Overheard in the passageway

“Humility doesn’t get any respect in this wardroom.”

And my response to that is a quote from Tony Schwartz at Life@Work.

“Humility is a way of acknowledging that none of us stand at the center of the universe. No matter what role we occupy, or how much we know, we don’t have a lock on the answers. A position of authority over others scarcely guarantees that you have real authority.

When leaders openly accept the whole of who they are – for better and for worse – they no longer have to defend their value so vigilantly.”

Are you being too defensive?

Shipmate ?

“I think that the term ‘shipmate’ is something honorable and it’s something that each one of you earns. It should be something to be very proud of.”

Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (SW/FMF) Joe Campa

You don’t need the wardroom’s permission

“You don’t need the wardroom’s permission to lead Sailors. I really believe it rests in the hands of the chiefs’ mess to fix this (Career Development).”

MCPON Campa

Chief Petty Officer Responsibility

“The chief petty officer can, and should, take the responsibility of keeping every Sailor under his leadership informed. If one of his Sailors has a problem, he has a problem. There should be no excuses. There is a solution to every problem, and it should be pursued until his Sailor is satisfied that every means has been exhausted in the effort to find a solution. I feel very strongly that we need to improve our leadership abilities to keep pace with the high level of technical skill. The rapidity of advancement has caused a need for establishment of more leadership classes at the command level. My feelings are that we must have a chain of command from top to bottom, but even more important, we must have a channel of communication and understanding.”

MCPON Del Black, United States Navy’s 1st Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy