SNO brought two of his old school chums over last night, both Marine 2LTs, the first just back from a 7-month tour in Iraq as an LAV platoon commander and recently reunited with his bride, the other an infantry officer leaving for Afghanistan in two weeks, and himself off to flight school this fall. His friends have been household guests for the last four years off and on, and greeted me as “captain” at the door, a formality I’d never requested of them as midshipmen. To my lifted eyebrow, the former explained that he had gained a new found respect for seniority, in the Corps.
Watched an old movie, suffered under the imposition of adult beverages in modest qualities, the Hobbit having laid out the usual array of appetizers sufficient to feed an understrength company.
A pleasant dinner, with your host doing more listening than talking (for a change). The recent returnee had good things to say about his vehicle, fast over hardball, and pretty quick over open desert too. You have to watch out for wadis, though. Especially at night. Throw yourself across one at 60 kph and you’ll break more than just bones.
The vehicle carries a 25mm Bushmaster, a coax 7.62 and a pintle-mounted 7.62. But it was the Bushmaster that made him smile. How many Marine infantrymen does the LAV fit, I asked.
“One more,” was his humorous reply. “Always one more.”
The young man soon leaving for Helmand province had always tended towards the taciturn, and last night he was if anything less loquacious. His wolf is still before him. When asked, he spoke highly of his current staff sergeant, and was relieved to be shot of an company commander cast in the mold of Captain Herbert Sobel, from “Band of Brothers” infamy. The Corps does many things well, and eventually it sorts out the able from the others.
The detritus having been withdrawn and the ladies having removed themselves, the young gentlemen and myself lingered over a nice bottle of red that had been brought by. The LAV platoon commander in time asked a question.
“Sir,” he began, “did it seem to you when you went through your warfare training, that the emphasis was all on tactical excellence, but when you landed in a position of leadership more of your time is spent on the people, dealing with problems?”
It’s an old question, and I had the old answer. “The tactical part is the fun part, it’s what we want to do. But taking care of the people is the job, it’s what we get paid for.”
A lot of young folks join the service seeking order in their lives, adventure, the chance to prove themselves capable of doing great things in challenging circumstances. To serve. For whatever reason, that was lacking before they joined, and in the Navy at least, a young person from our broader culture has about 18 months to make a citizen of themselves before the system concludes that they cannot. Part of a leader’s role, especially at the junior level, is demonstrating that we are what we say we are – an organization dedicated to and expectant of routine excellence. It’s a two-way street, and you cannot demand it of your people without providing it to them.
Part of that means caring. Not in a patronizing, superior or inauthentic way – junior servicemen have wonderfully sensitive BS detectors. But in the way of a leader who knows that his people have issues that they alone cannot solve, that service – especially wartime service – entails hardships, some of which are unnecessary and mitigable. In the way of knowing that mission success for all depends upon the best efforts of each.
Everyone has a dream, I said. Your peoples’ dreams may be different than yours, the arcs of their immediate ambitions constrained by their circumstances, but they are just as real to them as yours is to you. You must try to find out what that dream is in the service context, and help them find a way to realize it. You’ll never know the difference you might make in a young person’s life.
Warming to the subject, my son asked, “As a division officer, how often should I visit the spaces?”
Every day, I replied. And here’s the funny thing: They won’t want you there. You’ll be an imposition on them, and their work routine, and you’ll never be their friends – they have friends. They’ll be happy when you leave. But you need to go anyway, and they need to know that you’ll be there, every day.
It’s funny, my son said. As a youngster midshipman, he had gone to sea on a frigate and served in the electronics shop with the sailors “before the mast,” as is our custom. Noting that he never saw his division officer in the workspace, one day he asked, as a potential leader ought, “How often does the DivO come down here?”
The sailors exchanged wry glances, before one of them replied, “We have a division officer?”
Yes, they did. But evidently not a leader.
My time in uniform is done, but it was very pleasant to spend time three such outstanding young men, and to know that we remain in such good hands. It was warming to be asked my opinion on such things as junior officer leadership, and to have my words listened to attentively.
The service offers young people, officers and enlisted both, a chance to make a difference, in things both large and small. It’s an opportunity unlike any other, and it’s over far too quickly.
What a shame that anyone might squander a moment of it.
