Thursday, January 9, 2014

An unpleasant FIRST for 2014


Commander Joseph Martinez, CO of Fleet Electronic Attack Squadron (VAQ) ONE FOUR ZERO (140) embarked in USS DWIGHT D EISENHOWER was relieved for cause on 8 January 2014, making him the first Navy CO fired in 2014. 

Commander Martinez was fired by Captain Terry Morris, commander of Carrier Air Wing 7 (CVW-7), because of a “loss of confidence in his ability to command” according to the release, issued by Cmdr. Mike Kafka, spokesman for Naval Air Forces Atlantic. 

The JAG Manual investigation found poor leadership and a negative command climate among the squadron’s officers. It also found Martinez had willfully ignored Navy instructions, knowingly submitted inaccurate officer fitness reports, made inappropriate racial comments, exercised undue influence on subordinates, and made false or misleading statements.

NAVNEWS story is HERE.

Quote from a very respected Shipmate of mine, "I worked for this guy on the Lincoln. A bit abrasive, but he seemed like an okay fellow."

Story telling

I received this book in the mail on Friday from one of the authors in Australia with a nice inscribed note on the inside title page handwritten by Yamini Naidu.  She and Gabrielle Dolan founded a company - One Thousand and One - specializing in storytelling with intention of helping other leaders tell their stories. They've done a great job of it.

As leaders, we share stories (values, mission, purpose) with our Sailors.  You know that you have achieved some level of success when you hear your Sailors retelling your stories which they have made their own.

They can't tell those stories if you don't share your mission, value and purpose with them.  Build trust - share your story.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Information Warfare Community Human Capital Plan - Looking for it

"People are the Navy’s foundation.We have a professional and moral obligation to uphold a covenant with Sailors, Civilians and their families - to ably lead, equip, train and motivate." 
- ADM Jonathan W. Greenert
CNO Sailing Directions, 2011

The Navy IDC Human Capital Strategy 2012-2017 is available HERE.  The Strategy says that it integrates the Human Capital Plans of the individual communities.

Can anyone point me to the Information Warfare Community Human Capital Plan? The last plan I have is from 2005.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

How are we doing as a cryptologic community?

Some of the key concepts in workforce engagement that are included in the Baldrige Criteria for Performance Excellence include:
  • How do our senior leaders communicate with and engage the entire community? How do they encourage frank, two-way conversation? When did you receive the last community-wide message from the leadership?
  • How do you determine key elements that affect community engagement for different community groups and segments?
  • How do you ensure that your organizational culture benefits from the diverse ideas, cultures, and thinking of our community?
  • How does your learning and development system support the organization’s needs and the personal development of our community members?
  • How do you manage effective career progression for our community members?
  • How do you analyze key command performance results to identify opportunities for improvement in both community engagement and command mission accomplishment?
How are we doing Shipmates?

Monday, January 6, 2014

USS BENFOLD RETURNS TO EXCELLENCE


Once regarded as the finest ship in the Pacific Fleet (1998), when the USS BENFOLD won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness under the command of Commander Michael D. Abrashoff, the ship and her crew are making some serious innovation waves in our great Navy.  

Though I haven't heard much about USS BENFOLD since 1998, the crew is making news with their highly successful ATHENA project.  Hooray! Commander Rich LeBron and his BENFOLD crew are doing some amazing things.  Featured on the CNO's Rapid Innovation Cell (CRIC), CDR LeBron explains what's been happening HERE.  USS BENFOLD IS BACK !! theATHENAproject is an innovation-fueled initiative founded on USS BENFOLD (DDG 65) to make the Navy better through powerful ideas, unique solutions, and intellectual courage.

theATHENA project is on FaceBook page HERE.

CNO's Rapid Innovation Cell is HERE.


BRAVO ZULU to Commander Rich LeBron and the entire DDG-65 crew.  ONWARD WITH VALOR Shipmates !!

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Saturday, January 4, 2014

Not much time left to nominate deserving individuals for the Captain Joseph Rochefort Distinguished Leadership Award

NOMINATIONS ARE DUE 7 FEBRUARY 2014

                                                                                                                   1650
                                                                                                                   Ser 00/
                                                                                                                   Mar 14, 2011

Janet Rochefort Elerding

Dear Ms. Elerding:

It is my distinct pleasure to share with you the fact we will be honoring your father’s legacy in perpetuity with the establishment of the Captain Joseph Rochefort Distinguished Leadership Award.

Over the years we have created numerous opportunities to celebrate the contributions of the Station HYPO team under your father’s leadership, as it remains the foundation of our community history.  In the spirit of your father’s operational contributions, leadership style, and strong belief that “We can accomplish anything provided no one cares who gets the credit”, this award will recognize the superior achievement of one Information Warfare (formerly Cryptologic) Officer each year.  The awardee will be nominated by peers and selected by a panel focused on leadership, teamwork, and operational contributions over the course of their career to date.

