The art of handling men is unfortunately too often regarded as a gift and not the result of study and development. This is far from true.
Many things about handling men can be learned from observation of experienced officers and their methods; of those apparently making good in this line; by one's own experiences; by an analysis of emotions created in one's self by various treatments of superiors; by the perusal of War College pamphlets dealing with command; by a study of the psychology of mobs; by reading articles on the subject of which this humble treatise pretends to be one, and, lest we in our masculine conceit forget it, not a few things can be learned from women.
The ability to handle men is manifestly one of the most vital qualifications of any leader, and therefore, for all naval officers a study of and constant attention to this subject is paramount to a successful fulfillment of duty. For when an officer Must perform work through the medium of others, and it is evident that this is often the case, of what avail is the most thorough technical knowledge if the medium or personnel through which this knowledge must be applied be not properly and efficiently handled. This condition would seem to be analogous to the case of a man who has spent his years developing a high intellectuality but who is totally devoid of character, his intelligence only enhancing his power for evil.
Whereas in the handling of material perfection is gained by the expenditure of money, and damage done through mistake is readily made good; perfection in the handling of men got through practice must be acquired at the expense of considerable unhappiness and inefficiency with its further concomitant injurious results to material, and damage done is not only difficult to repair but is lasting and spreading in its results.
It is assumed that the end to be obtained by efficient management of men in the service is, the attainment of the highest degree of military character, the production of the greatest amount of useful work and the smoothest running and most economical organization: These being the conditions best for the service then surely every legitimate means should be employed to establish them.
Military character so differs from that developed by the ordinary circumstances of life that but few if any men without long service have a correct conception of it, nor can many meet its stringent requirements after many months in the navy. The fact that our term of enlistment is only four years, a great drawback, and that old and experienced men are forever leaving and new and inexperienced men arriving, it should be taken into consideration that a successful development of military character must be made the result of intensive instruction and not, as is too often the case; the consequence of only partly merited reproof, drawn on self through ignorance.
Work, it has been said.by Lieutenant Vanderdecken, R. N., in his "Modern Officer of the Watch," is performed by men for two reasons; the hope of reward and the fear of punishment, the former being the stronger reason. There are others; the instinct to follow a good example, which is, according to Professor Munsterberg, psychologically stronger aboard ship than in any other place, where the accomplishment of the same end is a strong bond of sympathy binding all together; and the stimulus of competition which peculiarly appeals to the American in whose breast there is ever a strong desire to beat the' other fellow.
A military unit being an aggregation of individuals, their handling in detail must of necessity be a collection of individual cases and a leader must know the peculiarities of his men, their weaknesses their characters, abilities, etc. Likewise he must know himself.
A wise saw might be corrupted and written, "Know thyself first and then thy men."
The man of first importance in any military organization is the leader. According to rules here set down, in part at least, he must govern and restrain himself perhaps to a greater extent than the men under his charge in order to conduct properly the affairs of his unit.
It is the duty of the commander to bear ever in mind the happiness, comfort and welfare of his men. When they realize that this is clone for then their response to any call will be free and whole hearted. Special privileges; special money grants, liberty and innumerable things, little in themselves, can be done for men, as a reward for certain work and the attainment of certain standards on their part. Rewards, like punishments; should be specified definitely so that work well done is certain to be followed by fixed results, not sometimes or probably but always. As has been practically demonstrated the response to such treatment is marvelous.
For happiness it is necessary that some at least of a man's desires be gratified. „ The more that are gratified within rational limits the happier he must be.
The Navy Regulations state very clearly what should be the attitude of the: superior to his subordinates. He must show in himself a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, subordination, zeal, etc. he must be neat in his appearance, courteous in his manner, firm but: not harsh; he must be cool and ever, keep his temper. It is to be expected that his men will follow his example if good, and unfortunately too if bad. His treatment of superiors will be reflected in the manner in which he is treated by his own juniors.
Criticism of superiors, even when all the facts of a case are known—a condition seldom realized—is injurious, and is inevitably spread, especially by mess boys, thus weakening confidence, and is moreover unwarranted in our service, containing as it does many of the finest brains of the nation.
The leader must lead. He must be first in all things pertaining to the duties of his command.
Encourage initiative in subordinates, but never allow it to develop into willfulness.
Do not shout, it serves to create excitement and lessens dignity.
Remember that familiarity breeds contempt, be it with danger or men.
When calling a man down never lessen his self respect, his spirit may' be broken beyond repair.
Never let personal likes and dislikes influence you in "Balling men out," or in the matter of awarding punishments.
