Tuesday, September 30, 2008

GOOD BYE - NAVAL SECURITY GROUP











FM COMNAVSETWARCOM NORFOLK VA
TO ZEN/COMNAVSECGRU FT GEORGE G MEADE MD
ZEN/AIG 125
INFO RUETIAA/NSACSS FT GEORGE G MEADE MD
BT

UNCLAS
QQQQ
MSGID/GENADMIN/COMNAVNETWARCOM/N00/SEP//
SUBJ/DISESTABLISHMENT OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND - WELL DONE

POC/JAN E. TIGHE/CAPT/DEPUTY DIRECTOR IOD/240-373-3011/CNSG/JETIGHE@HQCNSG.NAVY.MIL//

RMKS/1. ON 30 SEP 05, NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND (NSG) WILL BE DISESTABLISHED AS AN ECHELON II SHORE ACTIVITY AFTER MORE THAN 70 YEARS OF EXEMPLARY CRYPTOLOGIC SERVICE TO THE NATION AND THE NAVY. WITH A FINAL ENTRY IN THE NSG LOG BOOK AND THE LOWERING OF THE COMMAND FLAG, RADM ANDREW M. SINGER WILL BE RELIEVED OF COMMAND RESPONSIBILITIES AND NSG WILL TRANSITION TO THE INFORMATION OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE (IOD) OF NAVAL NETWORK WARFARE COMMAND. THE RECORD WILL SHOW NSG ON WATCH FROM 11 MARCH 1935 TO 30 SEPTEMBER 2005.

2. BEGINNING 1 OCT 05, IOD WILL SYNCHRONIZE THE INFORMATION OPERATIONS AND SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE MISSIONS WITHIN NETWARCOM. THE ALIGNMENT INTO NETWARCOM PROVIDES FOR THE COMBINED POWER OF FULL-SPECTRUM INFORMATION OPERATIONS, NAVY NETWORKS, AND SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE IN A COHERENT OPERATIONAL STRUCTURE. BRINGING TOGETHER THE WORKFORCES OF THE NSG AND NETWARCOM WILL DELIVER AN UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF EXPERTISE AND RESPONSIVENESS -- PROFESSIONALS WHO UNDERSTAND AND CAN SHAPE THE INFORMATION WARFARE DOMAIN TO MEET PEACETIME, CRISIS, SURGE, AND WARTIME OBJECTIVES FOR JFMCCS AND OTHER JOINT COMMANDERS.

3. THE ORIGINS OF THE NSG DATE BACK TO 1924 WITH THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A RESEARCH DESK IN THE CODE AND SIGNAL SECTION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF NAVAL COMMUNICATIONS. REDESIGNATED OP-20-G IN 1928 AND SERVING THE DIRECTOR OF NAVAL COMMUNICATIONS, IT BECAME KNOWN AS THE "ON THE ROOF GANG" BECAUSE ITS FOUNDING MEMBERS WERE TRAINED IN THE ART OF CODED COMMUNICATIONS IN A SECURE FACILITY ON THE ROOF OF THE OLD DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY BUILDING. OP-20-G CONTINUED TO GROW, CULMINATING IN THE FORMATION OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP ON 11 MARCH 1935. ALTHOUGH THE NAME OP-20-G WAS RETAINED UNTIL AFTER WORLD WAR II, 11 MARCH 1935 MARKED THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE WORD "GROUP" IN THE TITLE OF THE NAVAL CRYPTOLOGIC ORGANIZATION AND IS OBSERVED AS THE BIRTH OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP. THE LEADERSHIP OF JOSEPH WENGER, THE FIRST CRYPTOLOGIC ADMIRAL, LED TO THE CREATION OF NSG, OR SECGRU, AS AN INDEPENDENT COMMAND IN 1950. IN 1956, THE NSG HEADQUARTERS ACTIVITY WAS ESTABLISHED, RETAINING THE NAME UNTIL 1961 WHEN IT WAS REDESIGNATED THE NSG HEADQUARTERS UNDER THE DIRECTOR, NAVAL SECURITY GROUP. FINALLY ON 1 JULY 1968, OPNAV NOTICE 5450 ESTABLISHED THE NSG COMMAND HEADQUARTERS UNDER A FLAG OFFICER.

4. FOR 70 YEARS, SECGRU CRYPTOLOGISTS PROVED THEIR VALUE IN CONFLICTS, PLAYING KEY ROLES IN WWII, KOREA, VIETNAM, THE COLD WAR AND MOST RECENTLY AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ. WHILE SECGRU EXPERIENCED MANY SUCCESSES, THEY WERE NOT WITHOUT SACRIFICE. IN 1967 THE USS LIBERTY WAS ATTACKED DURING THE SIX DAY WAR. TWO-THIRDS OF THE LIBERTY'S CREW WERE CASUALTIES WITH 34 KILLED, 23 OF THEM CRYPTOLOGISTS. THE LIST DOES NOT STOP THERE. THE USS PUEBLO, THE EC-121 SHOOT-DOWN, AND THE FIRE AT KAMISEYA, JAPAN ALL RESULTED IN SECGRU CASUALTIES WHILE ON WATCH.

5. OUR NAVY'S INFORMATION WARRIORS HAVE GONE BY DIFFERENT NAMES IN DIFFERENT ERAS, BUT THE ESSENTIALS OF THE MISSION, AND THE SENSE OF DUTY, HAVE REMAINED THE SAME. AS NSG BEGINS A NEW CHAPTER, ITS FOCUS NOW TURNS TO A NEW LOGBOOK WITH ITS FIRST PAGE DATED 1 OCT 2005. SECGRU SAILORS CAN TAKE PRIDE IN NSG'S LEGACY OF EXCELLENCE TO THE NATION AND NAVY. THROUGH STEADFAST COMMITMENT AND SUSTAINED SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE, NSG CONSISTENTLY PROVIDED THE INFORMATION DOMINANCE THE FLEET NEEDED AND HAS BEEN THE BENCHMARK FOR CRYPTOLOGIC OPERATIONS BY WHICH OTHERS ARE JUDGED. THIS EXCELLENCE WILL CONTINUE UNDER NETWARCOM.

6. TO THE MEN AND WOMEN OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND, I EXTEND THE APPRECIATION AND THE RESPECT OF THE NAVY COMMUNITY. THE HERITAGE OF THE NAVAL SECURITY GROUP COMMAND IS ILLUSTRATED BY THE SPIRIT, ENTHUSIASM AND GENIUS OF ITS PEOPLE, QUALITIES WHICH WILL SERVE US WELL IN MEETING THE NEW AND DEMANDING CHALLENGES OF THE FUTURE. THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU HAVE DONE, ALL YOU ARE GOING TO DO, AND ABOVE ALL FOR SERVING WITH THE DISTINCTION YOU HAVE SO RICHLY EARNED.

7. WELL DONE AND WELCOME ABOARD! VADM MCARTHUR SENDS.//
BT
#1410

Monday, September 29, 2008

Commanders’ Duties of Example and Correction

All commanding officers and others in authority in the naval service are required to show in themselves a good example of virtue, honor, patriotism, and subordination; to be vigilant in inspecting the conduct of all persons who are placed under their command; to guard against and suppress all dissolute and immoral practices, and to correct according to the laws and regulations of the Navy, all persons who are guilty of them; and to take all necessary and proper measures, under the laws, regulations, and customs of the naval service, to promote and safe guard the morale, the physical well-being, and the general welfare of the officers and enlisted persons under their command or charge.

U.S. Navy Regulations, Article 702A (original)

Sunday, September 28, 2008

The Officer Culture We Want

- The freedom occasionally to fail without fatal career consequences.

- “Careers” in which individual officers find professional satisfaction (developing and applying their expertise) out-weighing the personally incurred costs of the services’s bureaucratic nature.

- The pervasiveness of absolute “candor” as the cultural norm with all leaders at all levels at all times in interpersonal relations and in official reports and communications.

