1. There are plenty of supervisors whom you obey simply out of fear or obligation; and, yet, all of you can picture that other supervisor—the one you had the utmost respect for and would do anything to support. Just think of the terrific potential that would exist in CAP if more supervisors would motivate through mutual respect. It can happen!

A word of warning: Don't take it for granted that mentally agreeing with mutual respect is the same thing as actually applying it. The ATG requires you to accomplish five steps in building mutual respect with your subordinates.

1. Set the Example. Portray the attitude "do what I do."
2. Avoid Sarcasm. Sarcasm only breaks down self-esteem.
3. No Profanity.
4. Corrections Should Be Constantly Consistent.
5. Physical discipline. "PT for punishment" is not to be administered at any time during a CAP encampment. Limit physical activity to physical training time or sports time.
6. Know the Regulations.
7. Be Serious. Treat hard work with respect.

1. Physical Maltreatment. Any practice defined as physical cruelty or maltreatment under the Cadet Protection Policy. Examples include screaming into a cadet's ear or striking a cadet.
2. Physical Contact. There will be no physical contact (touching) between staff and cadets. The only exception is to correct military bearing or posture after first receiving the cadet's permission.
3. Verbal Maltreatment. Abusive language directed at a cadet that degrades or slanders the character, religion, sex, race, color, national origin, or ethnic background of a person or group.
4. Maltraining. Any training practice that is not designated to reach a training objective. Examples include unnecessarily embarrassing a cadet in front of their peers, assigning remedial training that does not fit the discrepancy, and making cadets do degrading tasks. In other words:

1. Position. Clearly state your position in regard to your subordinate.
2. Background. State your background and experiences. An example might be, "This is my second year at Encampment. Last summer I was in training, so I am familiar with what we will have to do to be successful. I have learned by experience some things that can help us come out on top."
3. Values. It is important that we immediately convey to the subordinate our values to help that person appreciate our perspective. For example, "I expect you will make some mistakes, and we can work with that; but I simply will not tolerate deception. If you have done something wrong, admit it. You are entitled to mistakes with me -- you are not entitled to deception."

1. I will help you. It is important to let that subordinate know that you will support them.
2. I will not carry you. No matter how helpful you are, you must remember that it is still the subordinate's responsibility to perform. You will willingly help them, but you will not take over for them.
3. Appreciation of subordinate's strengths. As a supervisor, it is your task to find those strengths and have the cadet apply them for the team’s benefit.
4. Requirement for feedback. The supervisor and subordinate must give feedback in both directions. A good supervisor will seek feedback from his/her subordinates.
5. Your commitment to the program. Many times you will see an immature supervisor sabotage a program by giving a message like, "Good luck, here. I know I wouldn't be doing this if I had it to do over again." Instant let-down for the subordinate! If you cannot support the program, then have the courage to get out instead of being hypocritical.

1. Respect your authority. Regardless of personal values or personality differences, the subordinate must recognize and respect your supervisory authority. This does not mean the subordinate cannot question, debate or respectfully speak his piece behind closed doors with you; but, once those doors open, the subordinate must know that they are expected to still respect and submit to the authority the supervisor holds. Do not abuse this respect!
2. Compliance with standards. It must become obvious to your subordinate that you expect them to comply with the established standards and that you will enforce them. A Squadron Commander of an Air Force flying squadron once advised his pilots that, "You will make mistakes that you are not proud of. Admit them, take your consequences, and then be better for it. I will respect you for that, and you will be forgiven. However, if you ever intentionally break a flying regulation, I want you to know in advance that I will do everything in my power to take away your wings." There was absolutely no doubt in that squadron what that supervisor thought of compliance with standards!
3. Maximum effort. You should always expect from your subordinates maximum effort, even if maximum performance is not reached.

1. Relevance. Granted, as a supervisor, you will often be tasked to do something that appears irrelevant to you. If you can't find any relevance in what you are doing, your subordinates won't either.
2. Importance. When you provide a task to your subordinate, see if you can also express the degree of importance that you feel for that task. All tasks vary in importance. Let your subordinate know your "investment" in this task as well as theirs.

1. Explain the future. Do not keep it secret! A very quick overview at the start of a task puts people's fears of the unknown to rest and gives them some appreciation of what is about to happen to the person they think most highly of—themselves!
2. Realistic expectations. Let your subordinate know that these are realistic tasks that can be accomplished.
3. Seek feedback concerning the subordinate's willingness. If there is a fire, you don’t care what they think; your job is to get them out of the building safely. However, most activities involve "selling" to some degree. Observing their reaction will tell you how much selling is needed.

