PRIDE.—Many Navy units have an outstanding
reputation for their professional ability and their ability
to get the job done. Other units can’t seem to do
anything right. What makes the difference? The answer
is simple—the outstanding outfit has esprit de corps.
The members of the unit have pride in self, Navy, and
their country!
Help your unit be a winner. Show your pride in self,
Navy, and country. Wear your uniform proudly.
Compliment personnel working for you on their sharp
appearance and good work. By doing this, you help your
unit become an efficient, tightly knit crew.
KEEP PERSONNEL INFORMED.—You can
boost morale and promote esprit de corps and pride by
keeping your personnel informed. Everyone likes to
know what’s going on. When will the ship get
underway? What’s the workload for tomorrow? When
will the squadron deploy? This is the type of day-to-day
information you can pass on to your personnel. Let them
know about upcoming drills. Explain the reasons for the
drills. Letting people know what to expect promotes
good morale.
INTEGRITY.—Always be honest with yourself,
your shipmates, and your superiors. Make promises
only when you can keep them and only when you intend
to keep them. Keeping promises earns you respect from
your shipmates, and you must have their respect to be an
effective leader.
FOLLOWERSHIP
Everyone in the Navy is in a position of
followership. No matter how high you go in the chain of
command, you still report to someone higher. Even the
President, as Commander in Chief, reports to the people
of the United States. To be a good leader, you must know
how to be a good follower. Always carry out your orders
promptly, to the best of your ability, and as cheerfully as
possible. Show your workers that even if an order is
disagreeable or causes personal inconvenience, you still
must carry it out. Loyalty, both up and down the chain of
command, is essential to effective leadership.
Commands and Orders
A good follower obeys all orders received from
personnel higher in the chain of command. The Navy
has two kinds of obedience—immediate and reasoned.
COMMAND.—Immediate obedience is an
automatic response to a command. You must follow a
command immediately and exactly as given without
asking questions. For example, if you receive an order to
make a turn while steering your ship, you do so
immediately. If you didn’t respond at once, you could
endanger the ship.
ORDER.—Reasoned obedience is the proper
response to an order. An order lets you ask questions if
you don’t understand. You can use your own judgment
in carrying out an order. For example, if your leading
petty officer (LPO) tells you to paint your living space,
you decide the number of brush strokes to use.
Reasoned obedience lets you obey an order while
learning from your experience in carrying it out.
Followership Qualities
To be a good follower, try to develop the following
qualities:
Loyalty—Always be loyal to the personnel above
you in the chain of command, whether or not you agree
with them.
Initiative—Do what must be done without waiting
to be told. Showing initiative demonstrates your ability
to be a leader.
Dependability—Be dependable. The person in
charge must have help in carrying out the mission. The
leader must be able to depend on the followers to get the
job done. Dependable followers increase the efficiency
of the leader and the command.
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
PROGRAM
Learning Objective: When you finish this chapter, you
will be able to—
Identify the fundamental concept of the
Continuous Improvement Program.
21-3
Student Notes:
