The New Deckplate is a place for leaders to come together to discuss and debate ideas for the betterment of our sailors, our service, and our nation. Each post will explore an idea or concept, and in most cases, offer practical advice or tools to incorporate at your discretion.
I am no expert, which is one of the reasons I decided to start this project; I’ve been part of the Chief’s Mess since 2011, and the luxury of sharing ideas and seeking advice is something I’ve come to rely upon. I hope to replicate that same level of support here on a global scale, across all ranks, servicing all warfare communities.
When I first entered the Mess, the quality and quantity of advice varied significantly. Some of the best leaders I know were unable to explain “how” to be a great leader. The catchphrases, “Never forget where you came from” and, “Always take care of your Sailors!” was espoused continuously, but provided nothing in the way of actual actions I could take. Some of my mentors had a knack for getting at the root of the thing and giving practical advice; a Master Chief showed me his Daytimer/planner and walked me through his organizational process. I use a slight variation of this six years later to great effect. This wasn’t some grandiose concept learned at a War College, but the five minutes he spent showing me how he organized his day and week has probably saved me hundreds of hours in the last half-decade.
That is why we need a “New” Deckplate. A collection of actionable tools and ideas with little-to-none of the fluff that sounds good, but it offers no substance. Some articles will be life-hacks, like the day-planning method I use, while other will explore research in concepts of leadership, communication, learning, decision making and the like. Dr. Angela Duckworth’s work on “Grit” is likely beneficial to Navy leaders, Simon Sinek’s book “Start with Why” is also something to explore. The CNO’s reading list provides a good starting point, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of ideas to examine and determine their value to leaders. Some are relatively simple and backed by a number of scientific journals, such as the importance of forming good organizational habits; others seem to be dressing an old concept in buzzwords to sell books and speaking tours.
The hard part will be to decide where to start. As I said, I am no expert, so I don’t know. Using Simon Sinek’s advice to start with why seems to make the most sense. In his book, Simon suggests that every organization should have a purpose so foundational to its identity, that personnel changes have little or no impact. In short, that if the “Why” is defined for New Deck Plate, that I am entirely replaceable – the idea, not the person lives on to inform and shape the way ahead. So with that in mind:
Why does the New Deck Plate Exist?
We make leaders better.
How do we make leaders better?
Through solid, practical, and actionable advice and tools.
What do we do?
Build a community of leaders whom explore, examine, discuss, debate, test and share ideas and tools to find the most useful practical and actionable ways to improve.
That does indeed seem like the right place to start.