Funny, having just started terminal leave, I just answered a very similar e-mail on a very similar subject, from an E-2 pilot no less. As a career shipdriver, I take for granted the “every space – every day” mantra is not Navy wide. It should be.
One of the great pleasures in life comes when you find that your son has picked up leadership traits that you demonstrated around the house when he was young.
I was careful not to push my son into those many things that fathers tend to do to attempt to relive their own youth. But I was inordinately pleased when he choose to go to a military school and went NROTC.
I was proud to administer his commissioning oath, and have followed his career through days good, and not so good. The best part has been the opportunity, from time to time, to meet someone who has served with him along the way who didn’t realize I was the father and spoke highly of his as an officer and a leader. That’s when you realize that you have paid your dues and left a tangible legacy.
Management By Walking Around is a lot less common than it needs to be. It’s about seeing…and being seen to be seeing.
It’s also about finding that happy medium of trusting them enough not to stand looking over their shoulders as if they were mindless idiots on the one hand, but of being “around” often enough to know what’s really going on. And of being willing to put your career on the line by trusting them enough without bothering to double check when they are tasked to do something that, left undone, or done poorly, could cost you your commission–or your life.
I second that…and as I read it, I thought of my first CO, Capt Cecil Hawkins…when you turned around and saw him looking, you knew he was just learning, and he showed up all over. Old school A-7 driver and a model I carried away with me for the rest of my years.
Lex;
Wonderful words of wisdom, and the wonderful story of young men beginning to get beyond the I know plenty stage of their lives.
Lex,
As usual, you nailed it.
Leadership is the same everywhere. Management, OTH, is a different kettle of fish. You can manage well without seeing the troops much, but you can’t be a leader without credibility with the troops, and that takes exposure to risk of the same type the troops are exposed to. There were a lot of men that despised LeMay for example, but when he was with the 8th AF he flew missions like the rest of the troops, even as a MG. His subordinates respected him for it. Chuck Horner did the same in the first Gulf War.
You can be a good manager, but poor leader, and the MBA style of leader doesn’t work very well. I went out and did work in the filed, such as helping the bridge crew by doing the survey lay out of a new bridge, for example. The MBA type doesn’t buy that stuff as it is beneath him.
Alas, there are people you can give your all for, and they will still hate you. I had such a man when I was County Engineer in Ohio. Most of the guys respected me, but one guy took what I did as his due and every time I had to deal with him in a way he didn’t approve he went to the Ohio Civil Rights Commission (he was one of two black guys in the work force. The other was a gem of a worker).
Lex stated the very thing I found is best. Every space, every day. I would only add, say something to everyone, even if it’s just hello. You aren’t out to make anyone uncomfortable, but you do want them to know you are watching. Do it right, and they won’t be uncomfortable when you come around, unless they are guilty of something. But, then, you want to know about that too.
I had the good fortune to be a manager once, as foreman over a new construction crew (doing shipalts to MARAD ships) Big jobs. Highest workforce level was around 225, median around a 150, two shifts. I made it a point to lead from in front, because it’s a lot easier to do that, than push from behind. Didn’t hurt that I could do the job, whether it be welding or fitting. Damn fine bunch of hard workers, did damn fine work. We installed around 1200 tons of module aboard the ship in 10 days, two shifts. That’s hustling!
Two thoughts on this. The first, somewhat inane, but a fond memory. One of the best experiences as a maintenance officer was getting briefed about a downing discrepancy by the chief, not having a clue what it was, and instead of pulling out the manuals, I went to the hangar and ‘bothered’ the airman to explain it to me while he fixed the gripe. I learned more about the plane; I met and engaged an awesome sailor; I bolstered my standing in the department; and I had a great time. Man, how I miss that.
My second response to your post (and this will sound more high-minded than it is) is in regard to the universality of leadership. I subscribe to the belief that there are some core traits and characteristics of good leadership, and that this good leadership will evidence itself in any situation. That said, I will say that I am quite conservative with advice when talking with young Marines, Sailors, Soldiers – not so much USAF weenies – who have served on the ground in Iraq/Afghanistan. I think I have a bit of experience under my belt, but I have reservations about its relevance to those who have been ‘in the arena’, to quote TR.
Great post…allow yourself an extra Red, or a bowl of ice cream, or whatever.
I say friends and leaders. nothing better.
Old friends and leaders, in particular.
