TO DO today:

WEEK 1: FIND YOUR PURPOSE 1. Celebrate everyone in my

division at lunch on

(CONT’D) becoming 100% MTS

quailed.
2. Send a THANK YOU email
to my first Chief, Patty.
“When we recognize what is working well 3. Write to Anne to thank her
for the leadership she
and creating success, we are more likely to provided during my first
job.
repeat the behavior that helped create the
success in the first place.” (Kouzes and Posner
2017, pg. 09)

My first Chief in the Navy created a work environment where

everyone felt valued and cared for. She took the time to get to
know us as people. That created trust and helped us to
become one of the most successful divisions on the ship.
Seeing how caring about us created success, I try to follow
her lead and care for my Sailors as she did. I make sure to
find the time to get to know my Sailors and we are one of the
best divisions at the command.
WEEK 1: FIND YOUR PURPOSE (CONT’D)

“ Deeds are far more important than words

when constituents want to determine how
serious leaders really are about what they say.”
(Kouzes and Posner 2017, p. 14)

Some Chiefs talk the talk but don’t walk the walk when it comes TO DO today:
to standing up for their Sailors as Chief Crowell would. There 1. Recognize IT1 Murray for her
was a time on my second ship when our department head wanted outstanding leadership over the last
to send me to do a job that I had already done for more than 200 year.
days on my first ship. She told me not to report as ordered and
2. Write a Thank-You note to my wife
that she would take care of it. It made me feel like she really
cared about me. for the support she gave me when I
had six weeks of working late .
3. Thank MC Lichvar for teaching me
what it means to be a Chief.
 WEEK 3: MODEL THE WAY (CONT’D)

“By getting to know each other on a personal

level, we identified our shared values and
gave each person a reason to care about more
than just ourselves.” (Kouzes and Posner
2017, pg. 62)
Odyssey video:
The Chief on my first ship showed us that she cared “Next they came to the Island of the Sun where Odysseus’
about us as Sailors and people. She got to know all of us men sacrificed the suns sacred cattle.” (Found at 3:04 of
and opened up about herself as well. This allowed us to 4:29 ).
share values with each other which brought us closer
***If the crew knew him on a more personal level, they may have
together. If she warned us not to eat some sacred cattle, listened to him and stayed alive.***
we would’ve listened to her unlike Ody’s men who
didn’t listen to him and paid for it.
 Week 6: Look to Help Others

“I cannot do all the good that the world needs, but the world needs all the good that I
can do.” (Jana Stanfield. Date Unknown, pg 1)
This makes me think of a mentor I had on my second ship who always seemed to be doing what we thought at the
time was way too much. He mentored five Sailors while also leading his own division of 16 Sailors, volunteered with
three nonprofit organizations in his off time, and picked up trash with his family when they had the time. We asked
why he did all these things and all he would say is that “somebody has to do it, why not me?”

*** If everyone lived this way, the world would be a better place. Let’s set the example and bring others along for the ride! ***
During the last two weeks, in what ways have I tried to
connect personally with my Sailors? Please provide
examples and any recommendations for improvement.

I chose this question because there are times of the year

when we are busier than usual and don’t make the time to
do the important things like connecting better with our
Sailors. Sometimes I can get so task-focused that I lose
sight of connecting with my team. By maintaining
meaningful connections, my Sailors will feel more
connected to our team and the Navy as a whole. Asking
this question throughout the year will help me to refocus
when needed.
During the last month, how well did I respond
to the personal emergencies of my Sailors?
Please provide an example or two.

This is an important question because you never know exactly

what is going on in a Sailor’s life. At this time in my career, I’ve
seen many things that have been regarded as personal
emergencies. One emergency from two years ago came when I
received a call on a Saturday night from the wife of one of my
Sailors. She told me that he was making concerning comments
about not being around anymore. I had to drop what I was doing
with my family and spend the next few hours talking to him and
working with others to help get him to a better place.
WEEK 9: DEMONSTRATE UBUNTU
“But for Sully, it was as natural as
breathing.” (Varty, 2013, counter/timer:
8:47)
Varty is describing how Sully saved his life from a
crocodile attack on a game reserve in South Africa.
Sully saw that he was being attacked and without
hesitating, he jumped in the water and pulled him to
safety. He then wrapped his leg and brought him to get
help. The connection we have to one another is what
drives this type of behavior. It’s similar to how
firefighters, police, and military put themselves in
harm’s way to help strangers or fellow brothers or
sisters in arms.
Generic memes are ok sometimes 
“In a more collective society we realize
from the inside that our own wellbeing is
deeply tied to the wellbeing of others.”
(Varty, 2013, counter/timer: 8:55)
Varty was describing reasons why he thinks Sully
saved him from the attack. Our genuine human bond
and concern for each other are what drive us to do what
we do. It makes me think about some of the leaders
I’ve had that cared about me as a person when they
didn’t have to. Then I think about my life now as a
leader and how I do the same thing. I will most likely
never see them again and nothing makes me care about
their success, I just do it because it’s what feels right.
WEEK 9: DEMONSTRATE UBUNTU (CONT’D)

“That friendship lasts longest-if there is a chance

of its being a success-in which friends both give and
receive gifts.” (Mauss 2018, pg. 5)

I chose this quote because I wanted to challenge its meaning

by looking at it from a different approach. My Chief on the
USS Kinkaid was an amazing leader in many ways. Her day-
to-day leadership made everyone want to be better. When
she was going to transfer, another junior Sailor and I created
a fake award for her that we based on a traditional Navy
award. It was silly, fun, and let her know how awesome she
was. She loved it. 15 years later I reached out to her and she
still had it. She said that on the days she asks herself “what’s And… to complete that fun story, a year ago
the point anymore”, she looks at our award and it reminds when I left my ship, a few of my Sailors did
her that she does it for the Sailors. So, her gift was great the exact same thing for me. I never told them
leadership and ours back to her was an award that she still what my friend and I did, they came up with it
uses to this day. on their own. It’s the best award I've ever
received.
Week 11: Encourage the Heart (cont’d)
“Be excellent to each other!.”
(Herek, 1989)

Ok, ok, so this isn’t from any of our course material, but nonetheless,
it’s a simple, yet perfect way to live and lead (Bill & Ted rule.) Our
work culture, home life, and the world overall would be a better place
if we were just excellent to each other. Being excellent to each other
includes things like treating our teams with respect, giving them our
trust, and showing them that we genuinely care about their personal
and professional lives. When you’re being excellent to your team, they
will most likely act in kind.

“Just win baby!”

(Al Davis)
 AND….. THE LAST 360
QUESTION

In recent weeks, what ways have I recognized

the individual contributions of my Sailors?

I like doing this and need to make it one of my weekly

priorities so that I don’t miss out on any opportunities to
recognize my Sailors for their contributions. Everyone
appreciates some form of recognition, it will be my job to
learn more about what type of recognition works best for
each Sailor. This will help to motivate them to keep doing
great work. Make a sticky note, calendar reminder, or
create some other way to remember to do this!