With permission from a friend and reader, I reprint a heartwarming letter from him to his naval officer son as the latter leaves for deployment on one of our great Navy ships. It captures just about everything a God-fearing, patriotic American would and should hold true.
“Dear Son,
Today you start writing the story of the next chapter of your life. Time to flip the switch from student to professional. From this day forward you will be judged by what you say, what you do, and how you present yourself. All future opportunities in the organization will depend on people’s perception of you and only you can manage that. Always be mindful of your leadership position and the responsibility that attaches.
Grow thick skin. Much stress, feedback and ball busting dead ahead. Your bosses will test you to see how you handle it. Manage response and body language. Never give the bastards the satisfaction.
Embrace the chain of command and resist the trap of micro management. Let your NCOs know what needs to be done and when and turn them loose. Let them deal with the enlisted bullshit, stay above the fray. Delegation is a key management skill. Give your team responsibility and authority to complete tasks and monitor and mentor for compliance. It instills trust both ways and inspires loyalty.
First 30 days: mouth shut, eyes and ears open. Old quote: “Better to be silent and thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt”. Identify the competent, smart team members and develop relationships but always maintain a degree of professional separation with subordinates.
Lead by example. Appearance, demeanor, language, knowledge etc. Be the “Boss” they will remember as a professional who was competent and had their backs.
Take care of your people. Be fair and just. Do what you know in your heart is right.
Giving people a voice is a great tool and has always worked for me. You may not be able to give them what they want or agree, but they will appreciate the opportunity to present their perspective and ultimately accept your decisions.
Learn from and respect seniors and always maintain an open mind. Listen to their endless war/sea stories with great interest and they will embrace you. Take pearls of wisdom from each and build into your management style/approach.
Finally, head on a swivel, when things start going sideways…slow it down. When the shit starts people will look to you for calm leadership. Inevitably mistakes and accidents will happen. Make reasonable decisions… but make a goddamn decision. Indecisiveness is a poison to the team and mission. Assess all available information, consider options and pick the best path forward.
Take ownership of the good and bad. No excuses only explanations of thought processes and lessons learned.
Finally, be safe and take great care. I love you with all my heart and am indescribably proud of you.
Life starts to speed up now…enjoy the ride.
Fair winds and following seas my boy!
Much love,
Dad”
To which I add, “God Speed”!