1. In teaching you are trying to impart the desired information in an understandable manner. Is the information really what the subordinate needs to be successful? Just what is it that this person needs to know? Teachers can ramble on all day long about various topics, but if those topics are not related to what you need to know, you will probably do very poorly on the test.
2. Once the correct information is decided upon, is it given in a manner that can be understood by that person? If a student doesn't understand what the teacher is saying, simply repeating the same words over and over probably will not work. The teacher will have to use different words or different reference points to get the message across so it can be finally understood. If your subordinate cannot understand the information you are teaching, do not assume the person is unteachable—change the manner in which you teach.
3. After you teach the information in a manner that is understood, you want to train through repetition of that task. Your goal in training is to perfect performance through repetition—it must become instinctive. When it becomes instinctive, you have truly mastered that skill.

Figure 4-1. Malmo’s study

4. Some people have a negative concept of the word "training." That is very unfortunate because it appears these people see "training" as equivalent to "harassing." If a supervisor doesn't realize that "training" is nothing more than being committed to helping the subordinate learn a skill through repetition, then that subordinate is doomed to failure at that skill. In the name of not wanting to harass a subordinate by enforcing training on them, what the supervisor is really doing is crippling that subordinate by never allowing them to obtain that skill.
5. Your overall intention behind teaching and training is to help improve the subordinate in order to satisfy the mission—not to satisfy your ego! Many an irresponsible supervisor has trampled all over a subordinate and made that person feel really low for the real purpose of making themselves feel big. If you cannot put your ego aside and do everything in your power to help improve that subordinate, then you shouldn't be a supervisor.
6. One other point is worth mentioning along these lines. Your initial intention should be to teach and to train your subordinate—not to screen! If you have devoted all of your energies to teaching and training someone and, at the end, it is obvious this person still does not have the necessary skills to succeed, the screening should be obvious. However, if you reverse that process and make your initial intention to screen, then that subordinate will never acquire the necessary skills. An analogy would be that if you made a quick screening decision on a cadet and said to yourself, "This person will never make it through this program and I had better do CAP a favor by screening him out as soon as I can," then, of course, they are destined to fail. Yet, your initial job as a supervisor is to do everything in your power to help them win! Teach and train first—then let the screening process take its natural course.

1. Lead by example.
2. Show them, don't tell them. Your actions always speak louder than your words.

1. Imaginary rehearsal (covert).

0. More and more people are discovering that if you see yourself perform a skill enough times in your mind, you will actually be able to do it in real life.
1. There are numerous examples of how imaginary skills are effective: the karate person who visualizes himself striking his hand through a cement block; the Olympic diver who imagines exactly how the dive will look to obtain a perfect score before the dive is made; the F-4 pilot who pictures exactly what that bomb run will look like all the way to the "bullseye"; or the baseball pitcher who sees in his mind exactly where the ball will travel as it crosses the plate. Visualization (in the proper context) can be an excellent aid in acquiring a skill. Help your subordinate learn a new skill by teaching them to picture doing that skill repeatedly—perfectly each time!

1. Demonstrated rehearsal (overt). The actual repetition of doing something over and over again is invaluable for building confidence and skill in accomplishing that task. Examples would be reciting knowledge, taking tests, marching, athletics, and even learning to be assertive. A tip to help master this skill: start with a small task and master it; move on to an increasingly harder task and master it; move on, etc., until the desired skill has been completely mastered. Learning the task in increments is a proven technique for mastering a particular skill.

I: Immediate feedback. It is very important that your feedback be given as soon as realistically possible. Feedback is much more applicable and more easily associated with the behavior demonstrated when done as soon as possible. Thanking someone for their good work two years afterwards has less of an impact than immediately afterwards.

N: No labeling. There are dozens of common, negative labels—wimp, geek, slacker, clumsy, etc. A supervisor who uses a negative label in referring to their subordinate is being very destructive. If a subordinate keeps hearing a label associated with them, it is only a matter of time before that subordinate actually starts believing that label. Doing so is a failure to meet any general training guidelines, and harmful to the cadet.

P: Proper person. When you have some feedback to give, make sure it is directed toward the person who needs it. If you are an element leader in charge of twelve cadets and one cadet had a poor shoe shine, address the guilty cadet, not the entire group. How many times have you resented being generalized and accused of having poor shoes, when in fact only one or two people have bad shoes? And what if you did all the work on the flight’s guidon only to hear your supervisor thank the whole group with no mention of you? As a supervisor, you need to talk to the person who needs your feedback, not everyone in general.

U: Uniquely specific. The feedback that is provided should be as specific as possible. "You marched poorly today" should be translated into, "Your arm swing was too large. Next time, shorten it by about four inches." It does little good to tell someone that they have a "bad attitude" if that person does not specifically know what to change. The more specific you are with your feedback, the more likely it is to be changed.

T: Talk about the behavior. Remember that the behavior is what the feedback is based on, not the person. An immature supervisor will get so wrapped up in accepting or not accepting the person that the actual behavior is not even noticed.

