Free Advice

Is worth what you pay for it.I had the unique experience a while back,  of being asked for advice about life in command. That caused me to do a lot of thinking-both for good and for bad.  So here for your information and comment are the comments I sent back:

Free advice is worth what you pay for it. Asking advice on leadership from me is like asking Amy Winehouse for advice on sobriety.  But here goes:

First, my background-which shapes what I see, and more importantly what I don’t see. I was pretty much a straight line squadron guy all the way through my command tour. With the exception of a year at the war college, it was squadron or wing tours. In hindsight, that was both good and bad-particularly bad for doing things after the Navy.  I had two major commands while I was in Japan-both of them quite by accident. ( Seriously-I wasn’t supposed to have either one, but it just worked out that way).

I tell you this-because I think the Navy you have to work in is far different than the Navy I had to deal with. I am very convinced now that I probably would have been fired in today’s environment. I was lucky because I had a CAG that believed in me, and also was great about letting you run your own show.

So here goes. Most of what I have here is advice on things I wish I had been better at-and from the view of hindsight. I sure wish I could be back in squadron command knowing what I know today!

1) I believe politeness goes a long way. I believe you should address Petty Officers as “Petty Officer” and Chiefs as “Chief” and “Senior Chief” etc. I never tried to address a Sailor as just their last name. I think it goes a long way towards establishing mutual respect.
2) Try hard not to shoot the messenger. One of my failings was not knowing when to make a show of being angry and when just to keep very quiet and listen. I believe there is a time for the old man to show his anger-but those times are few and far between-and if the folks are doing their job you don’t have to. I wish I had been better aware of that.
3) I believe the rules are actually your friend-provided you know how much room you have to work within them. It is important to make sure you convey that to your crew. If you don’t like the rules-try to get them changed, but if you obey the rules you have a better defense when things go wrong. I know that is especially true when dealing with Nuke power.
4) I am not a fan of people who use the pronoun  “I”. I think it is important in any explanation of anything when the crew is in earshot-to use the word “we” or “our”. If you use it-your Sailors will tend to do so too.
5) Your Chief’s mess will make or break you. A strong wardroom is important-but because you see them more up close its easier to deal with a weak sister. Having a good Master Chief and good chief’s will save your ass every time. I was lucky-I had a GMCM who I really respected and got along well with.  The chiefs also make a great network to find out things-that people would not tell you directly.
6) One of the biggest problems today that you will have to face that I didn’t is liberty. The Navy I grew up in encouraged units to go out drinking together. Now they don’t. So the challenge for you will be to find a balance where the crew can see another side of you besides work-but also not get yourself into trouble by being the senior man present when things go wrong. The primary reason for that is the presence of women-something I only had to deal with in my squadron command tour. I guess I am saying-don’t be the last to leave the bar. And find time to get away for yourself.
7) You live in a world I didn’t. One with Cell phones, Twitter and Facebook. While these our useful tools-treat them like a loaded weapon. I think I would be in trouble today because I like to post very opinionated things on FB. Always assume some JO is taping you. Along those same lines-e-mail is also a two edged sword. Never be in a hurry to hit the send key. Write, review, review again-then send. And don’t let e-mail be a substitute for a phone call.
8 ) RE: the Commodore and the Admiral. You will have to figure out how much information is enough. Make sure you understand what are his critical information requirements. Even if you don’t agree with them-know them and try to meet them. Too much info can be as bad as not enough. Along those same lines, bad news never gets better with age-and it’s always better if the boss finds out bad news from you first-before he hears it from his boss.
9) I’d also point out that most flags and Commodores want to use their rank to help you get what you need. Be able to tell them succinctly what you need-but go to the well only when have to.
10) I am a big believer that people will forgive a lot administratively-so long as you are good at the “flying of the plane”. I realize its different in other communities-but as the CO they have to know you can fight the ship. ( I think it’s worse in ship’s and submarines because Command there is a mortal responsibility-in a squadron it’s not quite the same. You train people but once they sign the yellow sheet-they get airborne and you just have to trust them).
11) For me one of the hardest things to learn was when to sit on my hands. You know how to be an Ops or an Engineer etc. You DH’s are learning as they go. It is really hard to know when to let them go and when to intervene. But when it’s possible-learn how to sit on your hands and let them do it themselves.
12) Another thing-that is different between aviation and other communities is that in a squadron, there is a lot you do not see. I don’t think it’s quite the same in a sub or a destroyer). But in a squadron, I was a big believer in understanding what your night shift was doing –and that meant being out and about your spaces at night. On the carrier I was a night crawler, unless I was on the early launch. I made it a point to drop into all of the work centers at odd hours-when they did not expect it. In aviation, it is your night shift that gets the big things fixed. You need to be able to feel confident they are doing it. I am not sure that has a counterpart on a ship, short of showing up once in a while on weekends to see how your duty section is doing.
13) Follow the money. Again I think there are big differences with aviation. But know how the money you control is being spent-and demand that the folks responsible for it show you how you are doing on execution for the quarter.

14) One thing I have no appreciation for is the responsibility that comes with “driving the ship”. I would submit in that regard aviation command is much easier than ship or submarine command. But clearly in today’s Navy, that is a big deal judging by the number of folks fired from something happening while entering port.

15) Get involved in detailing. Get to know your detailers and placement officers personally and work with your CMC to know what is going on with the detailing of your crew. You can’t give more money to your folks-but you can help them get the orders they want. Conversely, if after advising someone not to take a set of orders-they do, then work with them to make it work for them and you. Just be sure they take those orders with their eyes open.
16) Finally-relax and have fun. I think sometimes, in command, we all get too fixated on the “FITREP 500” that we fail to just relax and enjoy the ride. You will never have a job like this again. Savor every second of it-the time will go past faster than you realize.

My squadron command tour was one of the highlights of my life. I was very lucky-I had great DH’s, a great Chief’s mess and a CAG that believed in his unit CO’s. I used to look over at the other CO’s who were getting the stuffing beaten out of them-and wonder what I did wrong. But in the end it all turned out just fine and I have no doubt it will for you too. Congratulations! Good luck in your tour. I envy you a lot. I still miss the Navy more than I care to admit.

Skippy