Shipmates

Today I chatted with a former shipmate of mine from my first ship. We served together 29 years ago and I last saw him around 22 years ago.


It was just a brief chat over Facebook Messenger, but it was like we just picked up where we left off so many years ago.  That is one thing I have loved about the Navy; making lifelong friends.


The Wardroom on a ship can become pretty tight, because you go through so many things together. I miss that, being a retiree.


I am so glad I can still call my shipmates my friends. No matter what.

Delegation

I recall in my Naval Academy leadership courses, probably in my first year, I learned what delegation was. Since then, I have never forgotten the phrase, "You can delegate authority, but not responsibility."  Over my career in uniform, and now, as a civilian, I've seen numerous examples of delegation, literally from one extreme to the other. Obviously life on the extreme ends can be disastrous, so the goal certainly would be to find a happy medium.

On one end, you have a micromanager, who refuses to delegate anything.  I've worked for micromanagers, who seem to have the need to do everything themselves.  This is not very efficient and it is not good for morale.

On the other end, you have someone who delegates everything; well, as much as they can anyway. This is not efficient either.

When I worked on a numbered fleet staff, my department head, an O6, was a very intelligent man who was constantly thinking outside the box. He had great ideas (and some not so great). Believe it or not, he actually delegated the reading of his email. He gave us all full access to his inbox, and he tasked us with checking and reading his email, and if there was anything of importance, we could respond, on his behalf, then backfill him. This was an interesting concept that actually worked quite well for the officers in his department at the time.

Now, the reason I am writing about delegation today is here at work we have a department head in another department that appears to delegate everything. I may be wrong, but you can never go to this person with a request for information without him having to check with one of his subordinates.  This is not efficient, from my perspective, and it is quite frustrating.  Of course I have stopped going to him for information, because I have learned it would waste my time.

I've always appreciated the supervisors I have had who have trusted me enough to do as much as I could, while holding me accountable. It kept me busy, provided me training for future jobs, and it was quite rewarding. I am glad I work for someone like that now.

When I was in command, I certainly delegated a fair amount, but holding my people accountable was the key. Over time I learned what I could delegate and what I needed to retain for myself. When you empower your people, they will shine!!


On a side note, I just finished a great book entitled Destroyer Captain, by Admiral James Stavridis. I highly recommend this book!!

Great to be Back

As I mentioned in my previous post, after a four year absence, I am employed by the U.S. Navy once again. My time with the Department of Commerce, as a contractor, was good, however, I am glad that part of my life is behind me.

I definitely learned a lot with NOAA, but found that people, in general, did not understand the experiences I had as an officer in the Navy for twenty years and what I brought to the table. At times it was frustrating to me, because I was completely underutilized. This was precisely the reason I pursued other employment.

I had a manager in my previous job who was an ok manager. He was not, however, a leader. I found it funny one day when he told me I should stick with him and he would teach me how to lead people. I thought he was kidding at first, since I knew he had seen my resume. He wasn't. I quickly reminded him that I had been leading people successfully over twenty years, including command of over 400 officers and sailors during my command tour. He seemed to have no comprehension of what I was saying.

For the past nine months, I've been back with the Navy, and I love it. I won't say the command I work for, but I am working on an admiral's staff once again. This is the third flag staff I have worked on during my Navy tenure. The first one (3-Star afloat Fleet staff) was superb and extremely rewarding. The second (2-Star shore staff) was not so superb and I could not wait to leave (retire). I am currently on a 1-Star type commander staff. It is a relatively large staff, mostly civilians, with some very smart and hard working individuals (military and civilian). We also have a leadership team that knows how to lead.

It is so refreshing to have true leadership in the front office. I missed that very much during those four years. The admiral is a people person who inspires us on a daily basis by his words and actions. One thing I like that the previous admirals I worked for did not do are frequent (sometimes bi-weekly) all hands calls. The admiral, Chief of Staff (COS) and/or Deputy Commander (DC) will interact with us and tell us what is going on and how we are supporting the fleet. They tell us about their recent meetings and interactions with other commands and organizations. This really makes me feel like the small part I play can really make a difference and that I am a part of the team.

They all continually thank us for what we do, whether it be in an email or in person. They are very sincere. Our new DC actually leaves his office and gets around the building to interact with us to see how we are doing. All three are very personable and it makes a world of difference. In addition, the staff frequently gathers for social events, whether they be an informal luncheon, bowling, or a barbeque, to include families.

Life is good and once again, I have an example of leadership to be excited about.

Hey Strangers, It's Me!!

Hello there. It appears I've been absent from this blog for quite some time.

The primary reason is around the time of my last posting, I started a new job. Following my Navy retirement in 2007 I was working as a contractor. I am now employed with the Navy again as a civil servant. I must say, I've been pretty busy. Hard to believe I've been in this job nearly nine months already.

I am very glad to be back with the Navy. I just feel like I belong there and the new job is great!!

Recently I had an idea for a new post on here, and after reading my most recent post, back in May, it is somewhat similar. I will post this one very soon.

I don't even know if anyone reads these things besides my father, but it is fun writing. See you soon!!

Invisible Leader

A former boss of mine, a commanding officer of a U.S. Navy warship, was someone I would classify as an invisible leader. Well, now that I write those two words, invisible manager may be more appropriate for this person. Regardless, he led from his stateroom, via email, for the most part.

This Naval officer rarely left his stateroom in port and while underway, could be found on the bridge only when his presence was required. While in his stateroom, his door remained shut and he actually had specific hours when he should not be disturbed (during the work day, if you can believe that). When you had to disturb him, he always had his nose in a newspaper or book and he seemed irritated that you violated his "Do Not Disturb" time.

Most tasking from him came via email. It is fair to say that he had a handle on the physical status of his ship, but he had no clue about the pulse of ship; the crew. He did not know people's names or even that one of his junior officer's was getting married over the holidays.

He seemed competent enough; he knew engineering and combat systems and he was a decent ship handler. What he was not was a leader. Him, paired with a substandard executive officer, and you can imagine the morale on this ship. Rock bottom.

He was not very keen on face to face communications and he definitely preferred email. From my perspective, the crew resented him because they rarely saw the guy.

I believe a leader should be seen. He/she should get out on the deck plates and feel the pulse of the crew or organization. Employees (Sailors especially) are proud of what they do, and when they can show the captain, that can really make their day, especially if they receive an attaboy.

Just another lesson learned of what not to do.