What I Learned on an Aircraft Carrier
Last October, I had the opportunity to speak on leadership to newly promoted admirals and senior executives of the US Navy in their annual symposium. That led to an invitation to join a group of civilians to visit the aircraft carrier, USS Harry S Truman, on a training cruise off the coast of North Carolina last week. As you can see from the photo to the left, I made the trip. (That's your faithful correspondent, front row, fifth from the left.)
I'm not going to lie to you. I was pretty excited to go on the trip since we'd be making an arrested landing on arrival (in a C-2 Greyhound transport plane) and leaving the ship a day later via a catapult assisted launch. As much as I love Disneyworld, they've got a ways to go before they come up with a ride that's as exciting as going from 150 knots to 0 in three seconds on landing or from 0 to 150 when you take off. It was a very cool experience, but I have to say was not even close to being the best part of the trip. The best part was the opportunity to see several thousand men and women of an average age of 24 working together to do amazing things on a round the clock basis. Over the years, I've watched hours and hours of film on the Navy and thought I had some appreciation for what they do. Last week I learned that there is no substitute for seeing it in real life.
I shot about three hours of video on the Truman and have a lot of great interviews from the sailors about what they look for in a leader that I'll share with you on Thursdays over the next several weeks. In the meantime, I've put together this 3:00 minute highlight video to give you a taste of life on the ship.
Also, I wanted to share some of the big leadership lessons I learned while aboard the Truman.
People Can Handle More Than You Think: If you ever have the opportunity to hire someone who worked in an operations role on a carrier, hire them. They probably had more responsibility for life and death situations at age 19 or 20 than most of us will ever have in our lives. In spite of great systems design, an aircraft carrier is an extremely dangerous operating environment. What makes it safe are the people working there. Most of them are really young. In talking with them and watching them, I was consistently impressed with their knowledge, pride and capability in their work. I kept asking myself, "How does someone learn and take on this much by the time they are 20?" I would hire anyone I met on the Truman.
Systems and Processes Matter: It takes a synchronized effort among hundreds of people on at least four different decks and eight locations to land or launch a jet or plane every 45 seconds in a 4.5 acre space for hours at a time. The only way it can work is if the roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and the systems and processes are set up for the different components to work seamlessly together. Watching the crew of the Truman in action really brought home the value of clear operating protocols for me. Just about any organization could benefit from investing time in defining roles and processes and making the effort to follow through on them.
Motivation is Adrenaline: The people on the Truman work long hours (12 to 18 hour shifts) in arduous conditions (noisy, confined and sometimes smelly spaces that require a constant focus on safety). And yet everyone we met or encountered (which was well into the hundreds of people) was motivated, energetic, courteous and, for the most part, seemed to be having fun. I think the leadership and the systems on the ship encourage motivation in much the way that Dan Pink outlines in his new book, Drive
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more from my trip to the Truman. There are some great leadership lessons coming up.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Executive coach Scott Eblin’s goal is to help you succeed at the next level of leadership. Throughout the week, he’ll offer his take on the leadership lessons in the news and his advice on your most pressing leadership questions. A former government executive, Scott is a graduate of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and is the author of The Next Level: What Insiders Know About Executive Success.
I can't wait for Thursdays now! I think we will all learn a lot from your interviews. I know it is easy to bash the military, but when you get down to it, they do many things extremely well.
Pete Spaulding Posted Monday, January 25, 2010 11:29 AMMy son is on the Truman. You just made my day! As a leader, I'm looking forward to what I'll learn from your upcoming posts. As a mom - I'm looking for my son's picture. :)
Thank you so much.
Kayla Fay - Middle School Science Posted Monday, January 25, 2010 4:41 PMScott I served for a year aboard the USS Antietam in the Korean war. You accurately described what has been going on in carriers for 50 or 60 years. We did it in Antietam with an 85% reservist crew. Bart
Byron Bartholomew Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 7:32 AMScott,
Sandra Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 8:57 AMWhat a great story? My son is serving on the Truman. I can't wait to hear the rest of the story and see the video. Thanks for all you do.