Playing the popularity game is not only at the expense of discipline, but at the most is unremunerative.
Favoritism is manifestly entirely bad, and is generally unappreciated by those favored.
Whatever a man's occupation he is a man for all that and should be treated as such. He has rights even as you or your civilian brothers.
Never swear at a man. It is unnecessary, and an undeserving miscreant may be exalted to the state of receiving an apology.
Do not be squeamish. Seamen as a body have not been reared on subtleties.
To find fault with a man doing his best is only to discourage him utterly.
Be explicit in giving orders and then see that they are carried out to the letter. When not properly carried out examine first yourself to see if the fault lies in your not having heeded this precaution.
It is incumbent upon an officer to know every possible method of rewarding good services'; such, for example, -as: Advancement in rating; medals; prize money; special privileges, as excusing from every other bag inspection any man who keeps an habitually neat and clean bag; detailing to jobs where extra pay is drawn; advancement in liberty classes; verbal praise, though this should be given with reserve or swell head result; etc.
Likewise should he know and have at his fingers' ends a multitude of appropriate punishments, so that all men may feel that breach of regulations will be dealt with summarily and without delay, for punishment held in abeyance loses half its effect. It would be well to say here that, as attested to by an eminent criminologist, it is the certainty of and not the degree of punishment which deters the misdoer.
It is not always necessary or advisable to take a man to the mast or report him, indeed it would be better if this could altogether be avoided. Punishinent of serious offences is of course, and rightly, kit either in the hands of the captain or a court martial.
For minor offences, however, the following usually suffice and are not only effective but are preferable from both the point of 'view of men and officers: Small extra jot is extra sea watches; toeing a line: scrubbing division bag and hammock bags; detailing to dirty jobs where there is a preference, scrub bing clothes out of hours; threat of disrate lowering a conduct class; call down; threat of 'low efficiency marks etc.
One of the most important duties of a leader is the matter of instruction, for how can the raw recruit be expected to arrive at a satisfactory state of erudition without it? Can it be reckoned for an instant that farmers sons can don a uniform and become overnight well versed in the ways and laws of seamen without advice? Yet this is often supposed to be the case, and men are punished for Misconduct when only vaguely meriting it. Instruction in even the most homely subjects and in proper methods of behavior is necessary, if not to all then at least to so many that all should be included. Every drill and every action done should, where possible, be preceded by instruction. Usually success will attend. If failure results through no intended inefficiency then encouragement should follow, if through negligence or inattention to instructions then punishment should follow.
Also at frequent intervals men should be reminded of the effects of different breaches of regulations so that they may ever be in mind, for misdeeds which grant immediate pleasures and results are more impressive on an undisciplined mind than are the relatively distant evil effects attendant. If men can be made to realize to what misconduct will surely lead, and the records of our courts-martial show that many do not know, then not a 'few of the cases now brought before the mast might be avoided.
When an officer examines into an alleged offence he should question first the prosecutor; or man making the report, afterwards the defendant, giving no undue credence to the story of either until all facts are brought out.
Before bringing a case to the mast it should be investigated thoroughly, going into all details of procurable evidence, and taking the names of all witnesses. If convinced that there is a good case and a definite one 'against the wrongdoer and only then, report him. Often where this is not done the reputation of a good man is unfairly impaired for there ever remains a suspicion of the acquitted innocent. Furthermore, to bring a man to the mast only to have him dismissed without punishment is to lower the prestige and corrective influence of that venerable institution.
In connection with offences committed against shore-patrols and beach-guards, every efforts should be made at the time the offence is committed to obtain witnesses and the corroboration of facts.
In a deck division or other unit of ship organization to which this article particularly applies, there will be encountered numerous types of men, which once learned will be found, figuratively speaking, almost as unvarying as standard fittings. They can be classified and dealt with accordingly, each individual in a class being efficiently handled by the application of the same treatment.
Officers assuming command over new bodies of men should not wait for the various types of men to manifest themselves but should from the very first endeavor by means of their records, their petty officers, and any other sources of information, to size them up, getting as it were the jump on them.
If the tenets Of this article are followed men should be assigned to the various classes considered later, and men newly coming into the service, or changing command should be instructed into what classes, naval characters are grouped, in order that a man may from the outset choose from among them, and choosing other than those commendable, may have none other than himself to blame when just punishment is meted out to him. It is best for an officer never to rely solely on his own judgment when assigning men to classes, for men might behave well toward some officers and execrably toward others. -Those who come daily into contact with them should be consulted. For instance, when getting an estimate of a deck, petty officer, consult first lieutenant, boatswain, officers of the deck and chief petty officers.
