En Route to Leadership

By Lance Corporal Jit Lee of the 10th Kuala Lumpur Company

Published November 27th, 2014

When I first received the letter that notified me of my probationary term as an NCO, I was exhilarated. I was one step closer to achieving my life long (well, maybe not life-long, but seven-year-long) dream of becoming an NCO. When I first joined the 10^th Kuala Lumpur Company at 9 years old, I was impressed by the authority the NCOs possessed. Being young and foolish, I thought that being an NCO means having the power to punish members by putting them down for pushups and being in a position to bend others to my own will.

That sounds kind of sadistic for a nine year old, don’t you think?

Anyway, from then on, I stayed on in 10^th KL, purely fueled by a little boy’s desire to become an NCO one day. As I breezed past the Junior Section period of my BB life, I thought that I was getting closer to power and authority (Warning: power-crazy little boy on the loose), until one day, a certain Sergeant told me, “You seem to hold the capacity for leadership potential.” I didn’t know much about leadership then, but those words must have unlocked the hidden potential for leadership in me, because I didn’t stay as that naïve, power-crazy little boy for much longer.

As I entered the Senior Section and got to know more of the NCOs on a more personal level, I began to slowly realise what it means to become an NCO. Seeing the NCOs assist those in need helped me draw a conclusion. NCOs are the strings that tie the members and officers together, the bridges that link us all together as one great big family. The NCOs are the ones who run the company – the officers are just there to advise and to guide, but the NCOs are the true leaders of the company.

There it is again. Leadership.

Earlier this year, I got myself enrolled in the Basic NCO Training School. My power-crazy self disappeared completely by then, when I realized that being an NCO is not a mere reward. A promotion is not awarded, but an appointment to take up responsibilities. To be blunt and frank, being promoted to an NCO means being chained to the Company. However, think of it not as chains of bondage, but as chains of glory. As NCOs, we are all called up to serve, just like Jesus himself, a king born to serve his people.

When my name was called up on Awards Day to be promoted, I accepted the chains with pride. It was a call to serve the company. A call to take my place among the NCOs of the company and to involve myself in the effort to advance the company. Now, as a Lance Corporal, the road to true leadership has just begun.