- More senior officers (as seen from each rank) leading by the example of their own moral character, (VADM Stufflebeem, RADM Pete J. Williams, RADM Joe Sestak and RDML Chuck Goddard (--to name a few--) you embarrass us) by following and policing the profession’s ethic across all of its domains, particularly in issues requiring the individual moral courage to deny oneself, to see what is best for the profession and its effectiveness from the larger perspective.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

The Pattern – of the successful leader


There is a pattern in the fundamental traits of character that can be identified with the successful naval officer. The pattern includes:
  • Selfless desire to serve
  • The ability to accept responsibility for decision making
  • A “sixth sense” for decision making
  • They weren’t “yes men”
  • They read widely
  • They accepted opportunities to work longer hours and face greater challenges than their peers
  • They were concerned and considerate of their people
  • They delegated
  • They try to “fix the problem and not the blame”
From
AMERICAN ADMIRALSHIP - The Moral Imperatives of Naval Command

Friday, September 26, 2008

Do These Problems Resonate With You??

  1. The mission has been devalued and allowed to atrophy.
  2. We are suffering from severe shortages of experienced personnel in key mission areas.
  3. The Inspection process suffers from serious flaws.
  4. Guidance and procedures are inadequate and/or confusing.
  5. Security guidance is unrealistic and inconsistent.
  6. Exercise and training programs are inadequate.
  7. Key support equipment and training devices are inadequate and under-resourced.
Key findings from the
Report of the Secretary of Defense Task Force on DoD Nuclear Weapons Management

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Periodic Offsites to Review Progress, Plan for the Future

Periodic off-site retreats are excellent teaching opportunities. The leader should open the retreat with a general statement of philosophy, goals, priorities, and concerns, and should review the prior year by highlighting both the high and the low points. The leadership should emphasize the major upcoming events over the next few months and explain why they are important to the organization. The leader should thank subordinates for their outstanding work and encourage them to seek even higher levels of excellence over the next year.

The leader should ask these questions:

1. What successes have we enjoyed and what have been the secrets to those successes?
2. What is really bothering you about the organization and my leadership style?
3. What opportunities are we missing?
4. What mistakes have we made or are we making?
5. How can we make next year even more productive?

From Maj Gen Perry M. Smith's book Rules and Tools for Leaders

Things to consider:

How have we done with the milestones outlined in

(1) NNWC Strategic Plan Goal 2 Extend and optimize the use of Information Operations Capabilities

(2) CNO Guidance for 2007 and 2008 Tasking

- Goal 5 Ensure U.S. Navy forces achieve decision superiority.
- Goal 8.1.8 Develop Information Warfare Planners that integrate Information Operations across campaign planning.


(3) United States Fleet Forces Command's 2008 Annual Plan
- NNWC Mission and Five Focus Areas



Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Information Warfare Officer Community

The Information Warfare Officer community is is a group of like-minded people. You are probably a part of several different communities – the Navy, your command, where you live, the college you graduated from, your wardroom, a group of friends with whom you play sports or other hobby activity, and your church fellowship.

A community of people usually has most of these characteristics:

  • shared interests
  • shared values
  • shared problems/enemies
  • mutually supportive
  • intimacy
  • physical face-to-face interaction at specific times
A virtual online community shares most of these characteristics except the last. Time and location are no longer relevant. And because you are online, you can share as much or little of yourself as you wish, without being judged. Join the Information Warriors online community at http://www.informationwarriors.net/

We clearly need to rebuild what used to be the Naval Security Group's sense of community. You can no longer check out our Information Warfare Officer Community Manager's blog at http://www.netwarcom.navy.mil IT HAS BEEN DELETED. THE LINK WILL TAKE YOU TO THE NETWARCOM Website. That site and NKO are the definitive, official sources of online information about the Information Warfare community. You can also share your ideas with CDR Dave Bondura at david.bondura@navy.mil. He is the Vice Commander, Naval Network Warfare Command's Executive Assistant. He is the one responsible for bringing your ideas to RADM Ned Deets, if you don't feel comfortable contacting him directly.

An American Patriot

"I confess that as I prepare once again to retire from a life mostly spent in intelligence and defense that began 42 years ago, I have become quite modest with respect to grandiose pronouncements and forecasts about the future or our ability to discern it, especially when applying the so-called “lessons of history.”
The noted American historian, Gordon Wood, has written, “History does not teach lots of little lessons. Insofar as it teaches any lessons, it teaches only one big one: that nothing ever works out quite the way its managers intended or expected.”

