Stealing and paraphrasing simultaneously from the SECDEF Dr. Robert Gates and President John Adams:"Being a Naval officer, my son, must always be done by somebody. It will be done by somebody or [an]other. If wise men decline it, others will not; if honest men refuse it, others will not."And so I ask you, will the wise and honest among you come help us serve our Navy in the best way we can?
I might extend this beyond recruiting and include retaining. A high percentage of officers are promoted each year and as more leave, our denominator (eligible pool) decreases and the percentage (selection rate) increases (I might offer a higher percentage of a potentially lesser pool). Since the recession began, loss rate has been fairly constant, but resignations trend up while retirements trend down. Appears those with much to offer are not afraid of the economy, while others with less to offer are staying for the wrong reasons (scared). In other words, our pool of young entrepreneurial leaders is leaking.
ReplyDeleteTo re-frame your question a bit...
And so I ask you, will the wise and honest among you please stay Navy? And will we all make a concerted effort to give this specific audience more reason to say yes?