CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM

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: