see what they can do

Once a year, all Navy ships undergo a thorough assessment, in which outside inspectors validate the ship's readiness. The ship as a whole and the crew's abilities and proficiencies are rated in twenty-four categories, on a scale ranging from basic Level One to advanced Level Four. 

The purpose is to determine who much additional training the crew needs to be ready for combat. But if you assume that the higher a ship's level, the less time it would spend training at sea, you would be wrong. In fact, regardless of its readiness rating, every ship spends the next six months training at sea. 
Thus there was no incentive to reach Level Four, and in fact, no ship ever did. Level One was the required minimum, and that was usually considered good enough. 

Then Benfold came along.

Originally, my goal was to reach an overall rating of Level Two, but when I recognized the enormous potential of my crew, I raised the bar to Level Three, much to the chagrin of those who saw it as a quantum leap in their labor and my hubris. 

I must also admit that, in addition to my noble motive of making the ship as good as it could be, I wanted to blow my archrival out of the water. Their assessment was scheduled to begin the basic Level One. The CO had no idea that we were laying the groundwork to shake things up a little. In fact, we were about to rock his world.

Our first challenge was finding enough senior people to supervise the twenty-four areas of testing. My combat systems officer hit me with the unexpected news that we had only twenty qualified people who were not involved in other critical operations. 

Thinking fast, I said, "Fine - pick supervisors from the next group down. You don't always need a senior person in charge. It could be a young, third-class petty officer."

"That's never been done before," he said.

"See what they can do," I said. "The alternative is to do nothing, right? Let's assign senior people to the most demanding areas and work our way down to the junior ones. If we don't get Level Three in some categories, so what? We will get Level One or Two. We have nothing to lose."

As it turns out, the third- and second-class petty officers were so honored to be chosen that they worked hard enough for several of their teams to outshine those supervised by senior people. The search-and-seizure team was particularly impressive. We assigned it to one of the ship's most junior sailors because we suspected he had the ability to honcho it. The outside inspectors protested, saying they could not validate the work of an important team that wasn't headed by a commissioned officer. But I insisted, and the young sailor did such a fantastic job that the inspectors ate their words and placed us at Level Four in that category.

Breaking out of our stratified systems to trust the people who work for us, especially those at or near the low end of the hierarchy, was a useful, progressive change. It let us unleash people with talent and let them rise to levels that no one had expected, simply by challenging them: Make Benfold the readiest ship afloat. In that context, how could we not have done well?


D. Michael Abrashoff
It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy by D. Michael Abrashoff. Grand Central Publishing. 2007. p.146-148

people want to be magnificent

I think people want to be magnificent. It is the job of the leader to bring out that magnificence in people and to create an environment where they feel safe and supported and ready to do the best job possible in accomplishing key goals. This responsibility is a sacred trust that should not be violated. The opportunity to guide others to their fullest potential is an honor and one that should not be taken lightly. As leaders, we hold the lives of others in our hands. These hands need to be gentle and caring and always available for support.

Ken Blanchard
Situational Leadership® II, The Article. 2001

the HUGE majority of discomfort

Unless you are currently suffering from constant or recurring physical pain, the HUGE majority of discomfort that you face in any day will be psychological in nature. In other words, you are uncomfortable because you are thinking. As such, managing your thoughts will be the biggest part of your self-care practice.

Jason Seib

The (dis)Comfort Zone Workshop: Make peace with discomfort for better self-care almost immediately. Accessed 3/5/2024

unless it quits trying

Love is the thing that changes hearts. It is the purest motive of all, and others can feel it. Let’s hold fast to these prophetic words offered 50 years ago: “No home is a failure unless it quits trying.” Surely, those who love the most and the longest win!

Tamara W. Runia

"Seeing God’s Family through the Overview Lens," General Conference October 2023

our true desires

How powerful a role our true desires play in our lives! Desire both initiates our actions and sustains us - for good or evil. If we desire wealth or power, these will tend to be the moving causes of our actions. If instead we desire spiritual things and are obedient, the promised blessings will come to us. Just as it is not possible to save an individual against his will, so blessings do not come against our wills. 

Neal A. Maxwell

Not My Will, but Thine by Neal A. Maxwell. 2008. Deseret Book. p. 95

vice clothed as virtue

That act of service yesterday - was it in fact, at root, a matter of creating a perception of you and your virtue? Don't answer too quickly! They way you cheerfully greet those around you today - is it, upon further reflection, mainly fueled by what you want others to think of you? Is it not, as Augustine put it, vice clothed as virtue? 

Dane C. Ortlund

Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane C. Ortlund. Crossway. 2021. p.41

the applause you get

Profit is the applause you get for taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.... When managers focus only on organizational indicators of vitality – such as profit – they have their eyes on the scoreboard, not the ball. Profit, a key aspect of organizational vitality, is a byproduct of serving the customer, which can be achieved only by serving the employee. So profit really is the applause you get from taking care of your customers and creating a motivating environment for your people.

Ken Blanchard

Leading at a Higher Level: Blanchard on Leadership and Creating High Performing Organizations (Revised and Expanded Edition). FT Press, 2009. 

receptivity

Receptivity is the willingness to listen to and work with someone else to make an interaction productive. Think of receptivity as a line on a graph. As we engage in conversation, the other person’s line may move above or dip below a minimal level of receptivity. Sometimes, he is highly involved; sometimes, not at all. It can change from moment to moment. 

Effective communication depends on raising receptivity as high as possible. If we do nothing to budge low receptivity, we lose the lively interplay of ideas, insights, debate, and the weighing of options that characterize quality discussion.

If we can’t get that synergy going, we will be far less successful as leaders engaging in activities that depend on good communication, such as motivating, coaching, or training. So, it’s worthwhile to work on raising receptivity…

A good technique for creating interest is to actually answer their question, “What’s in it for me?” by making a benefit statement. Take the time at the beginning of a discussion and at other appropriate moments to state what the benefit will be for them to participate.

“Karen, I’m glad I caught you. I did an inventory check at the warehouse. I want to talk about it because I think we can solve your shortage problem.” The other person’s ears perk up. Something to solve my problem? I’m listening!

That’s fine if it’s good news. What if the topic is unpleasant? Keep finding the benefit. Suppose you are a team leader and must talk to a member who monopolizes discussions, and runs roughshod over the views of others? You might say “John, I’m concerned about the way you approach out team discussions. If everyone were allowed more of a chance to contribute, your ideas would be better received and have a greater chance of being adopted.” A positive outcome is stated up front as a reward for John’s willingness to work out the problem. That makes more sense than, “John, you’re being a loudmouth, and people are complaining about it. So, knock it off.” Receptivity will be a lot higher in the first conversation, even though the statement in the second may be just as accurate.

Ann Buzzotta, Larry Gross, and Les Muckerman (the research and development team of Psychological Associates)

Leadership Through People Skills® Workshop Prework – Article 2: Communication by. 

urge a man into the front

Explain it away as we may, a martial strain will urge a man into the front rank of battle sooner than an argument, and a fine anthem excite his devotion more certainly than a logical discourse.


Tuckerman as quoted in Pop Music & Morality by Lex de Azevedo. Embryo Books. 1982. p.37

…eliminate guilt. I hope it goes without saying that guilt is not a proper motivational technique for leaders and teachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ. We must always motivate through love and sincere appreciation, not by creating guilt. I like the thought “Catch others doing something right.”


M. Russell Ballard, “O Be Wise,” Ensign, Nov. 2006, 17