Just as last week's "Basic Introduction to the Coast Guard" (BIC) lesson exposed our new Auxiliarists to the service's officers, so too did the most recent discussion with the class focus on the Coast Guard's enlisted workforce. I am reminded each time I teach these topics of how foreign they can be to newcomers with no prior background or experience with the uniformed services. There really is no perfect analogy in the private sector -- I have found it rare for a kid to graduate from college and be immediately expected to lead others, and I have found it even more rare for a 19-year-old to be responsible for making decisions that impact the fate of millions of dollars of equipment and the lives of his crew. Yet, this is often what is expected in the Coast Guard. Even Auxiliarists, part-timers with busy lives outside of the Coast Guard, quickly find themselves taking on responsibility for missions and programs that are in some cases quite different from their "day jobs" (an example being my teaching in our program at The College of William and Mary in the short years after having graduated from that very school).The org chart matters, but it doesn't. It's tempting, particularly for linear thinkers, to look at the E-1 pay-grade on a chart and then slide their eyes to the right, passing through the Warrant Officers and move all the way over to the O-10 bracket and believe that the chart tells the story about who is in charge, who knows more, and where the authority for action really lies. And while all this does matter to the military "chain of command," it also matters that a Senior Chief Boatswain's Mate, left of a Lieutenant Junior Grade on the chart, likely knows more about boat and ship handling than that recently minted junior officer will know for many years to come. That junior officer stands to learn much by making that Senior Chief his mentor. Furthermore, while we in corporate America seem to often feel this inexplicable urge to "run it by" (I detest that phrase) the Vice President, Petty Officers aboard a small boat on a search and rescue mission often don't have that luxury. In the Coast Guard, everyone is a leader somewhere, of something, of someone, in some set of circumstances that are not necessarily easy to predict from the comfort of a classroom. In the Coast Guard, leadership and accountability go hand in hand, and are principles that transcend rank.
Respect is mutual. The BIC course focuses extensively on the Core Values, and makes a point of tying them back to whatever content is covered. Everyone in our organization has a story to tell and important skills or experience to offer. Though an Auxiliary Flotilla Commander, a Third Class Petty Officer, a Commander, a Senior Chief, and the Commandant all perform different jobs of different magnitude across different specialties, their service to their community and country is no more or less significant and deserving of respect than the service of any of their shipmates. Thinking of a Senior Chief who mentored me through my early days as an Auxiliarist, I explained to our students, "Upon meeting officers, you greet them as 'Sir or Ma'am'... they've worked hard for that title, and they've earned it. Upon meeting Senior Chiefs, you greet then as 'Senior Chief'... they've worked hard for that title, and they have most certainly earned it."
As always, the Basic Introduction to the Coast Guard (BIC) material is available online at http://link.cgauxnet.us/bic. Read this previous post for more background on the course or to learn how we got it underway. Feel free to use the material yourself, and of course please leave comments as to how we might improve BIC for future students. Thanks for reading, and thank you for your service!