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 fifth 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
For the new division officer, taking this truth seriously reflects a firm grasp on the reality that a ship’s crew is a team. As with any team, each member plays a crucial role. When a shipmate becomes unavailable, the mission does not change, the number of required watches does not reduce, and the days of underway operations are not shortened. Instead, teammates cover the gap until the absent member returns.
In not getting enough sleep and poorly managing their time, too many ensigns learn this lesson the hard way. The result is often sickness or substandard performance. While unavoidable circumstances such as a ship wide illness or a family emergency will arise, personal sustainment is a largely controllable factor in maximizing an individual’s team contribution.
This truth is seen most starkly on deployment when poor decisions in this respect cannot be recovered from over a long weekend. The goal for a division officer should be to do more than just survive, but to thrive on deployment—embracing challenges, gaining knowledge, working toward new qualification, and growing personally.
Discover What Works Best
Routine is a strong word considering the dynamic nature of ship life discussed in Truth #3. Still, division officers can benefit from developing a routine on a personal level. After all, there is always more work to be done—study for a qualification board, draft the casualty report, conduct mid-term counseling, etc. It is important that division officers understand when to say, “I need to get some sleep before my next watch.” Or, “This is going to have to wait until tomorrow.” These can be hard sentences for new division officers to utter, as they learn to prioritize and manage their time. A piece of Truth #1 rings true here as well, “The show goes on without the division officer.”
For each individual, this routine is going to be unique. Still, things like getting enough sleep and eating regularly, and even squeezing in a thirty minute workout a couple of times each week should be consistent. Without adequate sleep especially, division officers will surely notice a decline in every aspect of their performance—qualification progression, divisional responsibilities, watchstanding.
Aside from getting sleep and eating well, division officers can identify unique activities or actions that serve them well. Perhaps this means posting personal pictures in their rack, keeping a journal, reading a book, attending a religious service, or sending an email home. For a qualified officer, this list of activities can extend to things like watching a movie or playing cards.
This is not to suggest that division officers should treat themselves to a movie marathon, spend two hours in the gym each day, or refuse to get out of their rack. Instead, the point here is that division officers should learn how to best take care of themselves in their daily routine, with the understanding that individual wellness translates to team success.
Liberty Call
A liberty buddy is exactly as the name implies and reflects the fact that no sailor will venture out into a foreign port on their own. Before a ship pulls into a liberty port, the command sets guidance on which days are going to be liberty days and which are going to be workdays; duty-section days; curfews, overnight policy, and eligibility; and likely other port-specific regulations, such as off-limits areas.
Such visits are typically short and provide a brief break from the daily grind of underway life. Ideally, a division officer is able to enjoy some rest and relaxation—getting additional sleep and video-chatting with loved ones at home, for example, before returning to the ship refreshed. Choosing liberty buddies wisely will rejuvenate rather than add additional stress and exhaustion. Division officers should heed the same advice they give their division, and carefully consider whom they choose to spend their time with while off the ship in a liberty port.
Team First
Many newly commissioned surface warfare officers have likely been warned that “SWOs eat their young” and to “Watch your back!” And yet, these stories more often reflect the speaker’s biases and cynicism than reality. Ensigns can often be heard exclaiming, “My department head is out to get me.” “It is so unfair that my board was not scheduled sooner.” “The senior watch officer is trying to punish me and hasn’t moved me to a different section.” In these instances, it is more likely that the division officer failed to meet a deadline set by the department head, did not communicate qualification goals effectively, or is not qualified for their next watch station and cannot be moved.
This attitude avoids personal responsibility by blaming a SWO community culture that is more myth than reality in today’s Navy. Even worse, it is insulting to the majority of officers who take care of sailors, work hard, mentor junior officers, and each day meet the high standard of leadership expected of them. I am admittedly biased in this respect, as I have served under fantastic leaders as a division officer. At a minimum, division officers should come to their own conclusions based on personal experiences, not folklore.
As discussed in Truth #1, a healthy level of competition in terms of qualification can be beneficial. Annual fitness reports will rank officers in their competitive groupings. While doing well on these assessments is important for career progression, it will not be achieved by stepping on others. Rather, division officers should congratulate peers on qualifications, promotions, and awards.
Even while discussing personal wellbeing, the point is that the team always outperforms and outlasts the individual. With this truth in mind, division officers should focus on being team players. This does not mean that a close friendship must be cultivated with every officer in the wardroom, but instead that individual sustainment is motivated by contributing to a group of professionals working toward a common goal.
Debrief: Personal routine is important not just with the individual in mind, but with the team at the forefront—the many teams of which a division officer is a part. Division officers must take care of themselves to optimize their ability to contribute to team success. When a division officer embraces this concept appropriately, peers and divisional sailors will do the same. A division officer primarily concerned with overall team success will find that qualifications, #1 rankings, and career-enhancing fitness reports take care of themselves.