Tuesday, January 21, 2014

VADM Ken Malley Rule # 6

Before you utter that next complaint about your Skipper, DH, DIV OFF, DIV CHIEF or LPO, consider:

6. No matter what you think of your boss, if he or she does not end up being a hero, neither do you.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I worked for men I worked extra-special hard to make damned sure never achieved 'hero' status. Nobody wants to work for a hero.

Elmer Shapiro said...

I don't think we're talking about that kind of hero, dude.

Anonymous said...

Would appreciate you sharing Rules 1-5 too.

Mike Lambert said...

VADM Ken Malley (Ret.) was Commander Naval Sea Systems Command and Director, Strategic Systems Programs.

1. Always tell the truth. And when the news is bad, tell it in a hurry.

2. Never bet your program on technology that exists only on a viewgraph.

3. Never shoot the messenger.

4. Do what is right for the program and the organization.

5. Never accept a task or job (or propose one) without the proper resources to accomplish same.

6. No matter what you think of your boss (or customer), if he or she does not end up being a hero, neither do you.

7. Your people have feelings, too. Treat them accordingly.

8. Your family deserves some of your time.

9. Have fun. If you are not having fun (frustration and fun can be one and the same), seek another line of employment.

10. Don’t ever let your emotions take charge. Do allow yourself to get upset once every two or three years—then pick your target carefully and fire for effect.

Anonymous said...

Good rules. Too bad I see #5 being violated all the time (I work at a Systems Command).

Anonymous said...

Elmer,
I knew exactly what type of "hero" I was talking about. Whenever you hear people opine about a very bad admiral or captain or chief for that matter, you have to be conscious of the fact that nobody weeded him out either from above or from below. Sometimes you need to weed from below. Not everybody deserves to be a hero.
Mutatis Mutandis

Elmer Shapiro, BM1 (retired) said...

Anon

Okay, we are talking different kinds of heroes then.