It is also important for you to maintain open lines  of  communication  with  your  superiors  as well  as  with  your  subordinates.  Your  seniors  must be kept informed on the status of your workloads, your equipment and personnel requirements, and any  problems  you  are  having.  You  should  seek direction  from  your  superiors,  request  the  help needed,  and  offer  your  recommendations  for changes or improvements. At the same time, you should   always   offer   guidance   and   aid   to subordinates. You should encourage your people to   bring   both   problems   and   ideas   to   you   for discussion  and  solution.  Of  course,  one  of  the most  important  facets  of  training  you  can  pro- vide   for   your   subordinates   is   your   personal example  of  how  effective  communication  works both  up  and  down  the  chain  of  command. Formal Training Courses In addition to publications and training films, there  are  now  a  number  of  training  courses available  to  personnel  in  the  Ship’s  Serviceman rating.  You  may  have  an  opportunity  to  attend one  of  the  training  courses  yourself;  or,  as  an enlisted  supervisor,  you  may  have  the  occasion to  recommend  junior  personnel  for  participation in such a school. At present, the following courses are available: Ship’s   Serviceman   class   A   school—A 6-week  course  designed  to  provide  training  to enlisted  personnel  in  the  areas  of  ship’s  store administration,   retail   sales,   and   laundry operations. Ship’s   Serviceman   barber   school—A 4-week  course  designed  to  provide  training  to enlisted  personnel  in  the  area  of  barbering.  The course  covers  barbershop  management  and  opera- tion,  equipment  and  tools,  men’s  and  women’s haircutting, and skin diseases and their preven- tion.  Upon  completion,  the  student  receives  the NEC  for  Barber  which  is  3122. Laundry/dry-cleaning   school—A   2-week course designed to train Navy enlisted personnel to  perform  various  steps  required  in  receiving, marking,  cleaning,  and  issuing  of  clothing  that is  processed  through  dry-cleaning  plants.  Upon completion,  the  NEC  3154  for  Laundry/Dry- cleaning  Specialist  is  awarded. Navy   exchange/commissary   school—A 4-week course designed to provide training to the middle  grade  petty  officers  who  are  going  to  be assigned   to   a   Navy   exchange   or   commissary. Upon  completion,  an  NEC  of  3114  is  awarded. Ship’s   store   afloat   management—A 6-week  course  designed  to  provide  training  for petty  officers  in  advanced  ship’s  store  record- keeping.  The  course  is  made  up  of  5  weeks  of records  and  1  week  of  management  administra- tion.   Upon   completion,   an   NEC   of   3112   is awarded. YOUR  ABILITY  AS  A  SUPERVISOR You  may  graduate  from  a  formal  school  or you may never have an opportunity to go to one, but one thing is still the same-you will never stop learning   how   to   become   a   good   supervisor. Besides  the  special  skills  and  knowledge  you  have worked so hard to achieve in the Ship’s Service- man rating, you must constantly strive to develop your  ability  as  a  supervisor. In supervising the activities under your con- trol, you should not try to control every detail of each operation. General orders should be enough; they  leave  your  subordinates  some  latitude  in which  to  make  adjustments  for  unforeseen  cir- cumstances.   As   a   result,   your   subordinates develop  a  sense  of  responsibility  which  in  itself is  a  necessary  part  of  effective  supervision. Therefore, you should learn how to use the con- cept  of  general  orders  effectively.  You  will  find that when you maintain a general level of super- vision  not  only  do  you  establish  confidence  in your subordinates, but you also remove from your own  workload  the  frustrations  of  having  to  cope with  the  details  of  someone  else’s  job. Because of the nature of your rating, you may be  placed  in  supervision  over  various  activities. Sometimes you may have to supervise a detailed operation   about   which   you   have   very   little knowledge.  For  example,  if  you  area  senior  SH whose  specialty  is  the  operation  of  retail  activities and you find yourself in an assignment where one of  your  responsibilities  is  general  supervision  over the   ship’s   laundry,   you   must   rely   on   other people  to  help  you  out.  The  person  in  direct charge  of  the  laundry  is  a  Ship’s  Serviceman whose  NEC  is  Laundryman—this  is  a  person  with considerable  training  and  experience  in  laundry operation. It will be good leadership on your part to   show   that   you   respect   this   individual’s knowledge. Work with this person in establishing a  laundry  schedule  to  meet  the  requirements  of the  ship.  You  should  also  recognize  that  this 3-17