When I attended Department Head School two years ago, conversation often centered on the new officers who recently had emerged from our various commissioning sources. As an aide and public policy student at a civilian university, I had missed interacting with junior officers, so I listened intently to classmates who had taught at Surface Warfare Officers School or stayed on sea duty. Their stories of ensigns who cared more about nightlife, free time, and sports than about mastering the Navy's management systems supported the preconceived notions that we "Reagan kids" had regarding Generation X, and they made me wonder what my division officers would be like when I reported to the USS Princeton (CG-59).
I should not have worried. After a year on board, I am convinced that leading this generation of division officers is an absolute privilege.
As the Princeton's weapons officer, I have led young division officers from a multitude of commissioning sources; all have performed superbly. Among their achievements: Lieutenant (junior grade) Ted Nunamaker qualified for and stood tactical action officer watches in the Gulf and was profiled in U.S. News & World Report. Strike Officer Ensign Don Morrison trained and led his division as they conducted Tomahawk strikes in support of Operation Desert Fox. Undersea Warfare Officer Ensign T. J. Zerr led the Princeton's visit, board, search, and secure team in support of U.N. sanctions against Iraq, served as legal officer, and served the crew creatively as morale, welfare, and recreation officer. Gunnery Officer Ensign Chris Curtiss, after joining the Princeton just five months after graduation, qualified as a fleet officer of the deck, conducted a multitude of gun shoots, and tripled the money raised for the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Fund.
These division officers were supported, of course, by strong chiefs and amazing sailors who worked hard to execute their vision. It seems ironic, however, that their achievements should emerge as the Navy continues to struggle with junior officer retention challenges that have garnered national attention. Rick Newman, U.S. News & World Report's military reporter, encapsulated these problems when he described one young ensign as "a bright young officer the Navy is desperate to keep, but can't help driving away."
Why does this generation of young leaders seem to leave the Navy with such ease? Two reasons come to mind. First, these officers are serving during the greatest economic expansion this country has ever known. With their education and record of achievement, they are too upwardly mobile and too marketable to remain in a profession they do not enjoy. Second, they are the children of the Baby Boomer generation. Unlike previous generations, these young men and women were raised by parents who did not just view their jobs as a way to earn money but also expected them to be fulfilling.
Given their background, it is not surprising that today's junior officers are looking for something a little different. That they might warrant a slight shift in management and leadership techniques from their commanding officers and department heads should not come as a surprise either.
How Do We Retain Junior Officers? Just Ask Them.
In the middle of the Princeton's cruise, Captain Jake Ross, her commanding officer, surveyed his division officers to find their top five satisfiers and dissatisfiers. Voluntary and anonymous, the survey sought the most unfiltered feedback possible, and more than 85% of the division officers responded.
What we got was a very clear picture of what junior officers look for in their leaders and their commands. The Princeton's division officers thrived on watching their sailors excel, serving their country, and leading their divisions. Not surprisingly, they felt most bogged down when faced with overly attentive management and burdensome Navy programs. Building on their comments and my own experiences watching other senior leaders and leading my own division officers, I believe there are ten things we can do to create a climate of growth and opportunity for this generation's division officers that will encourage them to stay Navy:
1. Recognize that they are just as patriotic and motivated as we were. The Princeton's junior officers listed service to their country as their prime motivator to serve. Their commitment seems even more admirable considering that many factors that have driven other generations to the armed forces—war, a poor economy, or the draft—are not issues in the late 1990s. In terms of community service, these young ensigns exceed previous generations, and the hours they dedicated to community relations projects in Singapore and Hong Kong attest to this.
2. Don't treat them like garbage or they will vote with their feet. These young men and women want to lead, but with superb private-sector opportunities plentiful, they can afford to leave if they are mistreated. Screaming in public or throwing things in temper have no place in the boardroom or the wardroom.
3. Be a true believer. Are you a true believer or are you just sitting in church? Our young officers joined the Navy to make a difference. Carrying out our duties with cynicism and world weariness chisels away at the natural enthusiasm that inspired them to sign up. Build on that enthusiasm instead by having fun and demonstrating that you believe in the Navy and its core values.
4. Let them lead and they will become hooked. Give our division officers the opportunity to lead and they will thrive; rob them of that opportunity and they will languish. No matter what the initial cost in efficiency, place your newly arrived ensigns in charge of their divisions immediately—leadership is why they joined the Navy and they are anxious to get started.
5. Let them earn their victories and learn from their mistakes. Junior officers want action, responsibility, and growth, and they want to win and lose of their own accord. Certain naval competencies may demand perfection or at least step-by-step guidance, but applying a zero-defects standard to every task from maintenance reports to shiphandling leads to stifled young leaders.
This zero-mistakes environment is one area where today's young officers may, in fact, have it worse than their counterparts from years ago. In an anecdote from his autobiography General Colin Powell describes an early misadventure, when as a young lieutenant he lost his would be subject to investigation and possible dismissal. We must move from a "no mistakes, high pressure" mentality and emulate that company commander who allowed Second Lieutenant Powell a chance to develop. Let division officers be ambitious and overreach—they may stumble, but more often than not they will surprise you.
6. Be willing to learn from (and listen to) them. They may be better at some things than we are. For example, a junior officer with three or four years of continuous conning time may be better than someone senior who has not been under way in 24 months. Just as important, remember that young front-line managers who are knee-deep in the details of the division's efforts may be able to provide a fresh perspective to a problem.
7. Realize that they can smell hypocrisy and careerism a mile away. For a generation born after Watergate and inundated by the media with tales of failed leadership, cynicism is a fact of life. Many young officers today joined the military hoping to find something better, and when they witness decision making that is free of self-interest, their response in unbelievable. Even if you fail, as we all
8. If we expect them to manage sailors and million-dollar machines, we should trust them to manage their own schedules. The Princeton's junior officers took pride in their leadership's decision to let them manage their own time, and they honored this flexibility with amazing achievement. This is a leap of faith that the young men and women we entrust with sailors' lives deserve. Conversely, wardrooms that are afraid to sleep, work out, or relax when they need to will suffer from fatigue, stress, and lack of creativity.
9. Take care of your division officers and they will learn to take care of their sailors. Your interest in your division officers' goals and qualifications sets the example and establishes the pattern that leaders need to worry more about their people than themselves. Take care of your people is an abstract phrase for junior officers who do not know what it feels like to be taken care of by their boss. In addition, educate them on your expectations—if advancements, commissions, and enlisted surface warfare specialist (ESWS) qualifications for your sailors are important to you, let them know!
10. Feedback, feedback, feedback. Err on the side of more, rather than less. The rule on counseling and feedback seems to be that just when the senior officer thinks he has counseled enough, the junior officer is just starting to grasp where he stands. Are you so unhappy with a junior officer's shortcomings that they will appear on a fitness report? Rather than shake your head and grumble behind closed doors, engage in what Dr. Stephen Covey terms "compassionate confrontation" and share your concerns directly and honestly with that officer.2
That Will Never Work!
The Princeton's deployment was in many ways a test of these ten leadership guidelines. The command leadership, from the top down, promoted a flat organization and sought feedback. The captain gave complete trust and control to watchstanders during all tactical evolutions, including a short-fused Tomahawk strike against Iraq. The entire crew, when away from watch or all-hands evolutions, enjoyed great flexibility in managing their own schedules.
The old-schoolers might accuse us of "letting the inmates run the prison," but somehow these ten innovations did not send us hurtling to disaster. In fact, the Princeton's achievements during deployment were anything but disastrous:
- Two officers pulled their letters of resignation, and dozens of sailors reenlisted or extended.
- 115 sailors earned ESWS, 10 officers earned SWO pins, and 3 enlisted crewmembers qualified for and served as officer of the deck in the Gulf.
- An executive steering council—modeled after a similar initiative used by Admiral Archie Clemins, Commander-in-Chief, Pacific Fleet—forged vast improvements in physical fitness training, college education opportunities, new sailor check-ins, and core values training.
- The Princeton's advancement rate increased 15%, and all three senior department heads selected for lieutenant commander and screened for executive officer.
- The Princeton served with distinction as air warfare commander of the Carl Vinson (CVN-70) battle group, conducted boardings in support of U.N. sanctions against Iraq, and launched Tomahawk strikes during her first day in theater.
Perhaps the Princeton's achievements had nothing to do with this leadership philosophy, but one thing is certain: if we stick to the way we have been doing business, today's junior officers may not be around to be tomorrow's captains.
Lieutenant Kacher, a 1990 graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, is weapons officer of the USS Princeton. He previously served in the USS Leader (MSO-490) and USS Briscoe (DD-977).