Secretary of Defense, Dr. Robert M. Gates in his address to
Oxford Analytica (United Kingdom) on Friday, 19 September 2008

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Mentoring: The CPO Quarters

Admiral Paul David Miller had this to say about mentoring and Navy Chief Petty Officers:

"My father, a Boatswains Mate Chief, was a strict disciplinarian, which probably helped. He was principled in the Ten Commandments, and I lived by them as a child while being raised at home. There was no lying, cheating, or stealing. The bosun instilled in me that if I served in the military, I should do it as an officer. When I was twelve or thirteen years old, he would take me down to his ships and turn me over to first-class petty officers or second class petty officers. I would work for them as a seaman. This experience gave me a grassroots understanding of the Navy and drummed into me the importance of an education. Because of this relationship, when I became an officer, I was automatically part of the Chiefs' Quarters, having been in Chiefs' Quarters when I was a teenager."

From AMERICAN ADMIRALSHIP - The Art of Naval Command

Saturday, September 20, 2008

IW Command Screening Board

Information Warfare Officer Community Management: Command Screening Board

After healthy discussion and constructive debate at the IWO Community Forum over the last two days, the course of milestone screening process development has changed. The task at hand is to develop a screening process focused entirely on selecting individuals for CO positions. Proposal due to Admiral Deets within 60 days to support our SEP 2009 Command (not milestone) Screening Board. More to follow...

CDR Sean Heritage
Information Warfare Officer Community Manager

The Chiefs' Mess in Excellent Commands

"The backbone of the Navy" is how one old adage sums up the importance of the Chiefs quarters. Superior commands are especially quick to acknowledge the Chief Petty Officer's special role and contribution. The uniqueness of that role is a function both of the position the Chief occupies in the organizational structure and of the job qualifications that must be satisfied before the position is attained. Chiefs have considerable managerial and technical expertise and are the linchpin between officers and enlisted.

For there to be a strong Chiefs quarters, the Chiefs must feel that they are valued and that they have the authority and responsibility to do the job the way they think it ought to be done. In superior commands, the Chiefs feel that their special leadership role is sanctioned and appreciated by the rest of the command, especially the CO. In these commands, the Chiefs are included in all major activities, particularly planning. Their input is sought and readily given. If they believe that something won't work or that there is a better way to do it, they speak up.

Chiefs in superior commands lead by taking responsibility for their division. They motivate their subordinates, counsel them, defend them when unjustly criticized, monitor and enforce standards, give positive and negative feedback, communicate essential information, solicit input, monitor morale, and take initiative to propose new solutions and to do things before being told. The Chiefs play a key role in the enforcement of standards.

From: "Charting a New Course to Command Excellence - Summary"

Prospective Commanding Officer/Executive Officer Course
Newport, Rhode Island

Friday, September 19, 2008

It is not aboard

In the words of the Naval Board investigating the mutiny on H.M.S. Bounty:

"If justice be not found in the mind of the Captain, it is not aboard."

So much depends on the Captain. Explains why the Navy's command screening boards are so important. NOTE: While on active duty as an (O5 - Commander) commanding officer, I actually failed to screen for command. Imagine being found unfit for a job that you had been doing with great success for about a year. They let me keep my job. It's perplexing.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

The Commanding Officer as Moral Arbiter

The Commanding Officer (C.O.) is the chief moral arbiter in a command. He becomes a constant trainer and teacher, especially in reaffirming the importance of character and interpreting moral principle into the concrete conditions of the command.

The C.O. also demonstrates his feelings toward honesty by taking actions that are visible to his people. IT IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE C.O. TO BE QUIETLY HONEST. His beliefs must be overt, so that others can follow his example. He must announce policies that will help to establish a moral climate, such as clear guidelines on what constitutes right and wrong actions. His people will know him by the kinds of rewards and punishments he uses for proper and improper conduct. They will also judge him on his ability to keep competition and stress at levels that are short of generating cheating and lying among his subordinates.

