’t be taught then you wouldn’t have people & organisations spending vast amount of money training people (including the military). Otherwise we might as well go back to purchasing commissions.
It sounds like your Squadron has this as an imbedded process so they should have a system in place for feeding back & developing cadets.
After your tasks you should have had a debrief with pointers. These are a good starting points to help you develop.
Sometimes you have cadets actively sabotage another cadets assessed lead. The way the directing staff should mitigate this is by have two assessments (which it sounds like they have done) and take it all into account. It may not be you they have the poor impression of & more the cadets in the second flight particularly if there were ones also applying for promotion.
Best price of advice I have ever had about leadership is always tolerate the doubt around your decision - basically get use to the fact there will always be a bit in the back of your head telling you that you are doing it wrong. Even if you a doing something 99% correct, that 1% of doubt can overwhelm you into indecision & dithering if you don’t manage it & put it to the side.
Learning to manage this is a key skill in life & something that it is constantly practise. If you need a helpful model on the process how to make decisions then the Police National Decision making model is a good starting point. At the very least it can be a good way to reassure yourself that you’ve gone the right way about the decision and help reduce that doubt
Leadership is about managing people & their emotions & also about reliance & perseverance.
It is a skill that improves as you practise so just try to expose your self to where you are dealing with people such as in a shop - anyone who has dealt with the general public will sympathise with the random stupidity that is presented to you all while having to remain professional & courteous.
Finally since it’s your second task that seems to have worried you - just to reassure don’t panic - everyone has had this situation & often it’s meant knowing when to go get help from others to restore order & discipline.
Good source of experience - your teachers at school. No matter how good they are they will have had a class that have been utter horrors & they just lost control. Ask them to tell you about it & what technics they use - It may be something you could incorporate into your own style.
I hope this all helps, you are just at the start of your journey learning about leadership & developing yourself - keep at it, keep learning, ask for, listen to & act on any feedback. Everyone has their own style of leadership - it’s just case of knowing what works for you & developing accordingly 
Perhaps you are referring to Harold Geneen’s statement that leadership can only be learned, not taught.
Don’t overthink it too much. Ask for feedback and exactly what you can do to improve and work on it.
I will keep it simple.
- Speak to the NCOs on Sqn, ask for their help and guidance.
- Ask Sqn staff to practice blue badge leadership tasks.
- To build confidence, throw yourself into everything, practice public speaking.
- Practice using SMMEAC when you can, so it becomes natural.