Hi All,
I know the question on how to up a SQN’s morale has been asked on here before but, on our SQN I think the more “newbies” turn up to join they obviously mess around the havnt been there as long as some of the older CDTs and definitely not as long as a NCO like me whos been there for 3-3 and a half years but when they turn up and “mess around” like its a social club kind of thing where they meet up with friends and talk about off topic subjects they suddenly have a effect on the senior-ish CDT’s. They kind of involve the older CDT’s into messing around with them. How do you stop this? Also how do make a SQN’s morale up? People join, have a couple of flights, turn up for 3-4 constant months and leave. Also how do you make the NCO’s have a meaning again? CDT’s now call us NCO’s by our real, daily life names, like Sam, Jack etc. I cant speak for this because I have in the past but im a NCO so… How do you make the NCO’s have a effect on CDT’s to stop them messing around, call you by Cpl, Sgt, F/Sgt etc? How do you make yourself strict without acting as a k*** and making people leave for the sudden change?
the glib reply is that firstly the NCO’s need gripping, and secondly that there shouldn’t be time for endless chat.
quite simply, if people leave because a uniformed, disciplined organisation starts doing the ‘uniformed, disciplined and organised’ thing, then they’d probably come to the wrong place to start with - theres a balance to be struck, no one needs to be a fanatic about it, but equally if the lack of simple low-level discipline is effecting the ability of cadets to learn and do things they wouldn’t do outside the ATC then its a problem and it needs solving.
a good way to keep a bit of distance is to have an NCO room where the NCO’s aren’t with their cadet friends from school, have the cadets on break ‘policed’ by the duty NCO who does the NCO thing - keeps the noise to a social level, talks to individual cadets about their progress, drums up enthusiasm for forthcoming activilties, and perhaps talks about dress thing that doesn’t need pointing out infront of 45 other cadets; think teacher on playground duty and you’re about there.
cadet SNCO’s should not only be all over this, but they should know it. also, its not the new cadets ‘making it happen’, its the cadet NCO’s making it happen - in my experience, 13yo probationers don’t drag 17yo cadet Sgt’s anywhere…