Paraphrased from THE CHALLENGE OF COMMAND by Colonel Roger H. Nye

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Visions of our military selves

One of the enduring visions of the modern military man has been that of the Officer and the Gentleman, that particular breed of authority and morality that connoted competence, good manners, restraint and elitism.

The military life, whether for Sailor, Soldier, Airman or Marine, is a good life. The human qualities it demands include fortitude, integrity, self-restraint, personal loyalty to other persons, and the surrender of the advantage of the individual to the common good. . .This is good company. Anyone can spend his life in it with great satisfaction.

What the bad man cannot be is a good Sailor, or Soldier, or Airman, or Marine. Military institutions thus form a repository of moral resource that should always be a source of strength within the state. . .The highest service of the military to the state may well lie in the moral sphere.

THE CHALLENGE OF COMMAND by Colonel Roger H. Nye

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Chief Petty Officer - United States Navy

"It was our intent to impress upon you that challenge is good; a great and necessary reality which cannot mar you--which, in fact, strengthens you. In your future as a Chief Petty Officer, you will be forced to endure adversity far beyond that imposed upon you today. You must face each challenge and adversity with the same dignity and good grace you demonstrated today."

--from the Chief Petty Officer Creed

CONGRATULATIONS to the Navy's newest Chief Petty Officers ! Our Navy is counting on you. The Deckplates are yours. Take charge and carry out the plan of the day ! You are "the Chief."

In honor of Navy Chief Petty Officer Mark Carter, 27, of Virginia Beach, VA who was killed in Iraq in December 2007. He faced every adversity and challenge head-on. He was, by any measure, the epitome of the kind of individual we need in the Chief Petty Officers' Mess today.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Discipline & command...ADM Arleigh Burke

Burke’s comprehensive approach to leadership was articulated in a study of discipline and command he conducted for the Chief of the Bureau of Naval Personnel in early 1950. In his report he championed the continuing need for loyalty to and interest in subordinates, tightness in command, and stability in personnel assignments and operations. He also championed the widest dissemination of information about Sailors' jobs, their command and the service, to ensure that all hands understood what the service stood for and was doing. Burke believed that only in this way would “a dignified pride and self-respect” in the Navy and oneself and willingness to make personal sacrifices for the group good be achieved.”


He argued that: "We have to maintain in ourselves, and imbue our juniors with an ardor to keep our Navy in front. We must pass along a willingness to think hard--to seek new answers --to chance mistakes--and to 'mix it up' freely in the forums and activities around us to promote knowledge. From that knowledge we can inspire our country to have faith in us--not because the organization of the military forces is the only place to put our national faith, but because we have discharged our responsibilities in such a manner that we have justified confidence in the effective manner in which we operate.”


From an essay:
Admiral Arleigh Burke: Instinct
by David Alan Rosenberg

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Office of the Director of National Intelligence Receives Accolades from Harvard University’s Ash Institute

"The Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovation at Harvard Kennedy School announced, on 10 September 2008, that the Intelligence Community Civilian Joint Duty Program is a winner of the 2008 Innovations in American Government Awards. This program of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence promotes (1) cross collaboration and (2) knowledge transfer across the entire intelligence community.

Under the guidelines of the Joint Duty program, all Intelligence Community employees are evaluated under the same performance standards, no matter which of the 16 agencies they may serve. Such standards include:
  • how well they collaborate,
  • share information, and
  • take integrated action across agency boundaries.
Executives receive annual feedback from superiors, staff, and peers, through comprehensive 360-degree reviews standardized across all agencies. While formal outcomes are classified, the program is already receiving much anecdotal acclaim."

Sounds like good leadership to me. Apparently, it is award winning leadership !!

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Intelligence—The Profession of Specialists

"Over the course of my career, I have often engaged in discussions regarding whether Naval Intelligence professionals are generalists or specialists. At times, I have agreed with each side of the debate. That is, until recently.

As we move further into an information-intensive era, this debate becomes increasingly moot. The future of the Naval Intelligence profession, and the success of our Navy, depends on our professionals becoming ever more specialized…specialized in the profession of Intelligence.

