Our leaders must be worthy...

Admiral John Harvey (Commander, Fleet Forces Command)  said he’s concerned that junior Sailors could come to feel that high-ranking people are immune from being held accountable.

“The issue here is trust, and that’s the only issue,” Harvey said. “If you don’t have the trust of those you lead, you don’t have anything.” It’s important for Sailors to understand that the Navy sets a standard of accountability to ensure their leaders are worthy of trust, he said. “And I will do everything in my power – legally, morally, ethically – to enforce and sustain that standard of accountability.

“Our leaders must be worthy of the trust of those they lead.”

Admiral John Harvey
Commander, Fleet Forces Command
in discussing his decision to move forward on the court martial of LCDR Sean Kearns, former XO of USS San Antonio for dereliction of duty in the death of a USS San Antonio Sailor

Advice for the new Commanding Officer

1. Listen. I have a lot of experience to offer. Nothing puts me off more than a new commander that knows it all already. Obviously, you have new ideas and a new perspective, but hopefully, also an open mind.

2. Be decisive. A wishy-washy com­mander is death for an organiza­tion. Make informed decisions as much as possible. See #1 above.

3. Be consistent. As with anyone, you will have both good days and bad. However, if the troops come in and ask the secretary “what kind of mood is he/she in today,” your organization will not be as effective.

4. Be visible. The troops need to see you. I used to put “walk around” time on my commander’s sched­ule. Nothing raises morale more than knowing the commander cares enough to visit them in their work areas.

5.  Don’t micromanage. You don’t have time to handle every detail. That’s why you have so many people in your squadron.

6. Have high expectations of your senior NCOs. Hold their feet to the fire and ensure they are earning the title “senior NCO” every day by upholding high standards and leading troops.

7. Integrate the core values into your squadron every day. If you expect your troops to live by these, you must live by them. I once had a commander who made reference to the core values in every corrective action he took—it was very effective.

From SMSgt Christopher Schloemer, former first ser­geant and instructor at the Senior NCO Academy.

COMSEVENTHFLT OFFICERS AWARDED IDWO PINS

Commander, U.S. 7th Fleet awarded 21 officers the new Information Dominance Warfare Officer (IDWO) pin on November 10, 2010.

Vice Admiral Scott Van Buskirk pinned officers from the information warfare, naval intelligence, meteorological and oceanography communities.

For officers to obtain the IDWO designation, they have to demonstrate they acquired specific knowledge, skills, and experience, and have performed at a proficiency at the professional level of competence required for satisfactory performance of assigned duties.

"Officers who are newer to the community will have to go through basic and intermediate qualifications, as well as an exam," said Capt. John Holmes, 7th Fleet assistant chief of staff communications and information systems officer.

"It's new and interesting, and it's something I never thought we were really going to have," said LT Meredith Schley, 7th Fleet signals information warfare officer. "I never saw this as something this community would ever pick up and do."

The 21 U.S. 7th Fleet staff officers pinned by Van Buskirk were the first officers to receive the IDWO pin in the 7th Fleet area of operation.

"It's a good feeling, to be a part of history being made," said Cmdr. Weldon.

NAO Breast Insignia - Not awarded frivilously - Cherish yours

16 months of effort on this request to authorize NAO wings for RADM March resulted in failure.  VADM Ferguson (Chief of Naval Personnel) reviewed the request personally and stated that he did not have the authority to retroactively award RADM G.P. March his NAO wings for his service as a COMEVAL in P4M aircraft.  RADM March went to his final rest on the wings of a prayer - without his NAO wings.  In his letter to me, RADM Pat March did not express any faith in NPC awarding his wings and he was okay with that. This was a great learning experience for me and I was pleased that VADM Ferguson took the time to consider the request personally.

I feel it is our collective duty to honor and remember the service of those who have gone before us. If we do not remember them and their achievements, who will remember us and ours?

Think Differently- Act Differently - Be Different

The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones that do.

The Sailors, Chiefs, officers and civilians who are crazy enough to think they can change the Navy are the ones who will.

OPNAV N2/N6 is still accepting "White Papers" and welcomes your input.  You know where to send them.  The Commander is waiting.  Your responsiveness has been outstanding and more than 80 White Papers have been submitted.  Keep them coming.

Thank You For Your Service

A common thread

"If there is a common thread to our day-to-day work here, it is that  change will continue to accelerate. Success in this era will require community norms to shift, and our shared corporate vision to evolve quickly.

I encourage all IDC leaders to remain engaged, collaborative, communicative, and tenacious."

Rear Admiral Sean R. Filipowski, in his second broadcast, as head of the N2N6F3 Cyber, Sensors and Electronic Warfare Division. 

Never retreat - never surrender

Lieutenant Commander Sean Kearns, former Executive Officer of USS SAN ANTONIO (LPD-17), took the ship's motto to heart in his fight to exonerate himself from Navy charges of "dereliction of duty" in the death of  PO1 Ansong.  The jury at the court-martial on Friday found Sean Kearns not guilty of negligence.

In LCDR Kearns' words, "Things needed to be made known.... Someone needed to stand up."  Thanks Sean for making things known and for standing up.  As the Salamander says - "great demonstration of morale courage."

Navy Information Operations Command Bahrain Change of Command

Congratulations Gentlemen !

Our people truly are our greatest resource

"Every naval leader I've met says that our people are our greatest resource. It is absolutely true. I joined the submarine force because of the exceptional people and that is why I've stayed. I've learned from some inspirational leaders. Several are here today. Along the way, I've made some great life-long friends. It began with my Naval Academy classmates and has extended to shipmates from six afloat commands and staff members from my shore assignments.

