Bill Buckner, Admiral Nimitz and mistakes

     Bill Buckner accumulated over 2,700 hits in his twenty-year career, won a batting title in 1980, and represented the Cubs at the All-Star Game the following season.  His career batting average was .289, got 2,715 hits – 174 were home runs and had 1,208 RBI’s one hell of a career.  However, fans will always remember the error Bill Buckner of the Boston Red Sox made in the sixth game of the 1986 World Series against New York Mets.   In the military I have often heard this summed up as ‘one thousand atta-boys don’t make up for one “oh shit” moment.’  Sad but true in so many ways.

     Who out there has never made a mistake?  While not burdened with historical research, I am going to go out on a limb and say NO ONE.  Militarily let’s take a quick look:

--Chester Nimitz ran the USS Decatur aground in 1907 and was convicted at court-martial of hazarding his vessel.  He was later promoted to LT, and eventually to Fleet Admiral.

 --John LeJeune was disciplined while at the Naval Academy for throwing dice (gambling.)  He graduated, commissioned as a Marine Officer and eventually was the Commandant of the Marine Corps.

--Mike Mullen didn’t do too well at the Naval Academy, became a Surface Warfare Officer and struck a buoy.  He went on to be an Admiral, the Chief of Naval Operations and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

     I was the recipient of Non-Judicial Punishment not once but twice.  Reduced in rank each time.  Both times I completely deserved it; no arguments against it.  I was and continue to be lucky that the leaders I had at after that third brush with Fraternal Order of the Lance Corporal did not give up on me especially since for a short period I gave up on myself.  I moped around for a few weeks knowing that at the end of my current enlistment there was no way the Marine Corps would let me stay.   My First Sergeant pulled me into his office and told me basically to “suck it up.”  The Marine Corps may not let me stay, but there was no way they would if I just coasted through the next couple of years.  I remember him saying “if you want to stay, stop licking your wounds and show someone WHY you should stay.  Now get out of here.”  It wasn’t easy actually, at first my reenlistment request was denied; my platoon sergeant and OIC made many phone calls and I was allowed to reenlist “For Further Observation” for 24 months – any disciplinary problems in that time and I would be shown the door.  I meritoriously promoted back to Cpl, and Sgt, SSgt then GySgt.  I was accepted for a commission in the Navy and while my promotion to LTjg and LT were pretty much automatic, I was promoted to LCDR early.  So things have kind of worked out. 

I tell people that story a lot, repeatedly … a lot.  I tell junior people so they see that the system is not blindly going to force people out who have erred.  I tell senior people to try to reinforce that no one is perfect; many are surprised to hear I was commissioned at all.  Why?  Should our system have a zero-defect mentality?  I am no Nimitz or LeJeune but how would our history be different if Admiral Nimitz was drummed out as a LTjg, or if General LeJeune not allowed to graduate from the Naval Academy?

The news today, social media and internet forums are full of ‘mistakes.’  We focus on the negative and not the whole person.  We focus on identifying and griping about the problem but offer little in the way of solutions.  Yes, shortcomings need to be addressed and get the majority of our effort after all, that is where our processes or procedures are broken.  Do those who have nothing but bad to say truly have nothing else or do they just not want to?  If you met Bill Buckner in a bar, would you ask him about the end of the ’86 Series or something else; where is your focus?  It may be cliché … but if you aren’t part of the solution you are part of the problem. 

My friends ... I have wasted a day.

Titus Flavius Vespasianus was a renown Roman military commander, prefect of the Praetorian Guard and Emperor of Rome.  Titus maintained that no one ought to retreat disappointed from an audience with the Emperor. One evening at dinner, realizing that he had done no one a favor since the previous night, he spoke these memorable words: “Amici, diem perdidi.” / “My friends, I have wasted a day.”   Titus regarded as integral to his role as Emperor, his ability … his duty to better the lives of his countrymen.

Personally or professionally ... what favors have you done today for those around you?

