Last week wasn't much, lots of free time (including at the range), this week is the one where I'll finally get busy, today spent at company line guiding in navigation lessons and the next two days will be compass course and terrain reading march.
I have spent a good amount of time with fellow instructors, just chilling and laughing (sticking with them is going to make me a foosball master pretty soon heh) but today is the first time I really see them in action as instructors. Its quite an eye opener to see the vastly different sides of themselves they show when with cadets and with peers, and also to see the different styles different people employ.
Power, that is the key difference between peers and cadets.
With the rank I hold and the appointment that has been given to me, I have direct power over one section. If I really wanted to stretch it, by virtue of who I am in this instituion itself, I have power over any cadet in the platoon, the company, heck the whole institute. Perhaps almost good one thousand lives.
What do you do with that power?
Someone once told me, 'if you want to have disciplined cadets, it is easy, just be a terror that they tremble when they see you, then you won't face discipline issues'. It would make my life so much easier if they feared me.
But I will remind myself of the days I spent as a recruit, as a cadet. And I will also remember the time I spend as a leader in DI and in primers.
So I won't be a part of it.
What is a leader to you?
I have fought hard this far that this time may come and I may demonstrate truly what I believe is right. They may call me naive, but I will find a way to develop people who will choose to follow because they respect and not because they are afraid.
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