What does that mean? That means Naval Intelligence has been, and will continue to be, a profession of specialists…specialists who have a deep, as well as broad, understanding of the fundamentals of intelligence, and a superior ability to employ those fundamentals for the benefit of our nation. A few of those fundamentals include a penetrating knowledge of our adversaries; competence employing our ISR systems; an ability to execute kinetic and non-kinetic targeting and effects based operations; situational awareness of the maritime domain; effectiveness in analysis; and conveying assessments and teeing-up implications for commanders, operational forces and national decision-makers."

VADM David "Jack" Dorsett, Director of Naval Intelligence
INTELLIGENCE - THE PROFESSION OF SPECIALISTS

Friday, September 12, 2008

Chief of Naval Personnel's response to my paper about the VADM James Bond Stockdale Inspirational Leadership Award Winners 1980-2008

Sent: Thu 9/11/08 9:46 PM
Captain Lambert,
Thank you for sharing your work.

VADM Mark Ferguson
Chief of Naval Personnel,
Deputy Chief of Naval Operations
(Total Force)


REJECTED BY NAVAL INSTITUTE PROCEEDINGS.

Click on the link below for the article.

VADM James Bond Stockdale Inspirational Leadership Award Winners -
A League of Extraordinary Officers and Gentlemen

Unfaltering Competence - Uncommon Flair

The plaque on his desk in the Pentagon's E-Ring read "FAST CHARGER." This was the radio call of the CNO when he was commander of the Sixth Fleet in the Mediterranean. He was an aggressive blue-water sailor of unfaltering competence and uncommon flair.

He was born for the Navy.

It was long obvious that the big (6 ft. 2 in., 180 lbs.), handsome naval officer was headed for big things. There used to be an old Navy tradition that an admiral's flag was never really earned until it had been flown at sea. This CNO asked to be reduced in rank so he could go to sea and have his flag flown there as a Rear Admiral before getting his third star.

Those who served with him in the Mediterranean—from the swabbies on up—testify to the excellence of his service with the Sixth Fleet. His own men never saw such a stickler for propriety, protocol and taut-ship policy. He praised smart crews generously, but the sloppy ones got caustic criticism. To one skipper who executed an awkward maneuver, he signaled: I AM NOT IMPRESSED.

A devout Roman Catholic, he sermonized his men with endless broadcasts on clean living ("The Sea Scout Hour," one irreverent sailor called them). His most famous bulletin to all hands was titled: #%&?*!¢. "Foul language," it began, "is not the sign of a man!" It went on to spell out "The Code of the Uncouth" under the heading WHY I USE OBSCENE LANGUAGE. Sample sarcasms: "It PLEASES my mother so much. It is a fine mark of MANLINESS."

At the same time, the CNO exhibited a human touch. If he heard that a man's wife was ailing, he sent her flowers. When an officer's wife was sent to the hospital, he temporarily transferred the husband to shore duty near by. One speech showed the breadth of his concern for his men: "A ship deployed for eight months means America's great power is being projected overseas, but it also means loneliness for wives and families, babies born while father is in Antarctica, on Polaris patrol, or steaming in the Formosa Strait; many small things—the uncut lawn—the leaky faucet—the unfixed bike ..."

In his brief time as CNO, he made his philosophy of command a day-to-day reality. As he explains it: "One, get a good chief of staff. Two, keep a firm grasp of fundamentals. Three, leave details to the staff. Four, go for morale, which is of almost transcending importance. And next, don't bellyache and don't worry. Show confidence, because if you don't have confidence, certainly your subordinates won't."

From TIME Magazine some years ago.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Pace Yourself

"A good leader does not routinely operate at anywhere near his physical or emotional capacity. The good leader is always pacing his efforts so that he has enough reserve to sustain his concentration as long as necessary when unexpected events require.

It is possible to produce extraordinary professional efforts over a sustained period—years in some cases. Sometimes—war, for example, or the merger of your company, or when a family member is threatened—such an effort may be justified.

However, the problem with operating at maximum capability is that the individual then cannot accept, or has difficulty accepting, emergent or emergency taskings.

