Monday, June 6, 2011

Honest Mistakes

"You must underwrite the honest mistakes of your subordinates if you wish to develop their initiative and experience."

General Bruce C. Clarke

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've made a few mistakes. Some are costly.

Anonymous said...

Unfortunately a mistake no matter how small can now carry repercussions on par with a much more severe transgression. Office Hours/Captain’s Mast has now become a fatal event for many Sailors and consequently prevents Art 15 from being used as it should be … as an administrative procedure short of the severity and stigma of court martial. But the stigma that now surrounds Art 15 is such that I have seen issues that when I was enlisted would (and should) have ended up at NJP essentially swept under the rug to prevent a (semi) permanent blemish on a Sailor’s record.

I was NJP’d (twice) when I was enlisted, after the second NJP (for insubordinate conduct) less than a month later I was meritoriously promoted back to Cpl, the Maj that promoted me was the same one that conducted the NJP. The Company 1stSgt’s words when I was promoted were “you are a good Marine, you screwed up. Learn your lesson or you will be run out of the Corps”. I straightened up, got promoted a three more times, finished my degree and almost 16 years later I am a mid-grade Naval Officer. I have built upon that moment with the Maj and Company 1stSgt. Today however, I don’t think many if ANY Sailors would get that kind of a second chance.