It is about developing the Navy's upcoming generation of sailors and junior officers—by fostering their dreams and helping them realize their potential.
For those of us who have been in the Navy long enough to reach significant leadership positions, a bit of reflection is worthwhile. Journey back to your commissioning ceremony or your recruit graduation and try to remember how you felt—the sense of accomplishment, the anticipation, and the wonder of the adventure that was about to begin. Remember the dream?
Now look at your sailors and junior officers. Do you see the same smiles, sense of belonging, and desire for challenge? If you don't, if they are just muddling through day after day, then they are missing out on the opportunity and magic of their time in the Navy, and you can be sure your command is missing out on the contributions they could be making toward accomplishing the mission.
On the first day of the command leadership course we tell prospective commanding officers, "Command is not about you. Command is about getting the mission done; and it is about caring for and developing the future sailors and officers of the Navy." Article 0821 of Navy Regulations states: "senior officers shall assist junior officers [and by extension, our enlisted personnel as well] to a proper understanding of their responsibilities and duties and shall endeavor to cultivate in them officer-like qualities, a sense of loyalty and honor and an appreciation of the naval customs and professional ethics." These words define the heart of the commanding officer's challenge. We need the commitment of our people to fulfill the mission. If we want them to develop the ethic of service, to sacrifice for their country, to endure family separations and the risks of military service, then we must show them how their dreams can be promoted through a commitment to the Navy and then help them to succeed.
No one will ever become wealthy by serving the nation, but our people have every right to expect a decent living with suitable benefits and a secure retirement. They also should expect enough people, equipment, parts, and other support to accomplish the missions they are assigned. However, these issues are largely outside our lifelines as commanding officers. Our senior Navy leaders are working to ensure that the compensation and material support are in place, and we can best serve by having faith in their efforts and communicating the facts honestly to our people. So what can we do at our level?
Money isn't everything. Through teamwork and good leadership our people can develop character, gain professional competence and self-confidence, and experience the satisfaction that comes from accomplishing difficult, honorable, meaningful missions. They will earn tangible and intangible rewards from the recognition that each played a vital part in their team's success. Here, within our lifelines, is where we—the leaders our sailors and junior officers see everyday—can and should focus our attention. Our efforts to improve work circumstances, focus on the mission, and support subordinate development reduce attrition and increase retention because they affect the commitment of each individual directly.
We have to get to know our people as individuals and talk with them often about the importance of fostering their dreams and how the pursuit of those dreams can contribute to their development and thereby to the command's development and mission accomplishment. Our duty requires that we try our best to:
- Help them set achievable goals, entrust them with responsibility, and praise their efforts in rising to the challenges. They yearn for it—give it to them.
- Set the example through trusted leadership, caring mentorship, and high standards of personal and professional conduct.
- Help everyone link what they do day to day to mission accomplishment, combat readiness, and their own development. Well-planned, well-supported, worthwhile work and effective, realistic training reduce frustration and wasted effort and are essential to developing commitment. If our people are doing things that don't contribute to the mission or to personal/professional development, we are wasting their effort, missing out on their innovative ideas, and disillusioning them.
- Seek out everyone's potential and actively enable their opportunities to enhance their skills through Navy schools, on-the-job and watchstation training, continuing education, enlisted commissioning programs, advanced training, promotion, challenging assignments, and so on.
- Reward and praise truth telling, especially when the news is not what you want to hear.
- Use justice and fairness in setting and enforcing the standards. For our people to grow, this has to include an acceptable tolerance for mistakes—and forgiveness. Commanding officers must ask, "Can I assist this sailor/junior officer in getting past this shortcoming and back on track?"
- Enable and support their desire for a decent quality of life and time off the job for their families and outside activities. Active command support of Ombudsman and family organizations benefits everyone.
As their immediate leaders, we can make an enormous difference in our people's everyday lives by encouraging individual exploration, professional development, teamwork, and personal growth. And through our commitment to them, we build their commitment to the mission.
Looking back on my two command tours and 21 years of service, I know I found success through the help given by some of my leaders, and I have seen the benefit of my efforts to help others foster their dreams. I also know that sometimes I failed, or could have done more, and I resolve to continue my efforts. At the end of the day, our fondest memories are not of inspection scores but of our people and their successes. That's the joy of command.
Captain Fullerton, a surface warfare officer, is a command leadership course instructor at the Command Leadership School in Newport, Rhode Island. He commanded the Ingraham (FFG-61) and three minesweepers, and has been selected for surface major command.