Playing the Game

     

            I once found myself in a tough situation.  A senior of mine, in my direct chain of command was providing me guidance that was:  

               1.  In some cases unethical

               2.  In some cases directly violated regulations

               3.  In some cases was simply unreasonable

     The unethical and regulation issues were very cut and dry, and in hindsight the ‘unreasonable’ direction came after a few weeks of me pushing back on the ethics and regulations.  The problem was, in the military there is little recourse for a junior whose boss is being unreasonable, after all … this is the military.  I don’t have to like my boss to know I am required by regulations to obey lawful orders, even if they are not reasonable.  I tried to tactfully let my senior know that their newest guidance was going to cause extreme hardship on their people for no good reason other than to ... cause hardship ... and that it was unreasonable.  My senior responded by stating there was an obvious disconnect between their style and my style and wanted to know what the issue was, so I honestly answered that I was not comfortable with the history of unethical direction and the direction to violate regulations.  My boss was obviously surprised with my candor.  Near the end of what was a really uncomfortable situation I was advised that I needed to learn to “play the game”, my simple response was that my understanding of things is that … at this stage in my career I thought I was expected to be a professional and not play games.

     Looking back on the situation in hindsight, I find myself wondering about that statement:  “play the game.” How does this statement relate to my status as an officer, my status as a leader?  How does this align with my personal ethics?

     How many people exhibit an overt sense of loyalty to an individual vice their oath?  How many people demonstrate a self-preserving desire to not rock the boat and as a result do not stand up and exhibit character?  What is the point of the authority of a commissioned officer or the authority of our senior enlisted if the people filling those billets are more concerned about their next evaluation and upward mobility than doing the right thing, for the right reasons … even when no one is watching?  Are you willing to compromise rules for simple expediency or to gain favor with your boss?  Are you “playing the game” to advance your career? 

     I recently read the report on the relief of the Commanding Officer of the USS COWPENS (http://www.scribd.com/doc/235869122/Cowpens-Gombert-Combined-Min) and see that officers and senior enlisted on that ship ignored their duties for the sake of getting things done and not rocking the boat.  Yes, they completed the deployment without incident, in some cases a testament to the dedication of the people, and in some cases due to blind luck.  Do the ends, above all, justify the means?  I would argue they do not.  While the primary focus of military leadership is mission accomplishment immediately followed by troop welfare (“Mission first, Sailors always”) unless we are in a ‘rounds impacting my position’ or a ‘water rushing through the bulkhead’ type situation, a ‘git ‘er done’ mentality can be problematic and how we get things done is vitally important.  Aboard subs, ships and planes I picked up the phrase “procedural compliance."  My earnest question to any leader:   are you overly concerned with procedural compliance in logs, maintenance records and/or uniforms but not in your own ethical conduct or the ethics of your subordinate leaders?  Do you expect your subordinates to “play the game” so that they get things done and move along?

     I do not argue nor endorse the systematic extinction of the creative risk-taker or pushing the limits to accomplish hard tasks.  I do however argue that at some point, we should expect that leaders – of all ranks -- are ethical.  If we are willing in the relative comfort of a garrison environment, with bake sales and lattes … when lives are not on the line … to be loose with our personal ethics how can we expect that we will suddenly step up to the proverbial plate when the situation is truly a hard & tough situation that may result in our own injury or death or that of our personnel?  It may be a harsh comparison, it may be one that most people will never have to make; I have been there and had to make those decisions and can attest that hard times do not suddenly develop character; hard times test character.  Hard times will beat you down, hard times will physically and mentally exhaust you and you may even question why you are staying the course … but I have yet to see a sudden epiphany of principled ethical dogma when the going is truly rough.  Are you “playing the game” because the situation is not “life and death” and you tell yourself you will do the right thing when the situation really needs you to?

     Does concern for your career make you pause when a senior is going the wrong way or about to make a really bad call?  Are you more willing to tactfully correct a senior that is not your immediate supervisor or evaluator?  If so, you are allowing careerism to get in the way of your role as an adviser and a leader and ultimately of your oath.  I want to succeed and hate to fail, but are you adding to a surplus of people who are addicted to success when you should be addicted to integrity?