"It's been an incredible 35-year adventure. I've completely circumnavigated the globe. I've visited 38 countries. I've been fortunate to serve in command four times, that's exactly three more than my initial stretch goal. I'll never forget the feeling I had as CO standing atop the sail of my submarine heading for deep water so we could dive and disappear. Only a submariner can fully appreciate the close camaraderie of a submarine crew or tolerate the practical jokes we played on each other. I'll always remember the joy of watching subordinates achieve successes they never thought possible. I smile every time I see a homecoming and recall the joy of reuniting with family after a six-month deployment."


Vice Admiral John J. Donnelly
upon his retirement on 5 November 2010

Skipper, I have a news flash for you..

"You're not the smartest guy in the wardroom.  You're not the smartest guy in the command.  You're not even in the top ten." 

Ten years ago, I knew I had some real smart Sailors in my command.  The smartest among them were not in my wardroom or in the Chief Petty Officers mess.  They were all Whitehats.  All had put their educations on hold as they served their country.  Today, 10 years later, they have completed another phase of their educations.  Among the 150+ Sailors, 20 have completed their Masters Degrees and two are PhDs.  Those are some smart Sailors.  Yes indeed, we had a fine group of men and women serving at U.S. Naval Security Group Activity Yokosuka, Japan.  B.Z.  and thank you for your service.

Navy education programs work.  Be sure to take advantage of every training/education opportunity that comes your way.

Office of Naval Research taking a different approach to DIVERSITY

The Office of Naval Research was recently recognized for the excellence of its workforce improvement programs.  ONR was awarded a BRONZE Medal on 3 November 2010.  NAVNEWS article is HERE.

"Initiatives such as the ONR Academy of Learning, Virtual Employee Program, Hiring for Cognitive Diversity and the Leadership Development Program create an environment for us to continue recruiting the best and brightest and maintaining our tradition of innovative ideas," Brown said. "These programs are part of the reason why ONR has consistently ranked as one of the best places to work in the federal government by the Office of Personnel Management."

Cognitive Diversity: Every person thinks differently. Leveraging this difference creates new opportunities for individuals and companies. Complex problems are solved by using the diverse cognitive style, knowledge, and experience from a team of individuals. Learn how you can recognize and embrace cognitive diversity to solve problems more efficiently.

For my part, this is diversity that matters.

Gaining a better appreciation for diversity

In reading THE MEDICI EFFECT (pages 79-83, especially) by Frans Johansson, I've gained a better understanding of his view of the value of working with 'diverse' groups.  It is the 'diversity of thought' (driven by cultural, ethnicity, and geographic orientation) that really matters.  He explains the psychological basis for our natural tendency to resist working with diverse teams.  This phenomenon is called "similar attraction effect". The more we know, the better we are able to combat our resistance.

It absolutely reinforces for me the belief that it is the 'diversity of thought' that matters.  The physical appearance (color/ethnicity) of a person plays a very small role in the diversity of their thought processes.  I don't care about your religion, your sex, your ethnicity, your color or your sexual orientation, what do you bring to the table in the way of new ideas?

Johansson pointed to the success of the Bletchely Park group of cryptologists who broke the ENIGMA machine in World War II and, along with U.S. TENTH Fleet intelligence, ended the German U-Boat threat which plagued the U.S. and her allies.  This 'diverse' group included linguists, mathematicians, chess grand masters and crossword addicts.  This group was also culturally, ethnically, sexually and geographically diverse.  Their "diversity of thought" allowed them to increase the randomness of the combination of concepts they explored in solving the ENIGMA puzzle.

More on Diversity of Thought HERE.

Catching up with our OPNAV N2/N6 IDC Leadership's Professional Reading

The MEDICI EFFECT by Frans Johansson is featured in a number of OPNAV  N2/N6 briefings on Information Dominance and the U.S. Navy's Cyber Warfare Vision. 


This is an absolute "MUST READ" for serious IDC professionals.  We need to read what our senior-most leaders are reading.  Since this book is featured in the various Admirals' briefs, I am making a leap of faith that they've done the reading.  As good followers who strive to become great leaders, the rest of us have to do the homework and keep pace with our bosses.


Click on the title above and you can save yourself some money.  Frans Johansson was smart enough to create his own website and it features his book for FREE.  He's done his part.  We need to do ours and become more knowledgeable about what our leaders are reading and thinking.  We owe our followers that much. Pay up!

I consider myself to be evangelistic regarding N2/N6's approach to moving the IDC forward.  This book is an EXCELLENT read.  I am hopeful that our seniors in the IDC have read it.  It is worth their time.  I put this near the top of the books I've read this year (past 5 years, really).  Hatchette publishing recently asked me to review one of their books - wish it had been this one.

Writing

Writing seems to be a solitary endeavor, but it is, in reality, a social act in which you not only learn, but you also become part of a larger community. When you explore ideas and advocate positions in writing and during seminar or informal discussions, you are joining an ongoing academic conversation.

Writing can be an extremely frustrating, and even confounding, process. Being a writer is like being a musician or an athlete: you don’t suddenly know how to be the best, but with hard work and commitment, you can become a better—if not accomplished—athlete or musician. Even then, you would practice and continue working with coaches and teachers. The same is true for writing.

From the U.S. Naval War College Writing Center.  You can visit them HERE.