The Navy embraces the efficiencies of office automation and networked command structures and is moving toward more universal standardization in information technology. "Information Technology 21" brought this to its ships and there is increasing commonality in the tools used in sea- and shore-based workplaces.
Life at sea is dramatically different from shore duty. It puts salt in the Navy by defining its operational uniqueness, autonomy of action, and enduring relevance. Thus, in the process of modernizing, we must not fall prey to the administrative overhead that can accompany proliferation of information pipes from shore to sea. Ships are not floating offices. Navy leaders must keep their vessels on an even keel as the invasion of electrons—ever so crucial to operational success—continues to grow.
The Power of E-Mail
Not enough has been said about e-mail, which has revolutionized communications by accelerating interpersonal communications and enhancing collaborative planning. It is a path for exercising organizational management and control, a useful leadership tool, and a record system. Like the telephone and television, its effects have yet to be realized fully. Never before could both the written word and images be transmitted around the world, stopping at widespread nodes for comment, editing, and discussion, and then moving on to multiple recipients. We understand the significant consequences of television on world events, although the number of studios and networks is finite. Likewise, the telephone has become a necessity.
E-mail achieves broad saturation and returns the ability to control participation to the originator because its pace and style of interaction are personalized—as in letter writing. The similarities end once you push "send" and speed, addressee selection, forwarding, editing, and archiving are all in play instantly. Given the remarkable breadth of e-mail networks, the military's classically hierarchical organization can be flattened in seconds. To help others to cope with this enormous change to our way of doing business, I offer the following tips for survival:
- Stop Whining. One consequence of this popular invention is that people use it frequently. To the ensign reporting aboard ship, e-mail is a familiar object, but perhaps most recognizable as a social instrument. In the local and wide-area-network environments that characterize Navy workplaces, it is a professional tool—the primary information path that eclipses the vaunted memos of yesterday and fills in boxes with alarming rapidity. Who has not been overwhelmed with the number of messages in the queue? Recall logging on after returning from leave and viewing the thorough mix of the unimportant sprinkled with the critical: record message traffic, mail from above and below in the chain of command, and queries and responses from the supporting technical community. Think of the hours spent at the computer and all the time wasted as you sifted through a sea of information. In fact, the volume is not going away; rather, it will increase as technological capabilities widen the information pipe. The only solution is to develop the skills and techniques to smartly manage, mine, and harness e-mail. To ignore it is like turning your back on a breaking wave.
- Use the Applications. Harness the juggernaut by first understanding the applications you are given. Microsoft's Outlook is the tool we use for managing e-mail and you should understand all its capabilities. A few hours (even minutes) getting acquainted with it will go a long way in saving time. There are enough features in Outlook to tailor it to your personal style, from creating separate folders for each topic in your saved files, to routing incoming messages directly into specified folders by sender. Couple that with a no-nonsense approach to skimming through subject lines when you sit down to go through your in box and your are well on your way to using e-mail instead of it using you.
- Administrative Triage. When you log on to your workstation to check your in box, do you become active, reactive, or inactive? In all likelihood you are there to get connected, develop a situational awareness of issues discussed in your network, receive queries, and take action on projects of interest to you. But what is most important? Although your in box is full of interesting tidbits that cover a wide range of subjects, only a small portion of it is immediately relevant to your job. Administrative triage is the skill that enables you to separate the inconsequential from the critical and everything in between. Over time this skill should be developed to the point where mere subject lines and senders will cue you directly to the "delete" button without opening unnecessary messages. As the work tempo increases, so does the need to conduct triage. The appearance of a message in your box does not mean it merits your immediate attention—in fact, the vast majority of messages do not. E-mail is not created equally. To get out from under the reactive mode, stay focused on your objective, minimize time in front of the computer, separate work from pleasure, and attack tasks with discipline. Follow this tip and you stay in charge; ignore it and you will become a harried, frustrated drone.
- Avoid Hobbying. This advice seems obvious, but it deserves attention because we all have seen it happen. Your workstation is a tool, not a toy. We recognize the power and reach of e-mail and its appeal. In most cases, e-mail functions are just a click away from Internet browsing and the dangers of distraction. Strictly partition your time in front of the computer screen. Schedule work and hobby time separately. Otherwise, you will be drawn into a time sump where minutes become hours.
- Don't Lead from Your Desk. Leadership is a contact sport, especially on board ship. Getting out and about—the timeless seagoing rule heard over and over—remains integral to the foundation of good leadership. The speed and reach of e-mail can tempt you to operate from your desk. The result will be a sure loss of touch with your people and the material condition of your spaces. Your feel for the atmosphere in your work centers, divisions, and departments, where the real work is done, will be lost as well. E-mail brings great advantages, but it is not a substitute for effective leadership. At the end of the day, you cannot rest easy as a leader if all you have done is send a flurry of e-mails demanding action in various areas.
- Writing to the Boss. There will always be officers senior to you, so you might as well get used to keeping them informed on a regular basis. E-mail is ideally suited to this task. If your e-mail load is high, chances are your boss's load is higher. Thus, you should keep updates and messages on point and brief. I prefer breaking them into concise paragraphs with headings to help the recipient skim through the topics faster. This also makes it easier for your boss to forward selected parts of them up and across the chain of command. Write with the foreknowledge that your report may very well be forwarded to others. Last but not least, use the subject line for each e-mail wisely so the recipients can sort through their messages faster and easier.
- It Never Really Goes Away. Regardless of your intentions, e-mail is anything but private. While confidentiality can be suggested or invoked, the ease of forwarding notes to others invariably undermines the notion. With that in mind, keep transmissions above board and relevant. Understand the user agreements in force when logging on to Department of Defense networks and remember those networks are subjected regularly to varying levels of surveillance. Observe the old saw for those in public service: if you would be ashamed to see it on the front page of a newspaper, then perhaps you should not be writing (or forwarding) it.
- The Home Front. Another benefit of e-mail is the ability to communicate rapidly with people ashore—especially families and loved ones. This connectivity goes a long way toward solving problems from a distance by, for example, connecting far-flung resources to those who need them. It has been a leap forward in taking care of our sailors. One point to recognize, however, is that e-mail's speed of communication cuts both ways. On one hand it brings a heightened peace of mind with near constant dialog; on the other, it can introduce a flood of distractions and anxieties if not managed properly by senders and recipients. Division officers and chiefs must realize that e-mail is not a substitute for sound advance planning and thorough family preparation prior to deployments. It best serves as a conduit to help resolve issues that arise unexpectedly and require consultation, in addition to the obvious peace of mind that routine personal communications offer.
- "Chat" Is Anything But. A useful cousin to e-mail is the chat room. Used with increasing frequency in operational settings, they are now commonplace in every ship's combat information center and staff command cell. Strong, efficient, and simple to use, this pathway delivers text, near-real-time dialog, and record communications. The term, however, is a misnomer. Chat rooms have become serious communications links and those who actually chat often get chastised. Regardless of who is identified as the sender or receiver, you can be sure a host of others are observing the action—including senior leaders.
- Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Should. This applies principally to leaders because they have at their fingertips the power to electronically help, accentuate, remind, assist, supervise, and second-guess (HARASS)—intentionally or otherwise. E-mail accelerates the message, both good and bad. My experience has been that it frequently serves to amplify leadership qualities. Good leaders are made stronger and the shortcomings of poor leaders are more fully displayed in e-mail's perhaps indelible and rapidly transferable record. No matter where you are in the chain of command, keep this in mind before you press "send."
Conclusions
Change is stressful and a tool such as e-mail, while designed to help, can be a major hindrance if used ineptly. The Navy is making huge adjustments to ongoing revolutions in ships, aircraft, and weapon systems that are hastened and complicated by technological advances. It is important to remember that e-mail is a means, not the end.
Commander Girrier is the commanding officer of the USS Roosevelt (DDG-80).