JLBC: Leadership

JLBC: Leadership

JLBC Cadets have the self-confidence to be open and honest with the team.

Authority. “Authority” refers to the right and power to judge, act, or command. It includes responsibility, accountability, and delegation. Command authority within the JLBC Corps of Cadets is vested in cadet officers appointed by the Commandant with the authority of the President. TAC officers and NCOs serve as Commandant’s Representatives to teach, advise, and coach cadets as they develop into principled leaders and lead and command the JLBC Corps of Cadets. Cadet officers must understand that their authority to lead and command is derived from and dependent on these sources: college regulations and the Blue Book articulate broad left and right limits. Still, part of the “art of command” for a cadet officer is having a purposeful discussion with their TAC to gain added clarity about both the limits and freedom of the commander’s action.

Cadet commanders operate under the traditional military concept that “the commander is responsible for everything the unit does or does not do.” As explained in the JLBCTraining Manual (JLBC TM), this “responsibility” for a task that is extrinsically assigned to the commander by the position also comes with the “accountability” that encompasses intrinsically taking ownership of the job and, with it, the consequences that come from success or failure. Commanders can delegate to subordinates some of their authority to accomplish a specific task.