+: Plus. No matter what kind of feedback you give, it is important you end on a positive note (the "sandwich" approach). Some of you are saying to yourselves, "But you have never met my subordinate. There's nothing positive about them!" There will be times when you will have to really stretch your brain, but it is, nonetheless, important you do end on a high note. It may have to be a simple statement like, "I know you are capable of doing much better work than this. I have every confidence that you can." Sincerity is key; most people will realize you’re using the sandwich approach, and doubt your sincerity if the praise isn’t given wholeheartedly.

1. It is perhaps obvious that the feedback given when your subordinate does something good will be different from when that subordinate does something bad. Let me discuss some key points for how to provide feedback when your subordinate demonstrates a positive behavior.

0. INPUT +. Some areas of feedback do remain constant, regardless of whether or not you are providing positive or negative feedback. INPUT + should always be used.
1. Provide it! There is a critical need to provide positive feedback and, yet, this need is often neglected. Sometimes, supervisors do not provide positive feedback because they assume their subordinates can somehow "read their minds" and know when they are satisfied, or they take the approach that "no news is good news."
2. Public recognition. There is a simple adage with a remarkable amount of truth in it—"Praise in public, punish in private." Most people enjoy having their good qualities well known and their embarrassments kept secret. Do not neglect the many, excellent opportunities that you have to praise your subordinate in public. It does not have to be a formal ceremony with a lot of pomp and splendor (although there is nothing wrong with that). It can be something as simple as the next time you have an entire group together, speak to your subordinate in a loud enough voice that the other people in the group can also hear it. For example, as all of you are lining up in formation, you yell out to Cadet Wood, "Hey, Cadet Wood, terrific job today in Volleyball." Now, everyone has "subtly" heard about Wood, and Wood feels proud of what he did without being embarrassed over it.

1. However, there is one warning regarding this principle. Your public praise should not have the effect of pitting the other people against your subordinate. Nothing will get your subordinate into quicker trouble than to word your praise as, "I want you all to see how well Cadet Smith did. I am sure proud of him while the rest of you should be ashamed of yourselves." Can't you just picture what will happen to poor, old Cadet Smith when you leave and he has to go back to working with his "buddies"? However, do not become so paranoid about these cases that you fail to publicly praise your subordinate. Also be wary of condescending praise; making a big deal out of Cadet Wood’s shoes being tied right has a negative effect.

1. Note also that a subordinate should not have to finish at "the top" to receive public recognition. It is a good idea to call attention to your middle-of-the-road performers who make a large improvement even if they didn't end up at the top.
2. Challenge. After you have provided your positive feedback, it is often valuable to add on a realistic challenge. Section 4-7, GROWTH, will go into much more detail concerning how to appropriately provide challenges. Challenges provide a new level for the subordinate to strive for and keeps complacency from being a problem.

1. INPUT +: needs to be given whether the behavior demonstrated is positive or negative.
2. Get subordinate's impressions. This can be used to determine if the problem is "skill" related or "will" related. "Skill" problems occur when the cadet doesn’t have the necessary "skill" to accomplish the task. Correction should be given in an educational manner- "zapping" someone for something they didn’t know destroys morale and the mutual respect. "Will" related problems should have consequences; the cadet had the knowledge, but chose not to do it, or didn’t apply themselves fully (maximum effort).

1. Ask "what" or "how." What is the typical response when you ask the question, "Why did you do this?" You guessed it—"No excuse, ma'am/sir." Absolutely nothing has been learned except that you have, indeed, trained someone to instinctively respond to a "why" question by stating, "No excuse, ma'am/sir." If you really want to learn the reason for someone's negative behavior, then start your sentences with "what" or "how." By using "what" instead of "why" you learn the real intentions of your subordinate. A good follow-up question would be, "How do you plan to keep this from happening again?"
2. Model the observed behavior. Sometimes the best feedback that a person can get is by watching themselves actually doing the behavior. It would be nice if we, as supervisors, could always walk around with a mirror so we could show that person what they look like. You can serve as that mirror. For instance, show that subordinate how they made that pivot incorrectly while marching. Then give the subordinate the correct picture by modeling the proper way. Be careful to not mock the individual, especially In front of the group. An immature supervisor will get angry with a subordinate and inadvertently make fun of them.
3. "Sandwich approach." When providing negative feedback, one of the primary objectives is to make sure that feedback is indeed heard and accepted. Experimentally, it has been shown that a person is in a much better mental framework for accepting negative feedback if it has been "cushioned" in the right manner. That is why the "sandwich approach" is successful in ensuring the feedback is heard.
4. Re-support. Most people feel detached or not as close to the supervisor when receiving negative feedback from them. It is, therefore, important to restate your message of support.
5. Their responsibility. Just like your message during the EXPECTATIONS phase, it is important to reemphasize that, although you do not like a person's behavior and are still willing to support them, you cannot—and will not—take responsibility for their actions.
6. Consequences. After telling the subordinate it is their responsibility to change this behavior, it is important for you to tell that subordinate what the predictable consequence will be if the negative behavior continues. This is not a threat, nor should it be conveyed as one.
7. Game-plan for improvement. If you have told a subordinate what is wrong and you have warned them about the consequences that will occur if that behavior continues, you still cannot be confident this behavior will be corrected unless you know what the subordinate's game-plan for improvement is. A good place to start is by asking, "What do you plan to do differently next time?" or "How will you guarantee these reports will always get to me on time?" Now you will start to get some idea of just how your subordinate plans to fix this undesired behavior.