Though this award was long overdue, the concept was recently presented to me by a small cadre of Information Warfare Officers who exemplify the very attributes we will celebrate via this award.  I recently had the pleasure of announcing the establishment of the award at the 76th Anniversary of the Information Warfare and Cryptologic Community held on March 11, 2011.  It remains a privilege to be a part of your father’s legacy and an honor knowing we did our part to ensure it lives on.



                                E. H. DEETS, III
                                Rear Admiral, U.S. Navy

For more information about nominations, go HERE.

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Words to live by


And remember, it doesn't all need to be done today.  Keep working at it.  A little good goes a long way.  Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, wherever you can, when you can.

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Changes ahead for 2014

No resolutions, but certainly some changes ahead for me in 2014.  I need to make some minor tweaks in a few areas and wholesale changes in a couple of others.  How about you?  Any big resolutions?  


Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Monday, December 30, 2013

16 Navy Leader Competencies

Jeff Bacon on www.broadside.net
1. Sets goals and performance standards.  Set goals to improve task performance and use them to assess the ongoing performance of a task, as well as the task's results.


2. Takes initiative. When a problem is encountered, take initiative in defining it, accept the responsibility of acting on it, and move immediately to solve it.


3. Plans and organizes.  Plan and organize tasks, people and resources in their order of importance and schedule the tasks for achievement of their goal.
4. Optimizes use of resources. Match individuals' capabilities with job requirements to maximize tasks accomplishment.
5. Delegates.  Use the chain of command to assign tasks by methods other than a direct order, to get subordinates to accept task responsibility.
6. Monitors results.  Systematically check progress on task accomplishment.


7. Rewards.  Recognize and reward for effective performance on a specific task.


8. Disciplines. In holding subordinates accountable for work goals and Navy standards, appropriately discipline subordinates, in order to increase the likelihood of the subordinates' improved performance.


9. Self-control.  Hold back on impulse and instead weigh the facts, keep a balanced perspective, and act appropriately.


10. Influences.  Persuade people skillfully -- up, across and down the chain of command -- to accomplish tasks and maintain the organization.
11. Builds Teams.  Promote team-work within their work group and with other work groups.


12. Develops subordinates. Spend time working with their subordinates, coaching them toward improved performance and helping them to be skillful and responsible in getting the job done at a high standard.
13. Positive expectations.  Trust in people's basic worth and ability to perform.  They approach subordinates with a desire for the subordinates' development.


14. Realistic expectations.  Believe that most subordinates want to and can do a good job, they take care not to set a subordinate up for failure by expecting too much.  Concern about a subordinate's shortcomings is expressed honestly.
15. Understands.  Identify subordinates' problems and help them to understand these problems.  Such leaders appropriately aid others in solving their problems.
16. Conceptualizes.  Dig out the relevant facts in a complex situation and organize those facts to gain a clear understanding of the situation before acting.

And, from Rubber Ducky...

17. Writes well. Navy leaders know their way around the written word and avoid non-parallel constructions: avoid comma splices; employ the Oxford comma: avoid awkward constructions; eschew patronizing language; maintain consistent style; avoid mixing singular and plural voice.


From:  P.A. Foley, From Classroom to Wardroom, Masters Thesis, Naval Postgraduate School, December 1983

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Integrity = Peace of Mind

Personal integrity leads to peace of mind, personal worth, and intrinsic security. The leader must always work from an ethical base; the art of leadership depends on value judgments. The leader’s personal ability to discriminate between right and wrong may be the only resource at his disposal. Time may not permit him to consult with others. He must stand up for his beliefs, even if he stands alone.

The expedient and the right courses of action may coincide; if not, the leader must choose and we must prepare him for his choice by reinforcing, throughout his career, the ethical base as the source of his decisions.

Admiral C.A.H. Trost

Saturday, December 28, 2013

Henry Miller - On writing

Writing, like life itself, is a voyage of discovery. The adventure is a metaphysical one: it is a way of approaching life indirectly, of acquiring a total rather than a partial view of the universe. The writer lives between the upper and lower worlds: he takes the path in order eventually to become the path himself.

Friday, December 27, 2013

In it for the long haul

When I was a young Ensign, I believed my Navy career was a sprint and we could make a difference in the Cryptologic Community in a few years. As I continued to serve, as a Lieutenant Commander, I realized it was a marathon and I had to pace myself to be in it for the long haul  And 30 years later, when I was a Captain approaching early retirement, I realized it is a relay race and I would have to hand off the baton to another group of junior officers to continue the run. Nice to see my former Shipmates carrying the baton so purposefully.  Thank you.