Good stuff Skipper. Thx.
This one’s going on the Son&Heirs reading list this evening.
Oh dear Lex I think you’re wearing rose colored glasses. Unfortunately from my experience of many years afloat, the very worst divisional officers on board were always the aircrew officers. As they say, some officers join to be officers and some join to fly planes.
CAPT..
As a retired successfull businessman.one of the things that carried me through the years, and contributed to my success..was my old FTC…told me almost every day..the key to leadership, is to find what your people want, and help them get it..it was true in the ’50s..probably more true today..
This brand new USAF 2d Lt appreciates the words of wisdom, Lex.
Mike;
Welcome to the profession. Here’s to hoping you’ll find your Lex sometime soon.
Stay away from those Navy fliers. They think it has to be done from a heaving deck instead of nice stable patch of land with 10,000 feet of concrete.
Lex,
Have enjoyed the site for a long time now.
Will share this with my daughter, who is leaving on her second Gulf Cruise soon.
By the way, I am currently reading yet another book about Easy Company of the 506 PIR – We Who Are Alive and Remain – Untold Stories from the Band of Brothers – by Marcus Brotherton (who worked with “Buck” Compton on Call of Duty)
Seems not everyone in Easy company had the same view of Capt Sobel as Ambrose, Dick Winters and the writers for the HBO series. Just something interesting I wanted to mention.
Barry, just out of curiosity, what’s your rate, and what community were “your” aviators from?
And Mike M- I don’t think it is Management by walking around, I think it is Leadership by walking around. Managers wouldn’t walk around, it wouldn’t be a prudent and cost effective use of time…
(I know this because I work for a company full of managers. We are light on the leadership thing, but I’m fixing them slowly!)
Nose, leadership is foremost setting an example. Anyone can walk around. Managers walk around, but they ain’t leaders.
I’ll be sharing this with the Academy midshipman that we are sponsoring here in Annapolis.
This reminds me of one of my favorite pictures of my father. He’s in the wheel well of a P-3, scrub brush in hand, covered from head to toe in foam, water, and soap, and surrounded by several aircrewmen and maintainers. What I like about the picture is that my father was the CO of the squadron at the time.
Capt. Lex, Some of my favorites of your posts are those where you demonstrate that our future is in good hands. These young men make me feel good about our future, even when things look bleak.
I’ve always tried to instill in my children, with examples and demonstrations, the difference between mangaement and leadership. In most circumstances I feel that managers are given their jobs while leaders earn theirs. And I’ve worked for some of each.
I was never in the military, but it would seem to me with everything on the line that the difference between the two would be even more important.
I watched 60 minutes last night with my soon to be 16 year old son. They had a great segment on Air Force UAVs. My favorite part was when they asked an officer, I believe he was a Colonel or Lt. Colonel, how this compared to flying an actual airplane. He said now that he’d flown a UAV he’d never want to go back to flying the real thing.
Yeah, right…
Parallel lives here Lex. My SN2 was home for the last week with two of his Marine friends whom we hosted here in PA. All three are from the same platoon of the 1/5 at Pendelton. They drove cross country in a little over 50 hours to get to our house.
As soon as the intros were completed and a small meal laid on, the Corporal (my son) and his two Lance’s went out and cleaned up the vehicle they had just spent the last two days living inside. My wife (Mother of SN2) and I watched as they did a very detailed overhaul of the small car (a Honda Accord). The wife asked how they could do that, fit three large boy’s (her words, I tended to think of them as three finely skilled trained killers) inside the small box that was the Honda and live in it from SOCAL to Eastern PA. “Oh, this was nothing; we lived in an LAV for three weeks while we were up at Twenty-Nine Palms. That was fun.” Said one of the Lances. These are Infantry Marines all members of the same Mortar squad although they claim they don’t use them for there skill in raining steel on bad guys. Patrolling by foot and doing civil affairs is the warfare of choice these days. Of course there is the occasional need to kick in a door and storm a building and they are all more than prepared for that ‘fun’.
Once back in the house with gear stowed and quarters assigned I laid out the Rules of the House. The two most important being that during the time from 2300 hours to 0600 hours the door to Daughter’s room would remain LOCKED and the family dog would roam the hall way outside as security. The second rule being that as a former Sailor it was my sworn duty to Bust on the Marines in my company. We had a good time with the three, they spent most nights out on the prowl only returning in the very wee early hours, almost making Rule #1 unnecessary except that the Daughter was making the rounds with them (we think she is sweet for one of the two Lances).
