Author: captain1610

CO NAF El Centro fired

The commanding officer of Naval Air Facility El Centro, Calif., was relived of his duties on 1 July 2013 — the third straight week that’s started with the firing of a shore-based Navy CO.

Captain  Devon Jones, who assumed command in August 2011, was fired by Rear Admiral Dixon Smith, head of Navy Region Southwest, “due to a loss of confidence in his ability to command,” according to a Navy Region Southwest news release.

The Navy would not release the full details of Jones’ alleged actions at this time because the case remains under investigation, said Commander Brad Fagan, director of public affairs at Navy Region Southwest.

Pace Yourself

 

A good leader does not routinely operate at anywhere near his physical, emotional or intellectual capacity.  The good leader is always pacing his efforts so that he has enough reserve to sustain his concentration as long as necessary when unexpected events require.

A person operating near 100% capacity is a person operating at the edge of his envelope of reliability.
That person will not have the ability to take a bullet – of any caliber.
No individual is so good or so indispensable that he is immune to professional trauma.  It’s all in the leadership game.  Susceptibility to taking a bullet is one of the downsides of the game.  The ability to recover from adversity is an ability a leader must have.
From RADM Dave Oliver’s great book LEAD ON!

Command – Yours 24 hours a day

“Command is for the individual who loves responsibility, that is one of the challenges of leadership. It’s yours twenty-four hours a day. Command is an assignment that you were totally responsible for all the activities within that unit. There is an intrinsic reward; it is satisfying a need to be able to project a certain amount of order and discipline to yield results. That’s your reward, that you did it, to want bigger and bigger responsibilities. To seek it, but it was not ambition, but the challenge of taking on the toughest responsibilities.”

Admiral Paul David Miller

THREE BASIC RULES OF THUMB FOR YOUR ACTIONS

  • Does this action attempt to deceive anyone or allow anyone to be deceived?
  • Does this action gain or allow the gain of a privilege or advantage to which I or someone else would not otherwise be entitled?
  • Would I be satisfied by the outcome if I were on the receiving end of this action?
Best to know the answers to all three before acting.

From the United States Military Academy (USMA)

The Crew in Command Excellence

It is the crew, led by the officers and Chiefs, who must ultimately accomplish the command’s mission. The crew is where “the keel meets the water.” Without a top-performing crew, no command can be successful.

Commanding Officers of superior commands are particularly adept at molding their crew into a highly unified, spirited, fighting team with a laser-like focus: accomplishing the command’s mission. When asked, these crews can not only clearly describe the command’s philosophy and goals, but they also voice wholehearted support of the CO and his approach. Because the CO, XO, officers, and Chiefs frequently explain what they want done and why, the crew knows what is expected of them and feels a part of the team. The result is enthusiasm, motivation, and pride in the command. These crews often praise their CO with the ultimate accolade: “I’d go to war with him.” In average commands, the crew may not be sure of the command’s philosophy or may withhold their total support of it.
The crew in superior commands also live up to the high standards demanded by their officers and Chiefs. They know that when they succeed, they will be recognized and rewarded; equally well, they know that when they make mistakes, they will be told and corrective action taken. Their commitment to upholding the command’s standards generates a strong sense of responsibility for their individual work areas. They act on the principle that if you’re going to do something, then do it right, and do it right the first time.
Crew members of superior commands realize that success depends on a team effort. They don’t act or do their jobs in disregard of the rest of the command. They communicate frequently, coordinate activities, and help each other out when necessary. In addition, they are careful about following the chain of command. They know that violating it disrupts teamwork, creates confusion, hurts morale, and hinders leadership.