WHERE IS THE PRIDE IN OWNERSHIP ?

                                                                                                      by BMCS Stuart Slesh

I have spent the past several days reading through the various posts on this site and continue to find a reoccurring theme. Now, for those of you who don’t know me, I have been accused in the past of over simplifying a situation. I blame that on the way I was raised, both by my father and throughout my career.

I enlisted before TMT, QATs, TQM, Measurement scales, and the like. I enlisted when a Chief was called in whenever and wherever a problem arouse. I enlisted when a Chief looked at the Coast Guard and everyone that worked in it, as his or hers. I enlisted when a Chief would enforce COMDT policy as if he or she had written it him or herself. It was a simpler time and there was pride in ownership. There was a sense of ownership in all that we did and somewhere along the road that ownership has been lost or given away.

At any unit you visit you can encounter an eighteen year old sailor that will spend four hours in the sun waxing their car on their own time, but can’t spend four minutes to remove the gunk from the corners of the mess deck during their duty hours. It’s not that they can’t see the gunk… it’s that they don’t see it as being theirs. Somewhere along the way that ownership has been lost.

Many of us are becoming more like those young sailors. We take great pride in those things that we have laid ownership to and ignore everything else, thinking that its is someone else’s problem, someone else will clean up the mess. Where is the pride in ownership?

As Chiefs we have been given a great responsibility to correct all that is deficient in our sight. We are responsible to train others to answer that same call. Our time in this service is short and we have a responsibility to both those who came before us and those will follow after us to do what needs to be done, and do it right. We have ownership in every process, we need to be able to reflect pride in everything that we touch.

We talk about “juniority”, but what are we doing as senior management to ensure that only those members deserving advancement are in turn advanced. Are we content to watch members who are less motivated sit in their chosen profession  and pay grade while others, less deserving, less experienced, but more motivated, advance beyond their skill set and job knowledge? Are we recommending people for advancement because it is the easiest, and most conflict free course of action? Are we hoping that the job and experience of the next higher pay grade will teach them something that we were unable or unwilling to do ourselves? What role do we play in this process and where is the pride in ownership?

We worry that fewer and fewer new E-7s are motivated enough to truly take part in the CCTI. I worry more about the E-7s, E-8s,  and E-9s that went through the CCTI and didn’t glean enough out of it to give them a sense of ownership in the mess. As a child I heard my aunts refer to certain church goers as C&E Christians who only went to church on Christmas and Easter. Are we becoming a mess of CCTI Chiefs?  Are we becoming a mess that allows members to show up after the set-up and depart before the clean-up twice a year and greet them with a smile and a shrug? Are we allowing PCPOs to go through the CCTI when they are not completing the minimum requirements set down by the Chief of the Mess. Is fifteen signatures close enough to the number that required of everyone else? Are we hurting so badly for membership that we are going to allow substandard performance at their inception? I have gone to Chief’s Call many times to find a dismal turn out.  At my current mess I am guaranteed to encounter more reservists present than active duty members. What is the message that is sent when  some people  care more about their part time job than others care about their career?

The Chief’s call is mandatory…….it is the absolute minimum that you have to do to be a Chief….show up. You don’t have to raise your hand for a single thing. No input is required. Once you show up everything else is voluntary. I know of messes that have a more Warrants turnout than CPOs. And time after time I can depart the mess and find more E-7s and above sitting in uniform, idly at their desks awaiting the next CCTI. Not too long ago the Governor’s Island Chief of the Mess used to post the names of the E-7 and above who didn’t attend the Chief’s Call. If you couldn’t make the call, you needed to call and inform him of what was so vital as to take you away from his mess. He also used to walk around the offices prior to the Chief’s Call to keep people honest. He was the Chief of the Mess and he had great pride in its ownership. What are we doing to instill that pride to those in our charge? What are we doing as individuals to keep attendance up, both with new E-7s and the old? Where is the pride in ownership?

Those of you that are still reading this, and the other posts on this site should be commended.  You still care enough to seek answers in new forums and avenues. Those of you who post your views should be commended. You still want your voice heard and your point of view understood. Is this enough ? When was the last time you told someone about this site?  When was the last time you charged a PCPO with posting a view and becoming a member of this electronic mess? The people that most need to hear the views expressed on these pages are the ones still unaware of their existence. What are you going to do to change that? Where is the pride in ownership?

I am a Boatswains Mate and proud of it. I am an Officer in Charge and proud of it. The CG is unique in the fact that it is the only service that has enlisted command. That may well change one day. Fewer people apply for the OinC review board every year. People that are certified don’t request command assignments. Members that have chosen a career path that leads to enlisted command are refusing to take up the call when it falls to them and they are not being held accountable for it. Their marks and advancement opportunities are not reflecting their quest for roles involving greater responsibilities. Once again a standard has been set and we are not holding people accountable to meet that standard. Where is the pride in ownership?

Those of us that have  attained a position of authority over others need to start taking those positions more seriously. We have displaying an ability to make tough decisions in tougher times, and now is the time to put those abilities into action. If we are unwilling to expel the energy to do the job right ourselves, how can we waste the time to criticize others acting in kind. When the people in our charge fail to meet the minimum standards and we allow them to proceed, unchecked, what do we gain? We need to reclaim everything that is rightfully ours, in short, everything. We need to be part of every process. If you are unwilling to get involved in the process or if you deem it to be unworthy of your time, don’t complain when it turns out differently from what you would have wanted. If you think that your vote and voice don’t matter, and keep them to yourself, then you were right, they didn’t, so shut up when the other guy wins. What is the legacy that you intend to leave behind? Where is your pride in ownership?