Not only will his interpersonal relationships suffer, he is not reliable, for he will stumble over the most elementary additional tasks and he will choose not to take on a job he should. Because that performance will be out of character, his boss will be unable to count on him.

A person operating near one hundred percent capacity is a person operating at the edge of his envelope of reliability. He will not have the ability to take a bullet—of any caliber."

RADM Dave Oliver in his book LEAD ON.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

CNO’s Philosophy


Apply and promote the following in our daily activities:
  • Adopt the CNO's focus areas as our own:
- Build the Future Fleet
- Sustain Current Readiness
- Our People
  • Maintain an atmosphere of Integrity, Teamwork, and Trust
  • Collaboration, Coordination and Communication are the keys to our success
  • Act to the limits of your authority
  • Emphasize speed, agility and accountability in decision making and execution
  • Provide options, make decisions and take action based on our values, sound analysis and the best data available - not assertions
  • What gets measured, gets done. Ensure we've got the right metrics
  • Effectiveness and efficiency are the fundamental measures of performance
  • Learn to love the 80% solution

Monday, September 8, 2008

Military Character and Ethics

"The question of military character and ethics is not an abstract topic for discussion. It is a readiness issue. It is a readiness issue because without ethical leadership in our Armed Forces, there can be no trust by subordinates in the orders of their superiors. There can be none of the special esprit or bonding that we consider essential to the teamwork required for combat. And there would be little confidence by the American people in the rightness of our actions. Without trust and confidence, there cannot be an effective military for America."

"We have history and tradition and military doctrine that affirm the values of personal integrity and sacrifice in service to others. We now have to use the system that we have in order to build the trust and to ensure the honesty that we need to make those values real and relevant at all levels in the organization."

Former Secretary of the Navy - John Dalton

Sunday, September 7, 2008

Pay Attention to Greetings and Goodbyes

"Everyone who works for a highly motivated leader carries with them a low-grade concern that that leader is going to use them and then toss them out. They worry that aside from getting the leader’s agenda done, they’re not at all necessary. Deep down, they simply want to know that they’re more than just a cog in someone else’s wheel.

I make it a habit to do a personal, enthusiastic, genuine, warm, highly relational, look-you-in-the-eye greeting to every single person sitting around the table before I even think about starting the meeting."

From Bill Hybels' book Axiom: Powerful Leadership Proverbs

Are you wishing your leader had this approach? Make this a part of your toolkit of great leadership habits. You'll be pleased with the results.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Seriously bright people thought very differently

"The bottom line is that seriously bright folks thought very differently about important issues, and the debates on various topics were wonderful. All in all, in fact, the experience was invaluable. It may sound trite, but experiencing that not everyone saw the world at all remotely the same was good preparation for many of the experiences I've had since then."

General David Petraeus: Commanding General, Multi National Force – Iraq (MNF-I)

Friday, September 5, 2008

Gaining the Cooperation of Others

  1. Acknowledge the importance of other people. The deepest principle in human nature is the craving to be appreciated. -William James
  2. Show enthusiasm and energy. Enthusiasm is by far the highest paid quality on earth, probably because it is one of the rarest; yet it is one of the most contagious. -Frank Bettger
  3. Encourage and facilitate two-way conversation. Education is a kind of continuing dialogue, and a dialogue assumes, in the nature of the case, different points of view. -Robert Hutchins
  4. Ask other people's opinions? I have opinions of my own -- strong opinions -- but I don't always agree with them. -George Bush
  5. Ask questions instead of giving orders. Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what you want them to achieve and they will surprise you with their ingenuity. -Gen. George S. Patton
  6. Show sincere gratitude. God gave you a gift of 86,400 seconds today. Have you used one to say "thank you? -William A. Ward
  7. Give strength centered compliments. The life of many a person could probably be changed if someone would only make him feel important. -Dale Carnegie
From: TheLeadersInstitute.com

Thursday, September 4, 2008

'Give way'


There is a rule in sailing where the more maneuverable ship should 'give way' to the less maneuverable craft. I think this is sometimes a good rule to follow in relations with Sailors, as well. Show a little leadership - 'give way' to the less maneuverable craft.