Chief Petty Officer Responsibility

“The chief petty officer can, and should, take the responsibility of keeping every Sailor under his leadership informed. If one of his Sailors has a problem, he has a problem. There should be no excuses. There is a solution to every problem, and it should be pursued until his Sailor is satisfied that every means has been exhausted in the effort to find a solution. I feel very strongly that we need to improve our leadership abilities to keep pace with the high level of technical skill. The rapidity of advancement has caused a need for establishment of more leadership classes at the command level. My feelings are that we must have a chain of command from top to bottom, but even more important, we must have a channel of communication and understanding.”

MCPON Del Black, United States Navy's 1st Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy

Enlightened Leadership

"The enlightened leader will recognize individual differences and vary his appeals (positive and negative) accordingly. He will try to create a sense of trust, self-discipline, and responsibility that emphasizes the dignity and judgment of the individual Navy man or Navy woman as well as the operational needs of the Navy. I believe the enlightened leadership practiced by our Chief of Naval Operations (Admiral Elmo Zumwalt) has proven it can raise the quality of Navy life for young and old alike."

MCPON Jack Whittet

Just One Navy

"There is no black Navy, no white Navy--just one Navy--the United States Navy." "Z"-gram #66

"For years, white men from the South in large measure ran the Navy while it lagged behind the other services, and the country, in its racial attitudes and policies. . . . When I became CNO there had yet to be a black admiral in the entire history of the Navy."

Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Chief of Naval Operations

We believe in command, not staff...

"We believe in command, not staff. We believe we have 'real' things to do. The Navy believes in putting a man in a position with a job to do, and let him do it--give him hell if he does not perform--but be a man in his own name. We decentralize and capitalize on the capabilities of our individual people rather than centralize and make automatons of them. This builds that essential pride of service and sense of accomplishment. If it results in a certain amount of cockiness, I am for it. But this is the direction in which we should move."

—Letter from Arleigh A. Burke to RADM Walter G. Schindler,May 14, 1958

CPO mess as the focal point...

"Admiral Thomas B. Hayward's (CNO) idea of leadership was that the CPO mess should be the focal point of the community. Because of their seniority and experience, he placed lot of weight on the CPO. We both believed that leaders needed to be honest with their people. They needed to be the teachers, trainers, and role models. And they needed to speak up when necessary."

MCPON (4th) Thomas S. Crow

Willingness to think hard...

"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.”


Admiral Arleigh A. Burke

We communicate with purpose. . .

"We will synchronize words and actions, and assess results to ensure all understand our action and intent. Actions without corresponding words are open to interpretation. Words without corresponding action can ring hollow. Effective communication is fundamental to achieving desired effects in every domain."



Admiral Gary Roughead, Chief of Naval Operations
From CNO's Guidance 25 October 2007

The Captain is King

"A ship is a bit of terra firma cut off from the main; it is a state in itself; and the captain is its king."

Herman Melville (1819-1891)

Admiral Burke's memory of combat...

"Things that used to be important become completely unimportant. Good food was important. A glass of beer was important. What your shipmates thought of you was important. But what was written down on some piece of paper, or what somebody who was not fighting thought about how you were fighting—that was completely unimportant."

Admiral Arleigh Albert Burke

Time Magazine Article

One week after being named CNO

Monday, Jun. 06, 1955

AN ADMIRAL'S 31-KNOT CAREER

There are no great men...

"There are no great men, only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet."

Admiral of the Fleet William "Bull" Halsey

Old time leadership...

"Remember ladies and gentlemen, you can shoot the stars but I don't want any of you shooting the moon."

CWO4 W.L. Exum, Navigation Instructor, Officer Candidate School, Newport, Rhode Island, February 1982

CWO4 Exum served in the Navy from 1943 to 1985. His service spanned WWII, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the Cold War. He was awarded a Purple Heart for wounds received on 17 February 1945 while landing U.S. Marines on Iwo Jima from LCI-457. He had been in the Navy for 2 years and was only 18 years old.

He and his lovely wife Joyce are living happily in Cave Creek, Arizona - close to the loving arms of their daughter Marilyn and her (soon to be) husband Donald.

Discipline and command

"Discipline is a function of command. Juniors as well as seniors must be made responsible for and be cognizant of their responsibility. Commanders can not delegate or reassign their own responsibility. Morale problems cannot be turned over to the chaplain or the dispensing of justice to the legal expert. Specialists must be naval officers first and specialists second, and work for the commanding officer rather than function separately. Command must have the authority necessary for the exercise of its responsibility."

Admiral Arleigh A. Burke

My former boss - Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld

- I'm not into this detail stuff.

- I'm more concepty.

- I don't do quagmires.

- I don't do diplomacy.

- I don't do foreign policy.

- I don't do predictions.

- I don't do numbers.

- I don't do book reviews.

- Now, settle down, settle down. Hell, I'm an old man, it's early in the morning and I'm gathering my thoughts here.

- If I know the answer I'll tell you the answer, and if I don't, I'll just respond, cleverly.

- Oh, Lord. I didn't mean to say anything quotable.

I served as his Staff Director for the Detainee Task Force (Geren-Maples Group) from May 2004 until I retired in May 2006. SECDEF is a brilliant, selfless American patriot. Those who say otherwise have not had the great pleasure and honor of working for him.

For you are leaders...

"For you are leaders, men to whom other men will look for guidance, for example, and for a standard upon which to base their own conduct and beliefs."

Admiral Arleigh Albert Burke

VADM J. B. Stockdale - Things to think about

"The test of character is not 'hanging in' when you expect light at the end of the tunnel, but performance of duty, and persistence of example when you know no light is coming."

"Do the right thing even if it means dying like a dog when no one's there to see you do it."





Story about the VADM J.B. Stockdale Award winners here.