0. Does this plan satisfy you? You will not come up with the game-plan- force the subordinate to do that. However, you can add your input to help "shape" this plan into something you both honestly believe will work.
1. Is it realistic? It does no good to come up with a pie-in-the-sky plan that sounds great but you know will never be put into practice.
2. Is the subordinate committed to this plan? If your subordinate is only showing a half-hearted willingness to carry out this plan, then it will surely fail. When you suspect that your subordinate is not committed to the plan, then immediately confront them. For example, "Bill, you don't seem really committed to this, and I can assure you that you will continue to have problems unless you are really willing to stick to this."

1. Follow-up. People can do some marvelous things on their own and can show a tremendous willingness at times to sacrifice self for the overall good. Yet, people can also be downright lazy if left to themselves. If left unchecked, many tasks that need to be done would never get done. That is why, as a supervisor, you need to conclude your negative feedback with a message that says you are going to follow up on what you just talked about. When you establish this game-plan for fixing the unacceptable behavior, you need to tell the subordinate just how you are going to check on them, and then you need to do it!

1. Immediate. Just like feedback, the consequence must be given immediately. It ought to be like what Douglas McGregor calls "the hot-stove principle." When you touch a hot stove, the consequence is immediate—it burns you. There is never a doubt in your mind what caused your finger to hurt. It was due to your touching the stove. The stove did not debate whether it was going to "decide" to burn you. It did it immediately, neutrally, and consistently. Your reaction is not to resent the stove for being a stove. No, your reaction is to ask yourself why you were so foolish as to touch it. The longer the consequence is delayed, the less likely the subordinate will associate consequence with behavior. When this happens, the subordinate is bitter toward the supervisor instead of being honestly open to what they (the subordinate) did wrong. The consequence becomes meaningless.
2. Be consistent. When applying consequences to a subordinate, be consistent in how you treat that person. A hot stove never debates whether it is going to burn you or not. It simply provides a consequence over and over again. There is no doubt in your mind as you approach that stove how it is going to react. So, you respect the stove and don't touch it if you don't want to get burned. If you know you will always get a particular punishment when you try something, then you stop trying it (unless you are a fool, extremely rebellious, or both). If a subordinate is cleaning their room and you don't always provide some consequence for how the room looks, then they may gamble on whether to clean it today. If you were inconsistent, they may go ahead and "play the game." Now, something interesting happens. If they "play the game" because you are inconsistent as a supervisor and they are caught, guess who they blame? Well, of course, they blame you! Here the subordinate was the one who did the wrong behavior, but now they are going to make it sound as if you are the one who is unreasonable. Why would they think you are unreasonable? Because you have been inconsistent! Not only does inconsistency allow your subordinate more confidence in "playing the game," it also makes your subordinate really resent you whenever you finally decide to provide a consequence. Remember, no one resents the consistent hot stove. They just act appropriately around it and blame themselves for being so foolish as to touch it. That same analogy can be true for you. You can get the kind of respect and results that a stove gets, if you are consistent!

1. Behavior produces a consequence.

0. You want your subordinates to learn a very clear message: their actions are going to produce a certain consequence from you. If the subordinate does good work, you reward them. However, if negative behavior is demonstrated, punishment should be given. Remember that it's the behavior that you want the subordinate to focus on.
1. A common example of giving a consequence not tied to the behavior is when a supervisor reacts based on the mood they happen to be in. Have you ever seen a flight commander who just happens to be in a terrific mood allow cadets to relax and not adhere to the rules? Now, there is nothing wrong with this if they have done some behavior to deserve it. However, your being in a good mood has absolutely nothing to do with their behavior, so your consequence should not either! Likewise, being in a bad mood is no justification for throwing around lots of punishment. Consequences must be given, but only when they are related to the behavior.

1. Progressive buildup.

0. How many times have you seen an immature flight sergeant, who is eager to start applying punishment, let some unsuspecting cadet have "both barrels" (the biggest punishment he knew) the first time the cadet does anything wrong? Sound familiar? Let's ask this question. What is the flight sergeant going to use for punishment if that cadet does that wrong behavior again? Cut off a finger? Shoot them? What is left? Consequences must have some progressive buildup. It becomes a hierarchy where the strongest behaviors deserve the strongest consequences.
1. To have this hierarchy, you as the supervisor or trainer must know which consequences are available to you. This means meeting with your peers and coming up with a wide list of possible consequences—both rewards and punishments—you can give. After you have done all of this creative brainstorming, you then want to make sure these consequences are approved by your supervisors. Check it out in advance so that your consequences have been "sanctioned from above." This will help keep you from receiving an unexpected punishment!

