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All professional officers and enlisted persons
take pride in naval traditions and eagerly conform
to the customs and etiquette of the service. These
traditions and customs are the honorable heritage
of “seamen who go down to the sea in ships.”
SHIPBOARD RELATIONS BETWEEN
OFFICERS AND ENLISTED PERSONS
A shipboard environment increases the
difficulty with which officers and enlisted persons
maintain the proper relationship. Developing a
level of communication with their personnel that
will foster mutual respect is of vital importance
for new officers. The key to developing this
communication is for officers to learn the
personality and character of every one of their
juniors. American blue-jackets are intelligent,
cooperative, and ambitious. They want their
superiors to treat them well and show appreciation
for their ability. They want to respect their
officers, to admire them, and to be able to boast
about them to the crews of other ships.
By virtue of their commission, new officers
find themselves in charge of people; they may feel
strange about this newly acquired authority.
Because inexperienced officers may feel uncertain
about associating with enlisted personnel, they
may hesitate to develop a good relationship. They
want to be liked by their personnel, to know them
as individuals, yet maintain rightful authority over
them.
Personal dignity is a quality new officers must
cultivate. Successful leaders possess that un-
definable quality that enables them to talk casually
and unofficially with their people, while main-
taining that reserve which discourages undue
familiarity. However, consideration for enlisted
personnel is a must; good leaders always show
concern for the welfare of their people.
The relationship between officers and their
subordinates influences discipline. Officers should
not fraternize with enlisted persons or attempt to
be “one of the gang.” This type of familiarity
quickly undermines discipline. If subordinates
become familiar and fail to keep the proper
distance between themselves and a senior, the
officer usually is at fault.
A great difference exists between familiarity
and friendship.
The officer who talks to
subordinates in a friendly manner, taking a
personal interest in them and showing concern for
their problems, quickly gains their confidence and
respect. Subordinates want to look to their seniors
for guidance; they want to be proud of their senior
petty officers and officers. Such leaders, because
they are friendly and approachable, will be the
first ones their people turn to for advice.
Being friendly with subordinates does not
mean being easy with them. Leaders must
handle breaches of discipline immediately,
justly, and consistently. They cannot react
severely to breaches one day and pass them off
as insignificant the next. Such an approach can
only result in confusion, poor morale, and distrust
of the leader.
Two fundamental rules apply: (1) Never make
a regulation you cannot or will not enforce; and
(2) take immediate, fair action that leaves no
doubt in the mind of the offenders as to why they
are being punished.
In summary, a good relationship between
officers and their subordinates must be founded
on mutual respect. The measure of respect an
officer inspires in enlisted personnel is a measure
of that officer as a leader and a seaman.
Relations With the Leading
Chief Petty Officer (LCPO)
Many new officers have difficulty adjusting
to their new roles of authority. Just the simple
case of having someone 10 to 15 years their senior
calling them “sir” or “ma’am” often takes some
getting used to. That coupled with the respon-
sibilities of their billet and the Navy way of life
may induce a “culture shock.”
A very important person in the development
of the new division officer is the leading chief
petty officer (LCPO). As the division’s technical
authority and supervisor, the LCPO has the
expertise and skill to accomplish all divisional
tasks. LCPOs have traditionally contributed
to the professional growth of junior officers
through a hands-on approach of passing on their
knowledge.
The LCPO has been around the Navy and the
division longer than the new officer and stands
ready to give support. New officers should make
a point of talking with their LCPO about
decisions affecting the division. When new
officers develop a step-by-step plan to accomplish
a task, they should discuss the plan with the
LCPO. The LCPO has the experience and
technical expertise to disassemble the plan and put
it back together. The LCPO will give an honest
opinion of the plan and provide suggestions for
improvement. The LCPO will be supportive of
the plan if it is sound but will also voice
objection when in doubt.
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