to a working party supervisor gives and receives orders.
A leader must set the example when following orders as
well as when giving them. Giving orders effectively is
an art form. You must first ensure the order is necessary.
Inappropriate or unnecessary orders produce conflict,
confusion, and ill will.
As a midlevel manager, the majority of orders you
give originate at a higher level of command. You are
simply passing the orders along. How often do you use
the following manner to give your workers such orders:
LT Jones says we have to have personnel inspection
every morning.
This method of giving orders is
common but wrong. When YOU give an order, state it
as YOUR order. What do I mean by this? Here is an
example: Beginning tomorrow, we will hold personnel
inspection every morning. In this manner you build
your own authority with your subordinates. But why
does it matter? One day the need may arise for you to
take charge in an emergency or during a superiors
absence. Passing orders in the proper
preconditions your workers to respond
commands.
PROVIDING LEADERSHIP GUIDANCE
manner
to your
The Navy intends that chief, senior chief, and
master chief petty officers occupy a position of esteem
and general respect. This distinction is crucial to the
manner in which our ships operate at sea. Over the years
the smooth operation of our ships has proven the
wisdom and success of this policy.
Since the time you began to wear the chief petty
officer hat, both your superiors and subordinates have
looked to you with esteem and respect. Since that time,
you have also gained a broad managerial and
administrative background. That background makes
you responsible for the training and guidance you
provide your subordinates, peers, and superiors.
Because of the wisdom and knowledge you have gained
through your years of experience, they depend on you
for leadership.
Leadership is intangible, hard to measure, and
difficult to describe. Its qualities include the following:
A measure of inherent ability to control and direct
Self-confidence based on expert knowledge
Initiative
Loyalty
Pride
A sense of responsibility
Even if people do not have a natural ability to lead,
they have dormant leadership qualities they may not
know about. Learning, or teaching others, to develop
those leadership qualities is not easy, but can be done.
Remember, the Navy can and does make leaders.
JUNIOR OFFICERS
At this point in your career, you should understand
the difficult role of the junior officer assigned as a
division officer. As a senior or master chief, you need to
be understanding of the predicaments junior officers
often find themselves in. They lack experience and
technical know-how, but nevertheless must take their
place as leaders within the chain of command.
Most junior officers report aboard their first duty
station with limited leadership experience. As a senior
or master chief, you need to be sensitive to that and
support the development of these junior officers. One
way you can do that is by suggesting to your division
officer what can be done and what should be done to
solve leadership problems. Also, tactfully let your
division officer know if he or she is charging off in the
wrong direction. To do otherwise could be
counterproductive and would do nothing to strengthen
your division officers confidence in you.
The Navy places considerable emphasis on the
treatment a chief should accord a junior officer. You
should be careful not to provide too much negative
criticism. That will cause a young officer to become
reluctant to make future decisions for fear of more
criticism. The fear of repeated negative criticism will
produce an outcome directly opposite to what you are
trying to achieve. Your goal is to build your junior
officers confidence in his or her leadership ability. Even
if you disagree with your division officers final
decision, do not undercut him or her by saying so in
public. Also do not tolerate criticism of your division
officer in public on the part of the crew.
Your division officer may be required to execute a
decision made by someone higher in the chain of
command. In such cases, the division officer will know
what must be done but must rely on your support,
knowledge, and experience to accomplish the task
successfully. The division officer may have difficulty
not showing resentment when a chief makes suggestions
about a plan he or she has put together. However, as an
experienced chief, you may have just as much difficulty
accepting an unseasoned officers decision not to take
your well-intended advice. Rather than waiting for a
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