1. Subordinate's viewpoint.

0. To be effective, the consequence must be viewed as meaningful to the subordinate. If a supervisor thinks something is a reward but the subordinate does not think of it as something positive, then it is not a reward. The same thing is true for punishment: it must be relevant from the subordinate's viewpoint.
1. It is sadly comical to witness a supervisor who thinks he is giving a very strong punishment to a subordinate; and, yet, the subordinate is not even slightly fazed by that punishment. A word of advice to supervisors: put yourself in the subordinate's shoes and see what is important to you. Sometimes, supervisors fail to remember which consequences were really meaningful to them when they were subordinates. Instead, they keep giving their subordinates consequences that would have meaning for themselves. Consequences just do not affect all people the same way. Before choosing a consequence, look at it from the subordinate's viewpoint.

1. Provide it.

0. Consequences absolutely must be provided! It is not sufficient to say that a valid reward is merely the "absence of a punishment." If your subordinate does something that deserves a reward, you must have the creative courage to provide it, or you will eventually find a demotivated subordinate working for you. Your subordinate should not have to believe "the best I can do is break even." Likewise, it is a very immature supervisor who believes they can be effective while only providing rewards. Punishment must be given when deserved, or you will lose control of your position as a supervisor and become ineffective.
1. Cadets offer a myriad of reasons for why consequences are not given. "It hurts too much to have to do it. I may not be liked if I do. I don't want to be considered too tough. I don't want to be considered too soft. I don't see other people providing consequences like they should. My supervisor does not treat me that fairly. I don't have any available rewards to give. I don't have any real form of punishment that has any bite to it. I don't want to get involved. I didn't ever get a reward so neither should my subordinate. I can't punishment someone and still be positive. It's okay to keep giving feedback over and over again because most people are responsible enough to correct their behavior if I just keep reminding them what is wrong. I don't have a wide range of consequences available, so after I tried my 'standard' approach and it didn't work, I just stopped trying. Present policies won't allow me to provide consequences, i.e., it's the system's fault. And, finally, I'm not in the habit of giving punishments and rewards." All of these excuses for not providing consequences are common, yet none of them are acceptable. One of the easiest ways to be a failure is to not apply consequences properly.

1. Be creative. There are wide ranges of rewards available. Instead of relying on the traditional ones, challenge yourself to learn and apply a wide variety of rewards. However, make sure that in your creativity you have still provided an appropriate consequence that is relevant and is sanctioned by your supervisors. It is so important for high-level supervisors to allow the lower-level supervisors a degree of flexibility in which they can be creative. As a high-level supervisor, if there is some reward that is taboo, explain it as part of your EXPECTATIONS. The lower-level supervisors need to have some autonomy in developing appropriate rewards. So, be creative. You may surprise yourself with the number of rewards that you can come up with.
2. Shaping the desired behavior.

0. It is very important for the supervisor to be aware of incremental changes a subordinate makes for the better. If a supervisor doesn't pay close attention, they may miss that a subordinate has indeed improved in performance, even if the performance is not yet perfect.
1. There is a term known as "shaping" in which an observant supervisor rewards a subordinate who makes positive changes toward reaching the kind of performance that the supervisor ultimately desires. The key principle in shaping is that the supervisor provides rewards when positive changes are made in the subordinate's behavior. If there is no improvement, no rewards are provided. Rewards are not withheld until only the desired behavior is displayed. They are given incrementally when progress is made. Rewards are not given if the subordinate regresses or merely repeats the previously rewarded behavior. Improvement must be demonstrated to merit a reward. Once the desired behavior is reached, rewards are given only if this behavior is maintained. Once maintained, the rewards increase hierarchically. Shaping is an excellent technique for using rewards to help achieve the desired behavior, and a supervisor would be wise to make use of it.

1. Directed toward the behavior. It is the behavior that you are trying to correct with punishment. If a supervisor uses it to somehow "get back" at the subordinate, the subordinate may give in and fix the bad behavior. However, they will not want to work for that supervisor, unless forced to, and their results will prove to be very short-term. If they realize you are not out to get them, but instead just out to fix the wrong behavior, then they are likely to respect you for it and make sure it does not happen again.
2. Teaches. The punishment you provide your subordinate should teach which behavior is unacceptable. For instance, being late for class can have some negative results. Not only is the tardy cadet going to miss the information presented in his/her absence, but perhaps more importantly the cadet's inability to be prompt may shed doubt about their commitment. A verbal counseling by the instructor about the importance of promptness would seem to be a reasonable first consequence for tardiness. The verbal counseling was an appropriate punishment, if that cadet arrives on time to class in the future. However, if that cadet continues to be tardy for class a second time, a verbal counseling will not teach the cadet anything. Certainly, the punishment needs to be increased this time (progressive buildup), but this second form of punishment should teach that cadet what was not learned the first time. Maybe what is needed is a more formal written form of counseling. Whatever the punishment, it should be used to teach this person that promptness is important in CAP.
3. To help.

