Here is where I am, philosophically speaking.
Some background first: I am an E6, which is also referred to as a First Class, or OS1, since I’m an Operations Specialist. I won’t give more details than that, since it would take another 2,000 words or so to explain all that I do or have done in my almost 13 years of service. What I’m writing is more on the philosophy of leadership than an E6 discourse, but it’s written in response to some Bigger Than Me material, so I began thinking from my own level. Of course, if you know me, I start small and end up huge in scope most of the time.
Much of this can be taken home or to work, whether in the military or not. I believe that we live in a world that is dynamic and rejects cookie-cutter and monotony. We don’t live as robots, and it is very clear that the generation that is coming into power (the 18-25 year olds right now) is going to press that dynamic culture even farther. This in consideration, I’m on board with most of the change we have before us. So I’ve tried to appreciate it in my Navy and in the way I look at my job and lifestyle in the Service.
All this being said, I am NOT the prime example of the qualities or integrity portrayed in this picture. I am all too aware of my own shortcomings and lack of ambition. I enjoy being proactive and pursuing the ideals about which I am writing, but I’m far from reaching the mark in any of them. I’m just a regular sailor Joe who wants to do a good job at work, avoid the dumb stuff (inherent in nearly every profession under the sun), and hopefully help others.
I have no desire to be the great leader of the fleet, or even of my little command. That’s good work for somebody with more ambition. I want to provide for my family and serve as best I can, not to reach the top of the food chain. I don’t have that perfect demeanor or image, I don’t pursue all the right “checks” to get me into the running for greatness. I figure my greatness is enough when I’ve left an assignment better than it was when I checked in.
All that said, here’s my long essay on the “sarge” of the Navy, leading into a broader perspective of things:
Definitions:
Leading Petty Officer: usually an E6 in charge of the division or workplace.
The Mast: Navy-speak for higher levels of command like the Commander or Staff.
Unit: Ship or other group that is considered a command (my current unit is called a Task Force Commander)
Chief: E7-E9, the top of the Enlisted chain.
Deck Plate Leadership: Teaching and leading with hands-on practicality, not just sitting behind a desk and thinking deep thoughts.
Big Navy: those Washington type folks who make the overall policy and climate for the whole Navy.
Master Chief: The Old Man of the Navy. He knows all and has the answers. Most are known to have served aboard ship with either Columbus or Noah back in the day.
Leadership
First Class Petty Officers are more than simply the best workers. They are more than just the best problem-solvers. First Class Petty Officers are the culmination of all the best parts of the Enlisted ranks, salted with the growing perspective of more than just the first-line environment.
As understanding of the mission grows from the immediate workplace, the First Class becomes more involved in the greater vision of the command and the operations that go on outside the command in the combined forces and in the greater Navy itself. He becomes more than the Work-Center-Supervisor and is learning to become the fusion between policy and performance.
Policy is that arching governance that drives entire commands to success. It is essentially the same as a small work center or single office’s climate, but includes greater forces from outside the immediate organization. The First Class must be able to drive his personnel not just in completing the daily routine, into understanding the why and how of the long-run. Knowing the Real Purpose of the unit and its capabilities and limitations in view of the policies and missions beyond is what allows him to excel and meet the standards of the Chief.
First Class Petty Officers by their definition should already be in the mode of perfection in their integrity and their dedication to the job. What is needed now, for the next horizon, is a grasp of how the greater force interacts. He who would become a Chief must become a leader who is able to liaise between his personnel and those above him to bring unity to the workforce. He must both understand his superiors, through conscious study and effort, as well as his subordinates and peers. Facing challenges and conflicts, he must be able to “present the case” to the Mast and to return the results to his personnel in a manner that does not undermine the integrity of the Chain of Command.
An E5 at the “top of his game” in skill can manage his tasks with efficiency and capability. Therefore, the First Class who is not already the technical expert in his field is behind the power curve. The reason for exceptional skill and experience is not to be able to do the work in place of his subordinates. He must know the work that progresses in his workplace so that he is able to guide all aspects of it.
His role is that of mentor, which does not focus specifically on technical wizardry, but in motivation and cultivation of his team into that same capability that made him a First Class. He has reached beyond this immediate sphere of the “job” to the philosophy and vision that forms the spine of the work force. Technology and textbooks should be old news and a resource that is called upon in times of immediate need, not as a routine performance. The LPO that must do the work is not an LPO at all. He is an overpaid tradesman.
Leading Petty Officers communicate the standards set forth by the Navy not by preaching alone, nor by example alone. They are capable of knowing whether words or actions will resolve the matter at hand. The environment should be managed through motivating others to excel at their tasks and to take on what is left waiting. They should most of all know what needs to be done so that they may enable their personnel to do those things.