Sounds like you had a great experience going to sea! I served and retired from the U. S. Navy and agree with your observations/recommendations except the average age on the Truman is more like 19.
Carl Klee
Carl Klee Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 10:11 AMCAPT USN (Retired)
How much time and capital would you be willing to invest to have those qualities you found desirable in them working for you? Your statment, "If you ever have the opportunity to hire someone who worked in an operations role on a carrier, hire them," seems to imply only young people. For older carrier veterans, who retain those same qualities, how would you address the mindset in hiring, "Why train him, when he'll be retirement age in 5 years?" In this day, unlike back in the day, "retirement age" is just another date.
Dale Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 11:53 AMScott, thank you for the story. My son serves on the Truman and those long hours are so accurate. He operates the same way when he's on Leave!lol Love those TRUman sailors!
Francine Posted Tuesday, January 26, 2010 8:13 PMWhen I served in the Navy I had the opportunity to work with ship crews, sub crews and aircraft carrier crews. When it comes to teamwork, they're all pretty much the same. There's a reason that Buckminster Fuller is quick to extoll navy culture. When you have limited resources and limited spaces for 24/7, you have to make a science of teamwork or your ship will sink.
u no me Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:51 AMScott you lucky dog.
My Father was in the Navy during WWII and I still remember marveling at the stories he told as a young boy. I have a son who has enlisted Navy and will be reporting to Boot Camp this coming August. The recruiter told me about a new program they have for immediate family where if your son or daughter are sailing from Hawaii to the states on an aircraft carrier, you can fly to Hawaii and join them on the sail to the west coast. Now I'll have to start working on them for a C-2 trap myself.
I had the honor of serving as the Scout Master at our local Air Force base. In this capacity, I dealt with senior members of all branches of the service both Enlisted and Officer and can tell you there is no finer group of individuals to be found. This includes their family members.
Navy, when I told many of these folks my son had chosen Navy, they all admitted the Navy is one of the finest branches there is and you know how hard that is for an officer in a different branch to say. I even got a "Good choice" from a high school friend who retired from the Air Force as a Major General. Navy Proud.
Navy Son and Dad to be Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 10:57 AMReading your story brought back some great memories. Once a leader in the Air Department on several Aircraft carriers, I can relate to what you experienced during your visit. You wouldn’t be disappointed hiring a Sailor stationed on any other carrier; the “poetry in motion” you experienced on the flight-deck and throughout the ship is performed the same fleet-wide. The Sailors’ pride in job accomplishment, teamwork and safety awareness are attributed to the professionalism and training received from the leadership. I am really looking forward reading the remaining experience
Steve Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 11:39 AMScott,
Tim peterson Posted Wednesday, January 27, 2010 4:25 PMThank-you for your insight into operations performance onboard a major aircraft carrier. Having spent 22 years in the Navy I can also tell you that you will find that kind of performance throughout the service whether its on a aircraft carrier or a personnel office somewhere. Not to say the services don't make mistakes, but overall, they run a pretty good operation and should be envied if not modeled after in many instances.
I learned more about work ethic and working through tough problems during my Naval service than in any other job. It was a tough six years, but in the end it made me a better person.
Brian Posted Friday, January 29, 2010 7:47 AMThanks for acknowledging what veterans have always known: they take on lots of heavy duty responsibilities at a very young age. It's not just the crew of the Truman, but everyone who serves in the military. Granted, some have more responsibility than others. After leaving the military and going to work in the private sector, I was shocked at the low- level, no-responsibility work that I was being given. I was used to handling much more responsibility and leadership authority, even as an enlisted person.
Navy Veteran Posted Friday, January 29, 2010 9:46 AMScott --
Great post. Sounds like a terrific (and even inspiring) experience. The lessons you drew from it were insightful.
Cheers,
Dan Pink
BTW, thanks, too, for the DRIVE shout out!
Daniel Pink Posted Saturday, February 6, 2010 3:23 PM