Having dealt with discipline that a leader must exact from himself let us consider what is to be expected from the men under his control.
The writer has classed them as good, indifferent and had.
CLASS 1.—Under this heading comes the all around good man, steady, reliable, respectful, willing and bright, and he should be rewarded for his efforts.
As much, however, as it is desired to reward deserving men it should never be held out as an inducement unless it is certain upon a man's doing his part that his hope may be fulfilled. Otherwise disappointment with its accompanying sourness of mind is apt to start a good man on the downward path.
Petty Officers.—More strongly every day is it becoming apparent that as ships and their crews increase in size, petty officers must be more and more relied upon. A very high standard of efficiency ought to be expected and relentlessly exacted from them. They and their subordinates, at every turn, should be made to realize their importance and prestige: Petty officer should be made to handle all details and should be given more freedom than they are at present allowed, they absolutely must be bricked up and given sufficient authority over their men commensurate with their responsibility. For example, when a petty officer is standing near when a man makes a mistake, an officer instead of telling the Man direct wherein his fault lies, as is so universally done, the petty officer should be made to instruct the man. Moreover, unless this soon becomes a habit on the, part of the petty officer, without coaching, he should be reprimanded severely. In no other way can it be expected, when officers' backs are turned, that discipline line will be carried on by the petty officers who are as responsible for its maintenance as are the officers.
Any tendency on the part of high petty officers to fraternize with the men on shore or aboard should be rigorously checked.
CLASS 2. --Under this heading we have those men who are indifferent and not over ambitious, who work when watched or for fear of punishment and others characterized as indifferently good.
These men should be made by every endeavor to realize the advantages the navy and hard work offers them, and their pride, their self respect and even their patriotism appealed to. Competition will often stir them from their reluctant apathy. They must be made to realize that in the long run the harder they work the less they will have to do and also if they persist in their listless, no account attitude toward their duties and themselves that not only can they never succeed, but their work will be made harder and harder for them. If this appeal to their sense of decency does not awaken a sincere response then they must be driven and every failure to properly carry out certain duties, which should be made specific, must be followed by the compulsory performance of that same task plus a little more. By repeated offences men will accumulate an amount of work, the performance of which must finally impress lastingly that the straight and narrow path is the best. If this fails then ordinary privileges allowed good men should be withheld and be given only as compensation for work and service done. In other words, indolence must be purchased at a prohibitive price. Horses buck but not for long.
Passive Petty Officers.—Un fortunately in our service there are to-day any number totally devoid of the initiative and corrective ability which makes good leading men, particularly among the lower ratings. A great deal has recently been written and said on the subject. A petty officer who stands and complacently watches an inferior commit a breach of discipline or make an error without endeavoring to correct the same on the spot, too often with a smile disfiguring his Countenance, is far worse than the man he watches, and any petty officer who is not actively assertive for good ought not to be tolerated for ,an instant. He should be warned once upon the assumption that he is ignorant of the vital importance of his office. It must be impressed upon him that he has been chosen from and put over the many because of special ability, and that only when he makes others rise to his standard is he performing his duty; furthermore, that he is not essential to the welfare of his unit unless he is willing to grasp this fact. There are many men anxious to wear his shoes, and if in his division there is no immediate junior to pick, there are on a ship or at a yard or other station hundreds who wish to succeed him.
On the job or off comes his buzzard.
Old-timers.-Old-timers are usually very valuable men, and by including mention of them in this class it is not intended to belittle their worth in the least. They are considered here only in the case of the old-timer who frequently is quite annoying by displaying an attitude of knowing it all, backed by the indisputable authority of a hash mark and showing a decided disinclination to do anything in a different manner from that employed on the last ship he was on. The treatment of his case is obvious.
The Privileged Character.—Enlisted men as a class seem unable to stand prosperity, and upon advancement a good man often spoils his position by encroaching upon the good nature of those who have recently made him. Being a condition to be expected it should be if possible anticipated, or if not then, upon its first appearance gently but firmly nipped in the bud.
Drunkards.—The Navy Department has recently issued a general order dealing quite effectively with offenders of this nature. Never argue with a drunken man, disrespect is sure to crop out, which hurts not only your own prestige but unnecessarily implicates the man.
It is never wise to trust solely to your own judgment as to whether a man is drunk or not. In order to safeguard a man's health in case of drug poisoning and because a court-martial might want the evidence of a surgeon in this matter, he should be examined by a doctor whenever in bad condition.