They returned yesterday (by commercial Air) to make their final preparations prior to their departure to Afghanistan. Hugs all around at the airport, many people watching us at the security station assumed that we had three going off to war. We did nothing to dissuade them of this notion as blood or not, they are Bothers and we shall remember them as such.
Hoping for all, a safe return.
BT: Jimmy T sends.
JimmyT,
Yeah… My son is headed home from overseas in July for a couple weeks. After that, his unit deploys to Afghanistan.
It’s different being on the parent side of the thing. When I was in, I was immortal, like we all were, and never understood the way my folks got all “fussy” over me when I was home and preparing to ship out again.
Now I’m a parent and I understand completely. That whole circle of life thing. Must’ve been this way when Spartan’s saw their kids off too.
Keep the home fires burning…
Tim,
That is funny the whole circle thing. My wife always gives me grief for not having “feelings” but I tell her, I know exactly what is going on since I did the same when I was his age. Now, I may not have been going off to a real “hot war” but working the Flight Deck of two different Carriers during the ’70′s to me was no different. I was an AX by the way assigned to an S-3 squadron.
We worried like crazy when they went to Iraq last year but, they saw no action. I don’t think we will be that lucky this time.
Thanks for the kind words,
BT: Jimmy T sends.
Loved the “We have a D.O.?” remark. That pretty much summed up my experience also. For all three that were there in succession during my time on board, saw him at morning muster in port and in the division office at sea. Other than that, nada. Oh yeah, one of them would come into the berthing spaces for surprise locker inspections. To show that he cared, I suppose.
Had a ChEng who, for whatever reason, decided to visit our Main Machinery Room (MMR1) during an Operational Readiness Examination (ORE). He was climbing a ladder from lower level to upper level, fainted from heat stress about about 4 -5 steps from the top, and tumbled down to the LL deckplates (10-12 ft. drop?). In less than half a day there a nice big red-lead bulls-eye painted on the deck-plates at the bottom of the ladder. Yeah, we were ordered by the WC CPO to scrape the paint off pretty soon after that, but it was worth it. Not that any O would have seen it anyway.
Funny, I think I saw my Division Officer maybe a 1/2 dozen times in 5 years at two different duty assignments… and one of those was in a parking lot. (He knew may name (which is a really Bad Thing, anonymity is what we strived for))…apparently I was a bit of a PITA when I was shipboard. I saw more of the department O (a mustang LT….did I mention I was a bit of a PITA?), but even the LT was a bit scarce on the last cruise…
So add me to the list of fans of “We have a D.O.?”
Lex/Jimmy T
Our prayers with them all, pls keep the blogodytes updated.
cheers
In my experience, a young lad entering the service having learned at the knee of his old man all the things that make a good officer and good leader will probably do right well in the service. While I went navy I learned the art from an Army officer and the rules of good leadership started and ended with taking care of your men first and then yourself. I think it served well enough. You have a struggle to get to know the men because they are reserved folks and won’t talk about themselves to you. In the navy I’ve found chiefs, LPOs etc are a good source of info. They can usually offer a bit of insight into why your former sailor of the quarter or sailor of the year has suddenly turned into a complete wreck (baby just born, unfortunately with spina bifida. It has a negative and destructive effect on a young lad but if you didn’t know it you’d be left wondering whether MAST might be the answer.)
I was fortunate in my first ship since she was FDNF and I was the only line officer in the Engineering Dept since the rest were a bunch of rascals, scallywags and ne’er do wells known as LDO, CWO and Senior Chiefs. My skipper instructed me that I would visit every one of my spaces everyday. My God there were 75 of them on that ship! OK, OK, a lot of them were parts of access trunks up and down 6 decks but I seemed to own the access trunks and the spaces at the bottom. Up down, up down. Some guys ran around the flight deck for exercise. I just visited my spaces every day.
I spent a little time each day in each of the 3 workcenters talking to my various LPO or LCPOs. It’s been 25 years now and I still know the names and faces of 95% of the guys that were in my first and second divisions on two ships and most of the men that worked for me when I was CHENG in two other ships. (They were very small ships.)