Introduction
The United States Navy, like many organizations, is currently downsizing. Admiral Jonathan Greenert, Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command, recently remarked that the Navy is reshaping its force. He noted there were “initiatives put in place that tend to reduce the size of our workforce.”[i] The force shaping that has occurred over the last several years and is still continuing has put a strain on the Chief’s Mess to continue its proud legacy of grooming the service’s future leaders. “[Chiefs] know the mission, know their sailors and develop them beyond their expectations as a team and as individuals.”[ii] Make no mistake about it; all sailors belong to the Chief!
Background
Chief Petty Officers are faced with a plethora of challenges today as they face a reduction in force size, a decreasing budget, and continuing individual augmentations (IA) in support of the global war on terrorism. They struggle to successfully lead from the middle. I say the middle because they are superior to junior enlisted and subordinate to officers, yet they are tasked with leading and developing both to their full potential. The Chief’s Mess alone is required to transcend the boundaries of rank and rate. In order to do this effectively, they must be mentors, confidants, masters of their trade, and lead from the front. But how can Chiefs lead from the front if they’re stuck in the middle?
The answer is simple: They must do it through mentoring - utilizing the influence of their unique position in the middle of the Navy – and by discipling, where the master trains the apprentice. The mentoring relationship is “a deliberate pairing of a more skilled or experienced person with a lesser skilled or experienced one, with the agreed-upon goal of having the lesser skilled person grow and develop specific competencies.”[iii] Whereas the apprentice relationship is defined “as activities that one engages in under the tutelage of another, a more skilled scholar or practitioner, in order to best learn an art, skill, or trade through practical experience.”[iv] Both require effective leadership to execute properly.
Discussion
Leadership gurus abound and espouse the requisite qualities and characteristics necessary to be an effective leader. If one is able to be transformational and delegate effectively, or perhaps embrace each person and situation uniquely, success will surely follow. These things may be true in certain circumstances and even be effective to an extent. However, more is required for Chief Petty Officers to lead effectively in today’s lean Navy. As the Navy continues to evolve and adapt to an ever-changing battlefield, it is imperative for Chiefs to mentor all sailors and disciple both subordinates and superiors in order to accomplish the mission.
In order to be an effective mentor and trade master in today’s modern Navy, Chief Petty Officers must do the following:
· Exert positive influence on others
· Be directly involved with their sailors
· Show genuine concern for their subordinates, peers and superiors
· Ensure mission accomplishment.
Influence
The Chief is the master of his trade, taking all sailors under his wing. Chiefs have always influenced their subordinates in preparation to one day fill their shoes. Chiefs began to direct First Class Petty Officers to prepare themselves to assume the additional responsibilities by recording all the details of those responsibilities. Ships’ professional libraries were generally nonexistent or poorly stocked and much had to be learned directly from conversations with the Chiefs themselves and taken down to be studied later. [v]
In addition to the technical aspects of the various ratings, Chief Petty Officers also talked to the First Class aspirants about leadership, accountability, supporting the chain of command, and other professional subject matter often using personal experiences to illustrate how something should (or should not) be done.[vi] In essence the Chiefs discipled their young apprentices, passing on the secrets of their rates (trades) while at the same time mentoring them in various competencies to become complete sailors. The same must hold true today if the Navy is to survive.
Direct Involvement
Chiefs must be of good moral character and be directly involved with their people. Chiefs undergo continuous character development through regular Mess training and mentoring by the Command Master Chief. This process of forging a new character begins during Induction season each year and continues throughout the career of a Chief. To be a good leader, you not only need skills, you need character.[vii]
Chiefs must continue to walk the deck-plates and get to know their people. Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) Campo said, “Deck-plate leadership is a very basic concept. When I am talking to Chiefs about it, I am talking about their connection with their Sailors.”[viii] Only by continuing to walk the deck-plates and getting to know their people will the Chief’s Mess effectively be able to mentor junior sailors and officers.
Genuine Concern
Chiefs combine their influence and involvement to set the tone of the command out of genuine concern for their people. “As chief petty officers, that is what gives us our credibility with our leadership -- knowing our Sailors and knowing the tone of the command so we can best provide input.”[ix] There’s an old saying that states, “A ship goes the way of the Chief’s Mess.” It illustrates the influence exerted on the command by the Mess. “Men in the service admire a strong-willed, determined Chief, providing he also demonstrates a genuine concern for his men’s welfare along with his efficiency.”[x]
Goal Accomplishment
The Chief’s Mess’ primary tasking has always been to meet the mission, to rise to the occasion and get the job done even in the face of insurmountable obstacles. As Leahy notes, “[Chiefs] are responsible for, have the authority to accomplish, and are held accountable for leading sailors and applying their skills to tasks that enable mission accomplishment for the U.S. Navy.”[xi] Regardless of rank or position, it is only through effective mentoring and personal development that the Navy’s mission can be accomplished, and this task falls squarely on the Chief’s Mess.
Recommendations
In order for the Chief’s Mess to continue its legacy of mentorship and discipleship in the twenty-first century, and in order for the Chief’s Mess to remain viable, Chiefs must do the following:
1. Innovate. The Chief’s Mess must embrace mentoring and view it as an innovative technique for sailor development. “Mentoring is considered an innovation in performance improvement in organizations.”[xii] Today’s sailors are being asked to do more with less. Their performance is paramount to success and will only improve through a meaningful mentoring relationship with their Chief. Therefore, the Chief’s Mess must be the hub of innovation for the command.
2. Train. Command Master Chiefs must include mentorship training as part of their regular Mess and command training. Packard noted that training about mentoring was not only beneficial to both the mentor and protégé; it also motivated protégés to seek mentoring experiences. Packard concluded, “With some guidance, they [protégés] may be more likely to identify and make use of the mentoring available to them.”[xiii] The Chief’s Mess must incorporate mentorship training on a regular basis to encourage sailors to maximize available experiences.
3. Lead. Innovation requires effective leadership. Implementing, maintaining, and sustaining mentoring programs falls squarely on the shoulders of leaders. “Bringing together the attributes of effective leadership and mentoring argues for organizationally sponsored, leader-supported mentoring. Leader-supported mentoring is a process which views mentoring as a necessary leadership process.”[xiv] Chiefs must continue to be the bastions of leadership throughout the Navy and expand their circle of influence through mentoring.
Conclusion
The War on Terrorism has transformed the Navy over the past decade. The role of the Chief has transformed out of necessity. Nevertheless the Chief is still regarded as the master. Even in the civilian world middle managers, the CPO equivalent, “are expected, and in many cases are being asked, to engage in leadership behaviors and to exert influence without authority”[xv] [emphasis mine]. Though the Chief’s authority is limited, his influence is not. The Mess must continue to develop and lead from the middle while at the same time adhering to the principles of its proud legacy. Chiefs must adapt to new roles as the situation dictates and at the same time continue to be mentors, confidants and masters. They must disciple and mentor their followers just as their predecessors did if the Navy is to survive on the battlefield of the twenty-first century.
References
[i] Foltz, J. (2009). U.S. fleet forces commander answers questions from the fleet. Retrieved from: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=43932.
[ii] MCPON Campo: Mission, vision and guiding principles. Retrieved from: http://www.goatlocker.org/resources/cpo/campa.htm
[iii] Kahle-Piasecki, L. (2011). Making a mentoring relationship work: What is required for organizational success. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 12(1), 46-46-56. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/866754056?accountid=13479
[iv] Kahle-Piasecki, L. (2011). Making a mentoring relationship work: What is required for organizational success. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 12(1), 46-46-56. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/866754056?accountid=13479
[v] The history of the charge book. Retrieved from: http://www.goatlocker.org/resources/cpo/history/charge.htm
[vi] Leahy, J. (2004). Ask the chief: Backbone of the navy. Retrieved from Google Books.
[vii] Blanchard, K. (2001). The secret: What great leaders know and do. Retrieved from Google Books.
[viii] Brown, A. (2007). MCPON addresses deckplate leadership at san diego conference. Retrieved from: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=28073
[ix] Brown, A. (2007). MCPON addresses deckplate leadership at san diego conference. Retrieved from: http://www.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=28073
[x] Kelso, D.A. (1957). The role of the chief petty officer in the modern navy. Proceedings Magazine, April, 83/4/650.
[xi] Leahy, J. (2004). Ask the chief: Backbone of the navy. Retrieved from Google Books.
[xii] Kahle-Piasecki, L. (2011). Making a mentoring relationship work: What is required for organizational success. The Journal of Applied Business and Economics, 12(1), 46-46-56. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/866754056?accountid=13479
[xiii] Packard, B. W. (2003). Student training promotes mentoring awareness and action. The Career Development Quarterly, 51(4), 335-335-345. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/219388489?accountid=13479
[xiv] Scandura, T. A., Tejeda, M. J., Werther, W. B., & Lankau, M. J. (1996). Perspectives on mentoring. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 17(3), 50-50-56. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/226921527?accountid=13479
[xv] Tunk, P. (2010). You should lead from the middle. Retrieved from: http://blog.penelopetrunk.com/2010/01/13/you-should-lead-from-the-middle/