0. A simple axiom is that there would be no need for punishments if people never did anything wrong. You don't want your subordinate to do things that are wrong. It affects you and your organization, and you also know that it will hurt your subordinate. You know that if you do not provide punishment now, then your subordinate will probably hurt himself or herself again with that same behavior. You want to keep this from happening. In other words, you want to help.
1. Some people only view punishment as something which "hurts" people. Indeed, it does hurt at the time it is given. If it doesn't hurt, then it probably was not a punishment at all. There was nothing unpleasant about it. None of your subordinates are going to like the punishment you give them at the time it is given. If they do like it, it isn't punishment. So, if it’s so painful to give or to receive punishment and no one wants to do it, why should we? BECAUSE YOU INTEND TO HELP. That's right—help. You want to either help the subordinate or help the situation, and that is what makes you provide punishment even when it is painful for everyone involved.
2. If a cadet breaks a standard, it is easy to just give feedback. That is why so many people refuse to provide punishment the first time a standard is broken. It is easier just to give feedback. Yet, how many supervisors have you seen who will never provide a punishment? They just keep giving the same feedback over and over again because they didn't want to go through the "hurt" of punishment, i.e., seeing the subordinate hurt or going through some pain themselves. The sad paradox is that the more a supervisor avoids punishment in order to help the subordinate, the more the subordinate is hurt in the long run. That subordinate is getting set up for a big fall somewhere in the future because some supervisor didn't have the courage to punish them back in the beginning.
3. A cadet or senior who allows another cadet or senior to go unpunished is like the "good friend" who hasn't got the guts to tell a friend that they have a drinking problem so, instead, that "good friend" just pours another drink because that is easier than confronting the person. Good friends try to help. Punishment should be used just for this reason.
4. If your intentions are truly to help, it's important you "respond" instead of "react" with punishment. It takes self-control to punish with patience and instruction, instead of with uncontrolled anger. Such anger is often used with no intention of truly helping the subordinate; rather, to help the supervisor feel better. Anger of this type has no place in punishment. Anger can be very appropriate, if controlled, directed toward the behavior, and with the intent of helping both the situation and the subordinate.

1. Backs up what you said. Remember back in EXPECTATIONS when you clearly told your subordinate what their obligations as a subordinate would be? You stressed such things as respecting your authority, complying with standards, and giving the maximum effort. Now your subordinate has put you to the test on one of these points. If you really did mean what you said, now it's time for your punishment to back up what you said.
2. Reaffirms your commitment. There is one other reason why you should provide punishment. Again, remember in EXPECTATIONS you said to your subordinate that you were willing "to help them." You said things like, "I want you to succeed. I am committed to you." You also said that you were committed to the program that you represent. Well, just how committed to this individual and this program are you? Are you committed enough to punish a person, even though it is painful for you and your subordinate at the time?

1. Some prominent psychologists believe that if you had to look at only one factor to try to predict whether a person will be successful or not, you should look at their self-esteem. This is how people view themselves, regardless of the evidence presented. Self-esteem is one of the primary human drives and has an extraordinary impact on a person's performance.
2. Positive self-esteem promotes assertiveness. People who lack self-esteem have a very low self-confidence. Without that confidence, the tendency is to be dysfunctionally shy, timid, and hesitant to make their opinions known. Additionally, lack of self-confidence can also produce someone who is dysfunctionally aggressive (versus being assertive). They are loud, pompous and belligerent, because all of those qualities are used to hide the lack of true self-confidence. So, people with positive self-esteem tend to be more assertive and tend to rise to the top in performance.
3. Likewise, positive self-esteem promotes more initiative. An unconfident person is much less likely to think up a new idea and voice it for fear that people will think it is really a "stupid idea." If you appreciate initiative in your subordinates, you will increase your subordinate's self-esteem.

1. There are certain actions you can do as a supervisor or trainer that can definitely decrease your subordinate's self-esteem. But this doesn't necessarily mean your subordinate is "weak." For many people, self-esteem is based on appraisals from other people and from how they view themselves when they compare themselves to other people.
2. Some supervisors believe they must strip a subordinate of all their self-esteem, then gradually build the subordinate back up again, piece by piece. The fallacy in that kind of thinking is that the supervisor also wants the subordinate to perform well, even though the subordinate no longer has any self-esteem. It just can't happen! In the supervisor's zeal for destroying self-esteem, they are also creating a subordinate who can't perform. This kind of logic is not only very destructive, it's downright foolish! The following are some actions that can tear down a person's self-esteem.

