job.  You  benefit  because  your  job  of  planning work and leave schedules is easier since the most efficient   use   can   be   made   of   personnel.   The member  benefits  because  of  a  feeling  of  ac- complishment and pride in work and the chance of  advancement  are  greatly  increased. SUPERVISION It  is  difficult  to  describe  a  good  supervisor  and even more difficult to become one. The methods of   supervision   depend   on   the   individual personality  and  traits  of  the  people  being supervised and the supervisor. The most effective supervision is maintained when   there   is   mutual   respect   between   the supervisor  and  the  subordinates.  A  form  of supervision exists when all work is performed in response  to  specific  orders  and  exactly  as  ordered. However,  this  form  of  supervision  is  unfair  to both the supervisor and the subordinate since it requires the supervisor to use an excessive amount of time on details, and it robs the subordinate of responsibility and the initiative the subordinate must  have  to  become  a  better  SK. Nearly  everyone  has  a  built-in  competitive spirit  that  can  be  used  to  advantage.  Competition may  exist  between  members  of  different storerooms,   between   storeroom   and   office personnel, between supply divisions, or between departments.   If   you   sense   that   worthwhile competition   is   being   replaced   by   petty   fault- finding,  it  is  time  to  rechannel  the  misdirected energy. Span of Control The number of individuals you can supervise adequately depends on the work you have to do and  the  amount  of  time  required  to  accomplish it.  The  number  of  personnel  directly  supervised by one person should generally not be less than three  nor  more  than  seven.  If  the  functions  of your office are fairly routine, the span of control may be larger. However, when you find yourself bogged down to such an extent that you cannot find   time   for   supervision   or   for   your   special duties, then it is time to reduce your larger span of  (direct)  control. Each  group  should  be  headed  by  a  petty officer  responsible  to  you  for  the  professional (and   sometimes   military)   performance   of   the people  in  the  group.  This  leaves  you  free  to supervise  broadly,  to  concentrate  on  problems needing special attention, to handle special work assigned  by  your  supervisor,  and  to  attend  to those  duties  that  can  be  performed  only  by  the leading Storekeeper. Unity of Command Unity of command simply means that a person should report directly to and receive orders from one  superior.  When  you  assign  responsibility  to a  petty  officer  for  a  group  of  people,  the  petty officer should have control. This means that the petty  officer  alone  should  issue  orders  to  and receive   reports   from   that   group.   Unity   of command   also   requires   that   the   petty   officer knows who the petty officer directs and to whom the  petty  officer  reports,  and  that  the  members of  the  group  understand  to  whom  they  report. Authority Equals Responsibility Good  organization  always  matches  responsi- bility with authority. This means that when you assign responsibility for doing a job to one of your subordinates  you  also  delegate  to  the  subordinate the  necessary  authority  for  its  accomplishment. The  subordinate  should  have  the  authority  to require from those under supervision the action necessary  to  get  the  job  done. How  Much  Supervision? It is a curious thing that while most of us like to  feel  that  our  seniors  know  what  is  going  on, we  strongly  resent  the  sense  that  someone  is watching  our  every  move.  We  especially  resent being  watched  if  we  think  the  watcher  is constantly   looking   for   something   to   complain about. With  people  whose  abilities  and  methods  of working you know well, you actually can dismiss thoughts about a piece of work once it is assigned. However,  this  is  not  always  true.  A  good supervisor  knows  which  workers  can  be  relied upon  to  proceed  on  their  own  and  which  ones need closer supervision and direction. Just the fact that you are paying attention to what they do has a  beneficial  effect  on  the  atmosphere  of  the  office. One   mistake   commonly   made   by   less experienced  supervisors  is  to  do  a  great  deal  of observing  but  apply  very  little  thought  to  what is  observed. A  successful  supervisor  often  gets  more  out of  a  brief,  casual  visit  than  another  supervisor would  get  from  standing  around  for  an  hour watching the person at work. This is because the 1-12