A wise master chief once told me, “Junior officers don’t know what they don’t know.” This is especially true for newly commissioned division officers, eager to begin surface warfare careers. This article is the sixth in a seven-part series aimed at sharing lessons I have learned from my experiences, mistakes, and mentors. These lessons, or “truths,” are shared so ensigns can avoid making the same missteps, implement positive ideas sooner, and boldly take their first steps on the path to “knowing.”
Truth #1: SWO Qualification Is a First-Tour Officer’s Top Priority
Truth #2: Attitude Is Everything for SWO Division Officers
Truth #3: Division Officers Must Learn to “See the Future”
Truth #4: The Division Officer and Chief Must Form a Powerful Partnership
Truth #5: Individual Sustainment Is Key to Team Success
It is quite common for newly commissioned officers to be concerned about setting the right tone in their division; not wanting to be perceived as soft or weak. The first interaction an officer has with a division is a simple introduction at quarters followed by several days of turnover. While tips for turnover are included in Truth #4, Truth #6 addresses how to set the tone once turnover has been completed as division officers work to establish themselves as no-nonsense leaders while still figuring out how to walk the ship from forward to aft without getting lost.
If a college basketball player is asked to coach a practice with only two hours’ notice, or a famed pianist is asked to fill in and conduct three lessons back-to-back with little time to prepare, how would these individuals fare? More than likely, they would manage, even on short notice. The success of this transition from player to coach, and pianist to teacher, is made possible by the vast knowledge and perfected fundamentals required for their respective fields.
New division officers are both apprentices and leaders when thrown into their new roles. They are immediately faced with questions, such as how will they be able to correct a sailor on uniform appearance if they do not know what the regulations say? How are they going to talk to their chief about a personnel issue they are seeing for the first time? How are they going to explain an equipment casualty to their department head for equipment they have never heard of? The simple answer is education.
To be successful, the new officer must study the instructions and regulations, pay attention, take notes, and, most important, ask questions. This is not a sign of weakness. Instead, it demonstrates the seriousness with which an ensign approaches their role. For most administrative items that pass through the division officer’s hands, their signature is required. This autograph should only be given when the content is fully understood. Over time, this officer will learn to point out discrepancies and ensure every detail is correct and accurate. At first, however, it is important to ask.
Diligently walking spaces is a great way to establish rapport with divisional sailors and learn. Each space, no matter how small, exhibits countless details regulated by standards and instructions. Learning “what right looks like” means walking spaces regularly with the chief and asking questions. “Why is that pipe that color?” “When is that crack getting fixed?” This knowledge-building will lead to a junior officer better able to hold the division accountable for space cleanliness and preservation, while also providing an opportunity to interact with the sailors of the division.
The questioning should continue, as division officers learn more about what a sailor is working on, who conducts which maintenance, and how often. More important than the work being done are the people that make it happen.
As an ensign matures, the need for questioning will not go away. Instead, a junior officer will learn to ask more complicated and in-depth questions that demonstrate a better understanding and foresight. Asking questions demonstrates humility and reflects the reality that a foundation of knowledge needs to be built.
How’s My Driving?
As a new ensign, perhaps one of the more frustrating things is wondering time and again “How am I doing?” This question is more difficult than it sounds because an officer often will not know for sure—they “don’t know what they don’t know!” An ensign will be aware of the effort he or she is applying, but will be uncertain if that effort is translating into the makings of a great division officer.
The good news is that there are formal processes in place that provide the desired feedback. At a minimum, on an annual basis, an officer receives a fitness report signed by the commanding officer, accompanied by a one-on-one debrief. Halfway through this cycle, he or she will also receive midterm counseling. These formal reviews happen with the commanding officer and also are discussed with the department head.
But what about the first couple of weeks as a division officer? The answer is to ask for feedback. This need not be a daily question, but officers should not be afraid to discuss with their chief or department head how they are doing—more specifically what is going well and what can be done better. These conversations will allow the division officer to better understand what they need to keep doing, do better, or stop completely.
Providing feedback is time well spent for those willing to provide it. They want their division officers to succeed, and they depend on their success. They are in their corner and cheering for them. The sooner a division officer improves, the more the team benefits.
Good to Know
The following are other things division officers should think about if they want to be taken seriously:
Lead by example. A popular one-line sentiment in any leadership book or class, holding sailors accountable for punctuality is impossible for a division officer who routinely does not show up to wardroom meetings, watches, quarters, or divisional training on time. The same is true for uniform smartness, professional interaction, physical fitness, treating others with respect, and morale.
Stick up for yourselves and your teams. Division officers should not allow themselves or their teams to be tasked by others outside of their department head or allow other division officers to boss around personnel in their division. There is a difference between being a team player and relieving a peer from their responsibility or allowing divisional sailors to be inappropriately tasked. If the situation is unclear, an ensign should not be afraid to ask the chief or department head as needed.
Stop apologizing. Ensigns make many mistakes. When they do, the reaction is often, “Shoot! Sorry!” Without excusing such mistakes, division officers are best served when they save the apology, take the lesson on board, and do better in the future.
Grab a foxtail. The division officer is not responsible for performing daily maintenance checks, troubleshooting equipment, or regularly appearing on the watch bill as a line handler. While these tasks are important, they are not the division officer’s responsibility to actually perform.
Still, division officers can look for opportunities to demonstrate pride in these tasks. Sweepers is a daily ship evolution that commits time to space cleanliness and preservation. While a junior officer is expected to roam from space to space and ensure sailors are out and making this happen, he or she should not be afraid to pick up a foxtail at times and contribute to this mission.
Rapport can be built with the team when division officers make an effort to occasionally conduct these tasks alongside sailors—going aloft to see divisional equipment, picking up a computer tower and hauling it to the barge, or grabbing a paint roller. This is an opportunity for junior officers to put into action their frequent words stressing teamwork and pride.
Make Time for Fun
Being a division officer is serious business. When a division officer and the team work together and achieve victory, that is the truest form of fun—when, after hours and hours of watch standing, a division officer takes the watch as officer of the deck, or after hours and hours of troubleshooting, the team corrects a critical equipment casualty.
A junior officer also can learn to see opportunities to inject fun into the daily routine and foster divisional morale. This will become more achievable once an ensign becomes less overwhelmed with the new job.
Morale building events are fun and easy and a great positive to the team. Hosting a farewell for departing sailors or welcoming new ones is a great excuse to have a divisional outing to lunch or miniature golf. Buying a couple of dollar-store presents for sailors to choose from on deployment for their birthday is something small that can be fun. Holiday decorations, a surprise “party” for someone, a divisional movie night—all fun. These types of events can be done on perhaps a monthly basis in addition to regularly scheduled command-wide events.
A division officer may discover that there is a sailor in their division who really enjoys planning these types of events. This sailor can be made into the divisional “Fun Boss” and be counted on to organize and plan matching costumes for Halloween (made from scraps around the ship), come up with a team name, design divisional t-shirts, ask someone to take a team photo to post in the divisional spaces. These types of activities are not only fun, but also do wonders for camaraderie, morale, and teambuilding.
Debrief: Carefully observing and endlessly asking questions will help build knowledge, create opportunities for positive interaction with sailors, and contribute to setting the desired tone. Asking questions is not a sign of weakness, and instead demonstrates humility. This questioning should include soliciting performance feedback to garner specific ways in which to grow and improve. Setting the tone is serious work but should not eliminate opportunities for fun team-building opportunities within the division.