0. Poor comparison to peers. Even if a supervisor never said a word to a subordinate, the subordinate would still do a tremendous amount of self-comparing to see how they matched up against other people. Cadets, in particular, are at an age where social comparison is incredibly important. Some of the typical areas that will draw comparison are intelligence, attractiveness, and athletic ability. If a subordinate believes they are behind in one of those areas, self-esteem may take a real hit. We make someone feel very special just because of the physical attributes they were born with. That took no skill at all. It merely took a certain set of genes!
1. Failure. If a person consistently believes other people see them as a failure, that person will eventually believe that they are a failure. Sadly, once that individual believes they are a failure, then more than likely their performance will soon start justifying that belief. For example, take a cadet who comes from a terrific background, has a very strong self-esteem and enters CAP. He is told by someone, whose opinion he respects (perhaps his element leader), that he is really "doing lousy" and is no good. He will probably just write it off as being his supervisor's misjudgment. However, if his supervisor consistently tells him this, he may start to examine his performance to see who is right. Now, if his performance isn't what it used to be, he might start to honestly question his own self worth. If this process of continually being seen as a failure in his supervisor's eyes continues, it won't take too long before he is indeed a failure. Once his self-esteem goes, so goes his performance.
2. No-win situations. Certainly supervisors don't put cadets in no-win situations in CAP, do they? Does this sound familiar to you? An immature flight sergeant is having a hard time training a cadet. Instead of providing necessary feedback and elevating the consequences, this flight sergeant decides to "call in the cavalry." He hires two or three other flight sergeants to play "ring-around-the-cadet"; and no matter what that cadet does, it will always be wrong, because one of those flight sergeants can always find something to make that cadet look foolish. It doesn't take long before the cadet realizes he is in a no-win situation, and eventually he quits trying to do anything right (since it will just be interpreted as being wrong anyway). The sad thing in tearing down this cadet's self-esteem is that the supervisor is almost assuring poor performance in the future. This also occurs when a supervisor will always try to find something wrong… even though a cadet might have the best bunk at the encampment, the supervisor will still complain about the tiniest wrinkle or microscopic piece of lint, nullifying any good feeling that cadet had about his or her bunk!

1. Labeling. Remember in the FEEDBACK phase when we talked about INPUT +? We said that labeling could have a very damaging effect on someone's self-esteem. It, indeed, is one of the actions that can destroy a person's self-esteem. It is a form of feedback that, if heard often enough, will start to be believed by the subordinate.

1. Crisis of competence. "Crisis of competence" is a fancy way of defining the dilemma someone is in when they say, "I know I was good back there, but I am not really sure I can be good here." This occurs to many people who are faced with a new situation, setting, or challenge. Constantly changing EXPECTATIONS are very stressful. If you are a new supervisor, be careful about making many changes just to "do things your way" or to "prove who is boss." Every change causes stress, and stress causes the crisis of competence. However, change is sometimes needed, sometimes desperately needed!
2. Public ridicule. There is a simple axiom that says, "Praise in public, punish in private." This can destroy mutual respect and unnecessarily embarrass the cadet. As a supervisor, if you must publicly correct some wrong behavior, to keep other people from making the same mistake, talk only about the behavior without mentioning the name of the person who did it. Sometimes this is impossible. If this is the case, get the subordinate's permission before talking about it, or get the subordinate to explain it himself or herself..

1. Positive feedback. There is a principle for how someone's self-esteem is formed which is known as the Appraisal Theory. This theory says a person's self-esteem is largely formed around the feedback a person receives about himself or herself. Don't neglect the virtues that positive feedback provides. A person's positive self-esteem is tied to it!
2. Public praise. Remember the axiom, "Praise in public, punish in private"? Well, a subordinate's self-esteem can just soar by providing it. Public praise is very easy to provide, often overlooked (especially for those middle-of-the-road performers), and tremendously important in helping establish someone's positive self esteem. Supervisors would be wise to make good use of it!
3. Success.

0. Just as a subordinate's self-esteem is torn down by perceived failure, so can the self-esteem grow with perceived success. A key word here is "perceived." Someone can still view their performance as a success, even if the results don't readily show it (just as a perfectionist might perceive himself or herself to be a failure even though the evidence proves otherwise). The key lies in making the subordinate believe they are a success.
1. For example, pretend you’re a bowler who averages 190. When compared to all people (the encampment), a 190 is well above average, and something to be proud of. But this bowler feels like they aren’t good, because other serious bowlers (their flight) have averages over 200. The key to success lies in the ability to keep from defining success as having to be "Number One." There are many ways to view yourself as a success, even if you aren't "Number One" in any of them.

1. Focusing on strengths. We just finished talking about the virtues of a subordinate seeing himself or herself as a success. This can be enhanced if you can teach your subordinate how to focus on strengths instead of weaknesses. All people have some areas they are better in than others.

