Leadership

VIEWPOINT OF A TEXAS CHALLENGE ACADEMY CADET

A few weeks ago, my friend and I made Platoon Guide and Assistant Platoon Guide at Texas ChalleNGE Academy. We had been squad leaders previously, and while we thought we would earn the position, we were still nervous at the same time. When we heard our names called, it was hard not to show too much excitement.

We thought being squad leader was hard, but being our platoon’s first Platoon guides was tough. It’s a type of stress and difficulty that we weren’t really prepared for until we were in that position.

First, we have to set the example for the entire platoon. I think I was really worried about being perfect and not making mistakes. But that is unrealistic. All of us make mistakes, and we have to learn from them and get better.

Learning to lead others is tough. We are still learning the ropes ourselves and have to keep our platoons in line as well. Sometimes Cadet Early and I had a lot of pressure on us, but we didn’t let that stop us. If we ran into a problem, there were team leaders and supervisors to help us.

The biggest thing we learned was that in order to be a good leader, you have to model what you expect from others. That means being squared away and taking responsibility for yourself. It means not taking everything personally and learning what is important to do and what is important to let go of.

There are two positions higher than Platoon Guide and those are First Sargent and OPS Sergeant. I know that those will carry more responsibility, but I feel like Early and I will be up to it if we are selected.

Being at TCA is teaching me so much, not just academically or with regard to leadership. It’s teaching me a lot about what life will be like in the future, and I am ready to learn all I can.