Monday, January 18, 2010

Good Commanding Officers

1. Good COs can process a lot of data, prioritize important cues, and recognize patterns—they have good situational awareness.

2. Good COs have a rich library of mental models from which to choose, evaluate, and then decide.

3. Good COs look for "decision-rich" opportunities. They want to be challenged and to make decisions. They are ambitious and enthusiastic.

4. Good COs are honest about evaluating themselves relative to the situation. They constantly look to improve their position in the scenario. They are natural "assessors" and "learners."

5. Good COs have strong command presence—a quiet self-confidence.

From this list, one might argue that the former CO COWPENS was 0 for 5.

From April 2005 USNA PROCEEDINGS Magazine
What Makes a Good CO?
Captain Emil Casciano, U.S. Navy, Commander Marc Elsensohn, Royal Netherlands Navy, Commander Øistein Jensen, Royal Norwegian Navy, Commander Dermot Mulholland, Royal Canadian Navy, Captain John Richardson, U.S. Navy, Commander Ian Salter, Royal Australian Navy, Captain Ron Steed, U.S. Navy, and Commander Mike Walliker, Royal Navy

1 comment:

General Quarters said...

Data < Information < Intelligence < Wisdom (or the ability to discern the truth in all matters).

Wisdom was a virtue the ancients pondered frequently; it was a subject that was taught to elite youth who were expected to someday assume leadership of society. How often do we contemplate wisdom today? What do we do to develop wisdom in future leaders? Why then, are we surprised when fools are elevated to positions of authority?