I think as an NCO, you need to be able to do 2 things: sacrifice and pretence.

Why sacrifice? When your cadets and everyone else is enjoying themselves, chaos usually reigns behind the scenes. Who makes sure the chaos does not go out of hand? NCOs. And it's really tiring. It might seem easy to be in charge of an activity. After all, as the cadets see it, you do not take part in the 'stupid' or random or crazily difficult activities. What cadets don't see is what is being done behind the scenes. All those chairs, all those benches, all those puzzles they are fiddling with right now are all done by the NCOs.

As an NCO, your job is ultimately to take care of the little kiddes (cadets) and ensure the activity runs smoothly. Sounds easy on paper, but not so when you really try to do it. So sacrifice. You ignore pain, sweat, fatigue to ensure the programme is on time, the thing next has been prepared, and cadets are having fun/being disciplined. It's not easy. It's not fun. But you know you have to do it.

And as an NCO, you have to put up a pretence, especially in front of cadets. Even when rushing to get things done behind the scene, a sense of professionalism must always be present. To everyone else, things always seem fine. It is a reassurance to cadets, and your committee members. And that's another skill that's eays to write on paper, but something super super super difficult to master or grasp.