“Know your sailors.” It is imperative that First Classes understand their people. This includes their backgrounds, capabilities, experience, attitudes and desires. Failing to embrace this vital information is to remove the heart from the mission and the vision of the command. Knowing what makes individuals tick is what enables leaders to engage them in the team. Signs that the LPO does not have this skill and knowledge include an environment where the E6 and CPO are doing all the work, and the E5 and below stand around, waiting for direction.
In all reality, the focus of our training, our direction and the many fine products that come from the offices of the Big Navy are applicable to every single leader in the Navy. It could be stated that the Navy as a whole, as commands, fleets and regions needs the focus on leadership as is frequently put out to us from Big Navy. We all have a need to understand “deck plate leadership” and that “above the weeds” sort of guidance as well.
We must let the team understand this message, revisiting it frequently and purposefully, and demonstrate that everyone benefits from the grasping of true leadership in the field and office. Classroom leadership training is a rare thing, which is regrettable in light of the fact that, in recent years, these courses have grown robust and effective in their content and application. As the fleets attend Team Trainers in technology and warfare operations, we should also attend, as groups, leadership continuums and seminars. An annual requirement for formal training could go a long way in opening the eyes and imaginations of our leaders, both future and existing.
We should take the time to focus on this leadership concept. Rather than simply read the articles, or talk about what Some Important Big Guy said last week, we should be setting aside time to work over the concepts that make good leaders. We can’t wait for the workplace to simply grow new leaders, though it is the greatest proving-ground. The days of waiting for a “natural” just won’t serve any more. We must drill in leadership as we drill for combat, making the uncomfortable into the comfortable, the hard to grasp into instinctive.
Training our personnel to skill sets and leadership should come in one continuous package. Empowering them doesn’t just mean leaving decisions up to them, but giving the means to make decisions and the skills to act upon them. Junior sailors can make decisions that affect entire commands, which indicates they are in need of the big picture we so often assume is too heavy for them. This decision-making at low-rank levels is constantly going on, though often it’s not officially noticed.
• We still need to improve on our career development programs, our counseling and our guidance. We must pay closer attention to what leadership skills can be communicated and how.
• Jumping on the instant fix, and taking the decision from our operators because it’s more efficient or just easier doesn’t make good leaders. Leaders must be willing to accept risk and lessened efficiency in the short run in order to provide long-term improvement. We must be willing to “take a hit” right now with the knowledge that our sailors’ next command will reap great benefits from our sacrifice.
• Taking time with our teammates and subordinates is important, and they want it from us. To know our leaders is paramount, and to appreciate them for what they are requires that knowledge. Meetings and briefs become exclusive or too “aloof” for our people. Time can be worked into regular or official team gatherings to develop unity.
• We must create a culture not of waiting for direction, but engaging at the immediate opportunity with the confidence of empowerment and the capability of good training. Leaders must expect decisions from their subordinates. Subordinates must want the same thing the leaders want. We must see eye-to-eye on the workplace, the mission and the external forces and realize each element blends into one cohesive Navy.
In this age of computers and messages flying to and fro at speeds faster than the human mind can digest, we need leaders at every level and every component. Not just one for each division or section, but the whole must become filled with leaders. We need the E1 to come to the field with some concept of leadership right at the start. An understanding of leadership produces greater quality of followership, and it starts the grooming for Master Chiefs and admirals at the most receptive level. Why make the new guy wait until he’s middle management before training in leadership?
We don’t always have time to call on the boss any more. The successes and failures of leadership in the Navy are visible to the whole world and our personnel interact outside the Navy just as visibly. We must enable our workers to lead their teams at all levels, which will decrease response and decision-making times many times over.
We should make our success something personnel can take home with them. If family and off-duty environments affect performance, then should we not make our sailors’ ability to work with people be applicable to their off-duty world, to be able to better guide and serve their families? Here is the tie that creates a “holistic” approach to leadership. Take the WHOLE sailor into perspective.
We have all heard of those leaders who were beloved by those they led. That devotion is cultivated by all that I’ve written above. If we’re going to send our people into harm’s way, our best practice is to lead them in battle, lead them in peace, and show them how we lead so that when time comes to Relieve the Watch, we can trust our successors to be loved as we were.
About the author:
That would be Me.
I have almost 13 years in the Service, and am shooting for E7 and O-1 at the same time this year.
I have worked on three ships, two staff commands and several other remarkable jobs over the years.
I have led divisions of personnel, and I have been led.
I have taught Officers and have learned from Junior Enlisted.
I have written policy for people way bigger than me and have failed to adhere to policy far more often.
*This long-winded discourse is not endorsed by the organization for which I work. All of this is my personal insights on leadership and, though couched in the perspective of the Navy, is intended for leadership in general.
