Followership In Civil Air Patrol

Leadership and followership are two vital aspects in Civil Air Patrol. Every cadet should possess both of these characteristics as they show to be important as cadets progress in their CAP career. Each cadet is a follower and a leader to some degree. Whether the cadet is an airman or a colonel, there will always be someone they answer to and someone who answers to them.
As the cadet earns grade and assumes increasingly advanced positions, they should minimize their role as a follower within the group while exhibiting more qualities of a leader. Throughout their rise in the ranks, and by trusting them with continually increasing responsibilities, the cadet learns to become a leader while still possessing the appropriate amount of followership
Loyalty proves to the leader that their followers commit to them as a leader and to the problem at hand; understanding allows the leader to make a decision in confidence that his followers will comprehend his or hers decision. Integrity, a core value in Civil Air Patrol and a word well-known by cadets, allows the leader to have people he or she can trust to accurately represent their principles with the highest standards. By being an example of a good follower, the leader can focus more on their job rather than focusing on whether or not their followers are doing their’s.
The leader's role is to motivate, coach, and navigate the followers through the job they are working at to finish. A leader that can inspire, successfully mentor, and get the team to their goal, is an effective leader. Each team requires a different balance of the three roles the leader should fulfill to reach their full productivity potential. For example, if there is a leader who is amazing at navigating his team, but is unable to motivate and coach them through the issue, then the team will fail; but if a leader is able to motivate, coach, and navigate their team, then their team will be