“The backbone of the Navy” is how one old adage sums up the importance of the chiefs quarters. Superior commands are especially quick to acknowledge the chief petty officer’s special role and contribution. The uniqueness of that role is a function both of the position the chief occupies in the organizational structure and of the job qualifications that must be satisfied before the position is attained. Chiefs have considerable managerial and technical expertise and are the linchpin between officers and enlisted.

For there to be a strong chiefs quarters, the chiefs must feel that they are valued and that they have the authority and responsibility to do the job the way they think it ought to be done. In superior commands, the chiefs feel that their special leadership role is sanctioned and appreciated by the rest of the command, especially the CO. In these commands, the chiefs are included in all major activities, particularly planning. Their input is sought and readily given. If they believe that something won’t work or that there is a better way to do it, they speak up.

Chiefs in superior commands lead by taking responsibility for their division. They motivate their subordinates, counsel them, defend them when unjustly criticized, monitor and enforce standards, give positive and negative feedback, communicate essential information, solicit input, monitor morale, and take initiative to propose new solutions and to do things before being told. The chiefs play a key role in the enforcement of standards. Because they are out and about, they see for themselves whether job performance and military bearing meet the Navy’s and the command’s requirements.

When work is done well, they offer recognition and rewards; when it is done poorly, they act to correct it. They also know the importance of modeling the kind of behavior they expect their people to display. If they expect their personnel to work long hours to get something done, they work the same hours right along with them. Their concerns extend beyond their immediate areas, however.

Chiefs in superior commands act for command-wide effectiveness, promoting the success of the unit as a whole. Although they have a strong sense of ownership and take responsibility for their division’s activities, they are able to look beyond the job at hand: when other departments or divisions need assistance, chiefs in superior commands are willing to help.

The superior chiefs quarters usually has a strong leader who plays the role of standard-bearer for the command, creates enthusiasm, offers encouragement, and drives others to excel. It is usually someone whom the other chiefs perceive as fair, who stands up for their interests and those of the crew, who listens with an open mind, and who has demonstrated a high degree of technical proficiency.

In superior commands, the chiefs quarters functions as a tight-knit team. The chiefs coordinate well, seek inputs from each other, help with personal problems, identify with the command’s philosophy and goals, and treat each other with professional respect.

Finally, this ability to perceive larger goals and to work toward them as a team extends to their relationships with division officers. Chiefs in superior commands are sensitive to the difficulties that arise for division officers, who lack experience and technical know-how but must nevertheless take their place as leaders within the chain of command. A superior chiefs quarters supports and advises these new officers fully and tactfully.

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“This is a call to arms and I’m going to issue every chief petty officer in the Navy a compass and tell them to get to work,” Stevens told Navy Times. “I’m not creating anything new here, but acting within the limits of of my authority as MCPON as I knew I could go to my chiefs and call them to action in wiping this from our ranks.” 

“I have spent a great deal of time reflecting on what the president and other leaders discussed during the meeting and what we as chief petty officers might be able to do to get to the left of this terrible issue,” he said in the message.

“This isn’t a high profile program and doesn’t cost a bunch of money,” he said. “This is good old fashioned Chief Petty Officer leadership. We are in this together. It is our duty.” 

MCPON Mike Stevens

You can read the full NAVY Times article HERE.

Our strongest Navy Commanding Officers develop and cultivate a distinct voice of servant leadership.  They strive to bring about top performance within their commands to realize the power of strategic, command-wide alignment. These men and women crystallize their organization’s vision for their Sailors. They effectively forge a coordinated effort and make the daily routine within their commands seem effortless.  These amazing leaders seek new ways to express the “WHY” behind their mission, vision and values. 

The effective CO’s message provides a framework for thought and a conduit for action throughout their commands.  They use every means possible to communicate with as many Sailors in the organization as possible in as many different ways as possible.  Their message permeate their commands.  They get the right things done, the right way at the right time.

Lieutenant Haag, as Air Operations Officer, leads a 53-person division that provides Special Evaluators, Special Signals Operators, and Special Operators for the Africa Command (AFRICOM), European Command (EUCOM), and Central Command (CENTCOM) areas of responsibility (AORs). He also manages Navy Information Operations Command – Georgia’s Information Warfare Officer/Information Dominance Warfare Officer (IWO/IDWO) training program, where he tracks the qualifications of 34 officers. 

From February through June 2012, LT Haag was in charge of two EP-3E aircraft crews. While deployed, he streamlined time-sensitive mission information flow, which resulted in a 400% increase in time-sensitive reports. He taught his crews to use collaboration tools on the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Communication System network to better share and store signals intelligence information for customers. 

These efforts were praised by collection managers at 6th FLEET, AFRICOM, and various national-level divisions. In addition, despite the absence of a budget and cryptologic maintenance personnel, LT Haag led his Sailors in 40 ground hours and countless in-flight hours troubleshooting and repairing specialized geo-location equipment and SIGINT reporting circuits on board his EP-3Es. 

LT Haag also re-wrote the Navy’s communication requirements for the Consolidated Reconnaissance Operating Facility at Souda Bay, Greece. Working with national end-user support divisions, LT Haag directed the installation of more than $50,000 in computer and server equipment, as well as the installation of new fiber lines. He coordinated efforts of various contractors to fix connectivity and geolocation equipment issues on board his EP-3Es, saving more than $10,000 in maintenance funds. Upon returning to NIOC Georgia in June, taking charge of the Air Operations Division, LT Haag worked with subject matter experts to build seven new Joint Qualification Requirements for the AFRICOM, CENTCOM and EUCOM AORs. 

He simplified the data flow path from his deployed crews so that the newly created CTF-1050 Battle Watch could easily integrate EP-3E operations into the daily brief to the NIOC Georgia Commanding Officer. His previous efforts of storing SIGINT data allowed the SIGINT community to quickly respond to the assassination of the U.S. Ambassador to Libya in September 2012. 

He volunteered to manage the command’s IWO and Information Dominance Warfare Officer (IDWO) training program, and revitalized the program by building a collaborative web page, instituting office hours, and holding weekly O-3 “Murder Boards” to ensure that officers meet the full requirements for IWO and IDWO qualification. In addition, he telecast weekly training sessions, which allows officers at NIOC Georgia’s eight reservist units to make progress on their IWO and IDWO qualifications.

More about the COMTENTHFLT awardees HERE.

A mentor explained his steadfast approach to reaching every single Sailor in his command on a personal and professional level.  As he explained it, “Our young Sailors (JOs, whitehats and even CPOs) represent our Navy’s future, and if you lose the confidence of these Sailors, you giving away our Navy’s future success.”  “Mike, we  just can’t afford that.”

I can’t find any fault in that.