What is good leadership? Many have pondered this question throughout history, and I myself have pontificated on it since I joined the U.S. Navy in October 2001. It is my belief that a leader is not born. Leadership is one of those amorphous terms, usually better suited as an observable than a dictionary definition. Some people don’t do well under pressure. Some improve over time and yet, many don’t. The people you want on your port and starboard sides are the former. The strong. The brave. You know … the chisel chinned or power-bunned senior enlisted and officers who know the risks yet, when the time comes, will go the extra length to get something done. Most great leaders have been learning to do this their whole lives through countless situations and moral dilemmas that challenged and taught them through adversity. What does a junior officer know about leadership anyhow? This is the age-old question, and I’m going to take a shot at answering it. The purpose of this essay is to establish what the roles of leadership and character play in today’s United States sea services, and how folks in leadership positions can effectively develop their own leadership styles.
Discovery Learning
“You want to die tonight?” she yelled with a thick accent into the ear of a fellow blue-shirt on the flight deck of the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3). The crew was conducing nighttime flight operations and it was my first time chalking and chaining in the blackness of the Atlantic. My partner and fellow blue-shirt had almost “offed” himself when he attempted to walk towards the tail rotor of the idling CH-53 Sea Stallion. Luckily, the yellow shirt noticed my aloof buddy headed to the back of the bird and grabbed him before he turned into hamburger meat.
I joined the Navy as an undesignated airman, and my first job in the service was one of the most dangerous. For over a year and a half I would chalk and chain aircraft to the flight deck of the amphibious assault ship and curse myself for joining the whole time. Of course, now I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything. The yellow shirt who caught that blue shirt before he killed himself was one of the toughest and bravest leaders I have ever seen in all my years
A big part of leadership is understanding what makes a good leader and learning to extrapolate those qualities for use in your own tool kit. The Navy and other sea services cultivate these skills. I’ve had amazing leaders and I’ve also had a lot of sh*tty ones. When I’ve worked for or come across the greats, I find myself writing down some of their quotes and paying attention to how they conduct themselves at meetings or when confronted with moral dilemmas. This is when the true colors come out. I love to see people fight through their inner demons to come out on top in the end. I love to see people doing the righteous thing even if they suffer a little in the process. I love to see the “dog” in people. To be clear, the proverbial “dog” is colloquial terminology to describe someone who is willing to do whatever is necessary to get something done. A grinder. A hustler. If one wants to lead and be effective, it’s so important that they come across as 100 percent genuine. The best way to achieve this is to be 100 percent genuine.
Petty Officer Second Class Baking was an absolute stud. Not because she was the brightest, strongest, or biggest. Hell, she stood barely 5’2” and was skinny as a rail. I’ve always been a fan of the underdog, and she was that and more. One of the beautiful facts about the enlisted side of the Navy is there are so many different cultures, from so many different walks of life. ABH2 Baking was originally from the Philippines and could barely speak English. Yet, through hard work, sheer will, and determination, she made a lasting impact on everyone she encountered, especially the 20-year-old me. She led by example in everything she did, whether it was conducting sweepers, leading the foreign object damage walk to clear the flight deck of dangerous debris to safely landing countless aircraft in one of the most dangerous jobs in the world. She never complained about anything, and if her frail self could be out there risking it all every time a 100-foot helo lifted or landed, then I sure as hell had no excuse not to get my butt under there to chalk and chain that bad boy.
She was genuine in the sense that she really didn’t know how else to behave. She was never angling for the office job or a different rate where she could relax in the air conditioning. She grew up with nothing and had nothing most of her life. She learned to adjust to the minor inconveniences that come along with life and just “press on” as Calvin Coolidge said. Being a “buck-twenty” soaking wet meant that she had to dig her heals in more and widen her stance. She never said anything about her size, and I never ever once saw her complain about being out on the flight deck for 16 hours every day. Adversity builds character, and along the way, molds someone into the type of leader we all can admire. That was Petty Officer Baking. That was true leadership, and that was true character on full display. I will never forget her, and I will always remember the lessons she taught me very early on in my career about leadership, perseverance, determination, and genuine character.
