Course Orderly Creep.

Officers Training School Morning Parades with Inspections by the Flight Commander were at 0750.

The Warrant Officer Disciplinary 'suggested' we form up at the rear of the Parade Ground by 0740 so that he could do an inspection before we marched on for the Inspection.

Our Drill Sergeant assembled us by 0730 to inspect us for the WOD's inspection for the Inspection.

The rostered student Course Orderly wanted us to be in place for the Sergeant by 0720.

We agreed to march off from our block at 0710 for the ten minute march to the Parade Ground.

We formed up outside at 0700 for the Course Horse to inspect us before the Sergeant would.

The Course Horse would begin yelling 'One Course...On the ROAD!' at 0650.

An hour before Morning Parade.

We called it COC. Course Orderly Creep.

We were 24 trainee leaders who submissively aided the theft of our sleep, trustworthiness and sense of humour.

A ritual designed for a commander to personally assess the well being and morale and therefore combat fitness of his troops - depleted all three. 

Every organisation has versions of COC.

Pre-meeting meetings. 

Hierarchies of pre-decision decisions.

Layers of redundancy filtering or distorting information on its way to the decision maker and destroying trust along the way.

Mostly good, professional people efficiently and competently working hard to successfully perform self-contained often inherited duties - innocently oblivious to any drag on the Widget - yet each with a gnawing dissatisfaction.

Inevitably a cry arises from management - 'We need leadership!'

Code for: 'What's our Widget?'