Men Habitually Dirty.—In a certain officer's organization those men habitually unclean were made to fall ill at formations apart from the other men. The reason for this was made painfully plain to them. When their self respect had brought them around to a Proper State of shinyness they were asked their name in front of their division. They were told that they were not recognized because they now presented such a neat appearance and were such fine looking fellows, whereas men Who had been there before by that name were always dirty. They were then sent back to ranks. In this way their "brace up" was recognized and praised, and one such dose was found an efficient cure.
Another very persuasive argument is to have the offender bring his bag and hammock for inspection every day for a week or two.
This soon becomes a wearisome pastime, more so than scrubbing a few clothes and washing.
Also compulsory scrubbing of clothes out of hours becomes by reason of its irksomeness .quite convincing.
By these means an unclean, dirty lad is brightened up into a neat, self-respecting and inwardly grateful man.
Members of Cliques.—But seldom are cliques formed among seamen for the furtherance of good. More often does a coalition of this sort stimulate its members to mischief, if not to actual bad. Cliques should be disbanded in their incipiency by a word to the wise, or soon there will appear a case more grave and difficult of solution. These men should be cautioned whither they are steering and consulted separately, as an interview with the whole is apt to cement their alliance by a common bond of sympathy.
CLASS 3.—Men totally bad.
The Malingerer—This is a common type, and when unmistakably recognized or justly suspected' should be reported, that the ship's doctor may, be forewarned. An habitual malingerer should, before consideration is shown his ailments, be made to present a certificate from the doctor to the effect that his pains are real. Great discretion must however be observed in the hand ling of these men, or once out of many times he may, really be sick. And herein lies the contemptible power of this species.
Agitators and Sulkers.—Men of this type are extremely difficult to handle. Your true agitator is imbued with the socialistic idea, feels the burden of the troubles of the whole of sailordom upon his shoulders and has a good word for none in authority. They are in his eyes only fit objects for scorn and criticism. The difficulty in handling these men is that they think that they are the champions of a good cause, and are not able clearly to see themselves in the wrong because of the blinding fallacies of their belief.
If sulkiness or agitating assume so marked a character that a definite offence is committed against discipline then it can be readily reported and squelched. But more often it assumes that evasive form, so irritating, upon which one cannot put his finger.
It would seem of importance to the service to nurse this type a bit in an effort to show these individuals the error of their ways and make better men out of them. Failing this, punishment generally makes their tendency stronger and finally they leave the service to bear disgruntled, garbled, fanciful, exaggerated stories of the navy to their colleagues the socialists, who are only too ready to receive them with open arms.
Fresh or Insolent Men.—Men of this persuasion vary all the way from those who only intend to be funny to those characters who are willing, apparently, from insanity or lack of manners, to go to any extreme, to undergo any punishment, to be insulting, insolent and disrespectful. Any noted tendency in this direction should be checked at the very outset. Such men must be irretrievably broken. To wait for an accumulation of offences before putting a stop to this sort of thing is not only to lessen the dignity of authority but to encourage the perpetrator.
When talking to or questioning these men phrase language in such Manner that there is no possibility of facetious answer, especially in the presence of a third party.
The Out and Out Crook.—There is one peculiarity about crooks in the navy. The majority of them are to be found among the young men and more especially among those who have been only a short time in the service. They must be hunted down with unrelenting vigor, for aboard ship amid the crowded and cramped life there is no other place where crime produces more irritating and unpleasant consequences. These cases of course should be handled at the, mast.
Theft, for example, can thoroughly annoy and upset a whole crew, for men aboard ship are particularly helpless as regards safe keeping of clothes and personal effects, and only one theft will start the most unpleasant suspicions and accusations.
Even under these circumstances it seems hard to gain the cooperation of the men to catch offenders. No effort of officers, petty officers, masters-at-arms and others should be spared to bring the culprits to justice, and the right of search should be exercised to the full, inconveniencing the few for the good of the many.
It may be assumed for the sake of being on the safe side that men will do wrong unless told to do right.
One not familiar with the naval service and existing conditions therein would be led by a perusal of this article to suppose that daily work is carried on to the lash of knouts and the domineering surveillance of heartless tyrants and indeed touched but lightly on any subject but punishment. It must be understood that this punishment is ,only for the control of those men, happily becoming fewer in the service, who form a small percentage of the units of organization, but who, by their unruly conduct, make it paramount to every officer to be conversant with sufficient methods of keeping them within legitimate limits. This is for the protection of the interests of willing men, about whom so little has been said, for the reason that they need no handling, no watching or punishment; for the exaction Of that standard of service that men are paid to deliver from the taxes of the people; to make them perform the just duty to which they should cheer fully arise in the service of our country; and to make them better men and citizens.