0. There are an unlimited number of performances we do every day of our lives. However, something automatic occurs every time we have completed that performance. A little voice called "self-talk" goes on in our heads, and this self-talk is an immediate evaluation of our performance. Let's say you are taking a test and just answered a multiple-choice question that you weren't sure of. Immediately, your self-talk might say something like, "Well, I got that one right. That is one more in the 'bag.' Gosh, I'm not too sure on that one. Oh, this is just a stab in the dark, and I am sure it will be wrong." All of these are an example of self-talk that occurs. You couldn't stop self-talk from occurring even if you tried.
1. This cycle is inevitable, and it occurs to everyone! There are many times when you are asked to perform—whether you like it or not! You just know you are going to be asked to perform, so that is a "given." Another "given" is that your self-esteem is going to respond to your self-talk. Therefore, the only factor that you can control is whether your self-talk is going to be positive or negative. You actually have the ability to praise yourself and talk optimistically about what you just did. Likewise, you have the ability to stop any negative self-talk. When you are tempted to say, "Oh no, I'm sure I missed that," you should instead yell out to yourself, "STOP THAT!" and then proceed to make your self-talk positive. Positive self-talk can definitely keep you focusing on your strengths that will, in turn, increase your self-esteem. You can teach this process to your subordinate as a method of improving their self-esteem.

1. Development of a "niche." As a supervisor, it is important for you to determine your subordinate's niche. Praising and focusing on that niche can truly raise someone's self-esteem. A niche is the area in which you feel particularly skilled, confident, or comfortable. All people have a "niche" in life. The good thing about a niche is that it is insatiable- you somehow can maintain enough energy to pursue your niche. For instance, you may not get to be captain of the football team, Squadron Commander, or make the Dean's List. But, you can sing a note better than anyone in the choir, debate better than anyone at college, or shine shoes better than anyone in your element. No matter what your particular niche is, it is a source of pride and comfort for you.
2. Your support. Of all the items listed that can increase a subordinate's self-esteem, the most important is letting your subordinate know you support them.

1. Know your own goal. Before you decide upon this performance goal with your subordinate, you should know just what your foundational goal is. The foundational goal is composed of those requirements that you will absolutely not be satisfied with if they are not accomplished.
2. Subordinate's responsibility. Make sure your subordinate believes that it is their responsibility to help establish this performance goal. One of the main purposes in establishing GROWTH is to help develop that mutual respect in your subordinate so they will feel committed toward you and the task. That is mutual respect!
3. Unified decision. After the subordinate believes they are responsible for this performance goal, then you want to arrive at some unified decision on the specifics of this goal. Don’t compromise any of your foundational goals, yet allow your subordinate enough room to be creative and think up ideas of their own.
4. Your approval. After this unified decision is reached between you and your subordinate, you need to convey your approval of this plan.
5. Your support. Not only should you show approval, you should also indicate that you will still continue to support this person should they come up with any future questions or problems.
6. Successful expectations. Have you ever noticed how contagious optimism is? As a supervisor, if you can convey that you expect these results to be successful, the subordinate is more likely to expect the same thing.

1. Make the challenges realistic, yet difficult to obtain.
2. Short term. If your challenge is too long-term, the subordinate will lose interest. Example: "Graduate from college with high honors."
3. Not a "have to" – it becomes an order if it is a "have to." The challenge should be something that will please the supervisor, above and beyond that which is expected.
4. Shows merit upon accomplishment. Praise them when they meet the challenge.
5. Fraternal rites of passage. There exists among some cadets (and seniors) a belief that trainees must go through some "rite of passage" before completing the encampment. The virtues and flaws inherent in any right of passage won't be addressed here. However, it must be emphasized that there is a distinct difference between a rite of passage and training. There are supervisors who don’t distinguish between the two and will allow any inane, senseless activity to occur under the guise of training. The word "training" should not be used as some catchall for sanctioning any activity. How many times have you heard a cadet try to rationalize what he is doing by saying that it "builds character," and you aren't to question the relevance of this training because, "You will not really appreciate the relevance until you have been to a couple of encampments." These statements may be true if valid training is occurring. If it is a rite of passage issue, don't try to justify the action by calling it training.
6. Policy decisions. The ATG has nothing to do with the local policies that govern which consequences are appropriate. However, the manner in which consequences are given should still be similar.
7. The term "cognitive dissonance" applies when a person has a mental debate between an action they are engaged in and the feelings associated with the action. For instance, a new Encampment graduate is extremely proud of having finished the training but did not like the actions that they had to do in order to complete it. The actions and the pride form a cognitive dissonance. Soon, the person will rationalize that the actions must have been justified or else why would the pride develop? Thus, the person will cling tightly to the right to perform the same actions on some trainee next year, even though (as a trainee) the person disliked the action being done to them. That is cognitive dissonance.
8. Resistance to change. Many times, people will resist changing to something new, even if they readily agree that the old way is much worse. The reason for this is they invested a lot of energy in the old way; and, if it is changed, it causes a couple of concerns. Another form of false logic is to say, "Well, I turned out pretty good, so (in retrospect) the old way must have been good." The problem with this logic is that some people can turn out good in spite of their previous training.