Ray Bales
[email protected]
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Date: Sat, 28 Jun 1997 23:26:31 -0700
Hi Rich,
You must be taking some well-deserved time off from the looks of the DOL
log book. Several months ago you asked me to contribute something for
the Contributors section of your site, and I believe I told you I'd put
something together in a few weeks (this was back in Feb.). I have
finally put together something meaningful that I can contribute to your
site. It's posted on my site in the Articles section
http://www.inetworld.net/txo/article04.htm
-- if you want to post it in
your Contributors section in the form of raw text or whatever, please
feel free to do so.
Over here in San Diego, I checked aboard my new ship ELLIOT (DD 967) in
May. Everything is going well there. I'm standing watch underway as
Ship's Weapons Coordinator (SWC), directing the employment of the ship's
weapon systems. The SWC console in CIC has a multitude of buttons, each
with several functions. I'm having a difficult time with the button
mashing thing and trying to remember what they all do. I don't know,
probably just a Gunner's Mate thing.
Talk to ya later Rich.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Ray Bales, GMC(SW), USN --- [email protected]
So what exactly does it mean to take care of our people? I'm talking about
taking the young and impressionable sailors who report aboard their first
ship
and ensuring, through guidance and supervision, that they start out on the
right
track. Make them fully aware of what your expectations and standards are.
Then
send them away for a 90-day tour of messcooking duties . . . but don't just
forget about them! They are still your people!
Train your people, monitor their professional development, and provide them
with specific career guidance. In a time of force drawdowns and diminishing
advancement opportunities, this is critical now more than ever. Take your
superstar performers and groom them for success. Most of all, take the time
to
recognize performance above and beyond. It is our obligation to take
action when
recognition is warranted. Failure to do so is inexcusable and is the
worst injustice we can commit against our people. In a high optempo
environment,
fulfilling this obligation often means that other issues will "fall
through
the cracks". While we must intelligently decide what is allowed
to "fall
through the cracks", one thing is certain: we must not compromise
our
commitment to our people!
There are a number of ways to meet this commitment. It can be as simple as a
few words of praise and encouragement, assignment to positions of greater
responsibility and trust, or recognition through the awards system, sailor
of
the month/quarter/year programs, or the command advancement program. The
circumstances will dictate which course of action is the most appropriate.
Another consideration is the evaluation system. From evaluation reports that
I have read, it seems clear to me that a great deal of people who are in
positions which require writing evaluations have not taken the time to
read the
instruction which sets the guidelines for this. With an evaluation system
which
is still in its' infancy and widely misunderstood, this can have a
resounding
impact on our people as they move up (or don't move up) the advancement
ladder.
During my career, I have had the opportunity to work for exceptional
leaders, people for whom I hold the deepest respect. In many ways, they
taught
me how to do things right. I have also had the misfortune of being under
poor
and ineffective leaders. From them I learned what not to do. Bottom line,
and
the cornerstone of effective leadership: take care of your people!
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