Wednesday, 18 September 2013

What a cadet should be

There are many things that a cadet should be, qualities that they should have and standards that they should try to uphold. So I've got the main one for you (I was told these many moons ago but I've tried to stick to them and they've yet to let me down). Hope you find them as helpful as I did.

COURAGE 
• Physical courage is an obvious quality which cadets and adults require.
• Moral courage is something that is built up. The more that you practice the easier it becomes, to have the courage of convictions. Pursue what you know is right however unpopular or unpleasant. 
• You can only lead at our level from the front 

SELF CONFIDENCE 
• The ability to be decisive in action and calm in a situation, with this will come knowledge and experience. 
• You must take every opportunity to practice this and build up your confidence to make decisions when you are the one in command. 
• Try and think ahead, what needs to be done, where are we going, when do we need to be there? 

LEAD BY EXAMPLE 
• Where possible and safe to do so lead by example. 
• Don't ask anyone to do something that you are not willing to do yourself 

PRAISE/BLAME 
• Always give praise where it's due, never blame anyone especially in front of others. 
• If someone needs to be spoken too do in private that way they have a chance to explain theirselves and no one else see it happen. It's more professional that way. 
• Praise helps to make cadets feel good about themselves and it gives them self confidence. 
• Never blame people for their mistakes if can help it, if was an accident then correct them but don't publicly hullimilate them as it may lead to them leaving. 

PASSION AND COMMITMENT
• If you don't have the passion and commitment for what you are doing, then your enthusiasm will start to fade. 
• Relieving the little that you are doing could make a big difference to a cadet. 

HUMANITY AND MAINTENANCE OF MORAL
• Always think of your cadets and how your decisions may affect them 
• Tbeir response will reflect the way that you have been treating them 
• Protect the work, never isolate someone because then teamwork will break down. 

INTEGRITY 
• This includes honestly, unselfishness, a sense if duty, responsibility and loyalty. 
• The moral values required of a leader in a close unit. 
• Groups like the A.C.F may be considerably trickier than cadets have been used to. 
• Your integrity must be unquestionable of you are to help the confidence and gain respect if the cadets. 

INITIATIVE 
• Initiative is largely the ability to stay alert to be on the look for changing circumstances and to lead. 
• By taking the initiative operation the leader forces to conform to movements not vice versa 
• "In the fog of Wad confusion will reign supreme. You will find that you are the only person in the position to make the vital decision". 
• You will need intuitiveness to go or maintain the momentum.    

CONFIRMATION
• While leadership is easy to explain but it is not so easy in practice. Leadership is about behavior first and skill second. Good leaders are followed chiefly because people trust and respect them. 
• Rather than the skills they have, leadership is different to management, which relies more on planning, organisation and communication skills. 
• Leadership relies on management skill too, but more so in qualities, the ability to commicate, knowledge, courage, self confindence, integrity, praise, blame, commitment and humanity. 
• Some people are born natural leaders, whereas some are not, some people don't seek to be a leader and are more content following. It is of course possible to develop the ability to be a leader, if you work for it. 

Sunday, 15 September 2013

Nemo Me Impune Lacessit

This is something I know that cadets who aren't from Britain always find interesting and if you are a British cadet who doesn't know this then keep reading. The phrase "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"is the Latin motto of the order of the Thistle and three Scottish regiments of the British Army. In later versions of The Royal Coat of Arm of the Kingdom of Scotland. It can be found on the Royal Regiment of Scotland cap badge and interestingly around the outside of a pound coin.

It is often translated as "No one provokes me with impunity" or it is also alternatively translated into plain English as "No one can harm me unpunished". It is roughly translated into Scots "Wha daur meddle wi me?" (In Scottish Gaelic "Cha togar m' fhearg gun dìoladh) it is an interesting phrase to say the least. It's is implie that like the thistle anyone trying to cut it (or damage it) will get a handful of painful barbs.

Star of The Order of the Thistle. 

Friday, 6 September 2013

The Royal Regiment of Scotland

Just some general information about the Royal Regiment of Scotland:

  • It was formed on the 16th December 2004
  • Colonel in Chief is HRH Queen Elizabeth II
  • There are 7 battalions with in it
  • Their motto is "Nemo Me Impune Lacessit"

Thursday, 5 September 2013

My First Annual

Annual camps are a great experience for cadets and they are some of my very best memories. Not going to lie they can be scary especially for a newbie. When I first started cadets in January '09 I was terribly shy, didn't have many friends outside or school. However joining up was a great idea for me as it allowed me to meet new people, and make new friends (who I'm still friends with today all those years later). Now those of you who are good with numbers will work out that by the time my first annual had rolled around I had only been in cadets around 5 months. This wasn't a very long time and I was still finding my feet. So when I said I would go I really don't think I had properly realised what I'd signed up for. 2 weeks away from home (the longest I'd even been away from home) with a group of people I didn't know that well and there would be a good 200 maybe 300 people I wouldn't know at all. Terrifying right? Wrong it really wasn't as awful as I had thought it would be. When I first walked into the room with the girls from my detachment I felt sick and didn't want them to leave me on my own with the other girls. However after talking to them it turns out they weren't as horrid as I had convinced myself. I really hit it off with some of the girls (I won't say there names because that's not fair to them). We are even still friends to this day. After that first horrible 15 minutes everything settled down and we all talked and talked, I remember we talked long into the night and I remember being scared the adults would catch us but I was having too much fun to go to bed. One of my friends actually left camp early which really worried me (she was ok if you're wondering) as I didn't want anything to happen to me when she and some other girls weren't there but I was fine. I was scared but I powered though something you should all try! Even went it's hard because it might just turn out to be the best thing you ever do. Now I can't remember everything activity and task that we did in detail so I just summarise. We did shooting, classroom lessons, went out on fieldcraft, had a day at a theme park and tons of other stuff. When I think back it is all a bit of a blur but I really enjoyable blur I so happy that I went. When I got home it was so late but I stayed up for hours telling my Mum everything, what we did, who I meet, how much I loved. This is a tradition that has been long standing every time I come home.