Commodore's Corner Lead Today To Avoid Regret Tomorrow
By CAPT John "Swede" Anderson, USN, Commander, Helicopter Maritime Strike Wing Atlantic
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ost importantly, I would like to recognize and applaud the enthusiasm, tactical prowess, professionalism, and ownership across all ranks of rotary aircrews, maintenance rates, civilian staff, and support personnel. That opinion isn't only the musings of a proud Commodore; on the contrary, I can't recall a week whena senior official didn't relay those same observations. Far too often, we get mired in the daily grind where we fail to recognize the breadth of all our accomplishments and immeasurable value to the force. Take a step back and admire your work. At the higher echelons and down through squadron O5 leadership, the Navy is acutely focused on identifying and prioritizing Quality of Life (QOL) and Quality of Service (QOS) initiatives. I can assure you that Flag leadership is listening to our recommendations and taking action more than any other time that I have witnessed in my career. But despite these ongoing efforts, we must consider how we, as a community, can maximize our current force and hedge against future recruiting or retention shortfalls. I will seize upon this soapbox opportunity to relay thoughts on leadership and how to further enable our ability to Fix, Fly, and Fight. "You Owe It To The Team” – It is imperative that every maintainer achieve and maintain qualifications on timeline. From years of reviewing anonymous climate surveys and countless non-attribution conversations with maintainers, this is the number one issue that erodes the morale of a maintenance department. High achievers understandably resent those who are delinquent in achieving their qualifications. On the other hand, low achievers claim that they have little to no incentive to gain a qualification that carries with it more responsibility, more work, and, in their mind, a higher chance of losing rank at non-judicial punishment. Within the sports world, former Alabama football head coach, Nick Saban, identified similar concerns in building a championship program: "Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people. So if everybody doesn't buy into the same principles and values of the organization at the same high standard, you're never going to be successful." At every leadership level, our most critical responsibility is to provide a unifying vision while creating a team-oriented culture that incentivizes achievement. We must also ensure that Sailors genuinely believe that our actions in imparting individual discipline aren't acts of vengeance but rather methods of ensuring accountability to the team. The most successful teams are comprised of individuals who all pull equal weight and all row at the same high speed. "Inspection Ready" – I loathe the publicizing of known inspection dates, as I feel that doing so impedes the development of a proactive culture where we don't adequately
Rotor Review #163 Winter '24
recognize and advance high-initiative Sailors who prove that they can operate autonomously. In the current paradigm, Sailors receive recognition and are often ranked based on their performance during inspections. If we want to know which communities/squadrons/ departments/Sailors genuinely value safety and readiness (and lead accordingly), we should observe them via unannounced inspections. And then, we should reward and advance those proactive sailors who have demonstrated that they are always on their game. I am seeking ways to implement this approach within CHSMWL, not to be poised to "Fight Tonight" but to be ready to “Fight Now.” "I've Been There Before" – Reduced manning heightens the importance of considering platform experience during the enlisted detailing process. Sub-optimal squadron manning challenges qualified maintainers to dedicate time to leading maintenance training evolutions, whether the training is on the job or formally structured. New check-ins with prior platform experience minimize training overhead requirements and afford squadron leadership flexibility in appointing detachment LCPO/LPO responsibilities. "Reutilization" metrics exist, and leadership is fighting on your behalf to keep qualified and deserving talent within the community. "What Is It Gonna Take?" – I'm irritated whenever I hear someone propose dismissing a mishap as a one-off incident, a bad day, or the 'cost of doing business.' Inculcating a strong, learning safety culture throughout every level of our community is the 'price of winning.' We literally can’t afford to get this one wrong. "I Like It Here, I Think I'll Stay" – Retention studies are replete with reasons employees transition out of a career field. Although there are disagreements on the prioritization order of that rationale, there is no doubt that two primary factors are whether an employee feels like they are learning new skills and whether that employee has any desire to follow in their boss' footsteps. "They Really Do Care" – The most rewarding decision I made during my command tour at HSM-73 was carving out three workdays dedicated exclusively to maintenance training. We brought in outside aviation safety and maintenance experts and spent several days providing rate-specific training across the squadron. I've never seen Sailors so motivated and excited about their work. The maintainers' pride swelled beyond anything I'd seen in the squadron up to that point. Reduced manning means that conducting efficient and impactful maintenance training is even more paramount than before. Our Maintainers desperately want to learn and improve, so let's enable it.
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