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Leadership and Current USCG Social Issuesby LCDR Doyle Raines and George Brooks |
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| Admiral Loy's Front Piece | Wow! This is another intellectually challenging essay. My
personal thanks to LCDR Doyle Raines, XO in the mighty CGC NORTHLAND and Mr. George
Brooks, one of the good guys on the LANTAREA staff. They have pulled together some very
thought-provoking material on the leadership challenges demanded by the Coast Guard's
daily collisions with the social issues of the day. In your forum sessions, I think this essay lends itself to the case study approach. My suggestion is that the facilitators make up two or three challenging but very real world cases of Coast Guard life and challenge the forum participants to build their game plans for handling the circumstances or situations posed by the cases. Think through the topics of the essays we've covered. How would one of your heroes or role models handle the situation? What tasks of the leader come into focus? What tools of the leader will most likely be used? I'm sure we each have memories of social issue situations that we felt were handled particularly well or particularly poorly. Get those stories out on the table. Change the names to protect the innocent and try to relive the situation with better results through better leadership. Again there are no right or wrong answers. We're stimulating the discussion in order to present an environment for leadership development. Thanks again to our authors. |
| Introduction | In this essay we will discuss leadership and address the influences that
social issues have on the environment in which leaders function. We present the concept
that our organization is heavily influenced by outside forces which we term social issues.
Successful leaders and successful organizations recognize and properly respond to social
issues and have strategies for succeeding in the face of increasing public exposure. We will discuss strategies for responding to social issues including: personal and organizational ethics and values, decision making, interpersonal relations and leadership by example. In presenting these ideas on leadership and current Coast Guard social issues, we build upon the outstanding work of our previous essayists. We each must pursue "...a commitment to study, an acquisition of skills, and attention to contemporary issues [in order to] form an excellent roadway to good leadership", as VADM James Loy stated in his front piece to essay number five. In the spirit of "commitment to study," and "acquisition of skill" we offer this essay for discussion and thought as we look at some examples of contemporary issues facing Coast Guard leaders today. |
| Organization and Community | Leaders function within both an organization and a community. The
community provides the environment in which we must work and lead. Our environment is
influenced by many factors; budget, law, current political climate, the media and social
issues. Many of these environmental factors are stable. We budget on an annual basis, plan
in multi-year cycles, we influence and review legislation which takes many years.
Organizationally, we have guidelines and standards in place which help the leader function
within this environment. Social issues differ from other environmental factors as we
exercise little control over them, and they have certain characteristics which makes
dealing with them a particular challenge. The character of social issues is that they are
dynamic in nature, rapidly changing and volatile, capable of doing considerable damage to
an organization and the individual if not dealt with using decisive and inspired
leadership. Often social issues are deeply rooted in our own individual spiritual and
moral convictions, which makes a completely objective analysis and reaction to these
issues extremely difficult. In a civilian organization, social issues are important to deal with as they contribute to the environment which the organization functions within. However, as a government organization we have less latitude as to how we handle social issues. Our conduct may be legislated and we are often called upon as an organization to "set an example." Historically, failure to deal with social issues has had a devastating effect. The Navy is still reeling from the effects of Tailhook and the Naval Academy's drug and cheating scandals. The suggestion that non-rates should not marry almost crippled the Marine Corps. It is with great pride that we can rely on the Coast Guard's core values to complement our own personal values and provide a consistent, proper response to the decisions and dilemmas presented by social issues. |
| Values and Ethics– Organizational and Individual | John Steinbeck, in his classic novel "Of Mice and Men" pointed out the decline in moral values when one of his characters commented, "There's nothing wrong anymore". The Coast Guard core values of Honor, Respect and Devotion to Duty provide us with operational parameters. Even as society tries to tear at the fabric of our organization, Coast Guard core values set the boundaries for our behavior. Our own personal values, or morals, are a result of a wide range of influences we had long before we came to the Coast Guard. These personal values are a result of influences from our churches, our parents, our teachers and our own communities. Social issues invariably challenge us with value-based decisions or ethical dilemmas. |
| The Nature of Social Issues | Today there are many difficult social issues facing Coast Guard leaders.
Social issues effect the work force and as leaders we must recognize and respond to these
issues in order to achieve our own success in influencing the work force. Issues of work
force diversity, for example; balancing opportunities for under-represented groups against
fairly rewarding performance of represented groups, make news headlines daily. Our
organization is faced with gender issues, maximum opportunity versus critical mass, sexual
misconduct, inappropriate personal relationship, and date rape. The decline of the family
is an issue we must deal with, yet the character of our service regularly takes us out of
the family unit for weeks and months at a time. We are intolerant of alcohol abuse, yet we
make alcoholic beverages freely available at morale functions. Most of our young married
personnel qualify for welfare and food stamps, and many do not have the skills they need
to properly manage their limited funds. High operational tempos and prolonged separations
create severe stress in our people, with some even driven to consider suicide. In essence,
our Coast Guard mirrors society; the good and the bad. Social issues often present a moving target which evades long term solutions. They change so quickly that it can be difficult to keep the definition of our organizational objectives current. An example of this is the current national debate on affirmative action. The state of California struck down almost all of it's affirmative action laws. Many are calling for the federal government to follow suit. It is impossible to predict how this social issue will effect the Coast Guard's long term diversity objectives. In this case we must rely upon our core values to keep us focussed as we serve our organization. |
| Responding to Social Issues | As a public servant the Coast Guard has a responsibility to set an
organizational standard for responsible stewardship. One measure of our stewardship has
traditionally been the degree to which we exercise positive leadership on social issues.
We have a proud history in this area, and in fact, much of our organizational identity is
related to social issues. We are a "drug-free" service, pro-active in work place
drug testing, and aggressive in the pursuit of narcotic traffickers. In response to the
environmental movement we became a "green" service, leading the maritime
community in environmental protection by example and by enforcement of environmental law.
We recognized the cultural shift towards gender equality, and allowed men and women equal
access to jobs. We were the first service to admit women into our Academy and allow women
to command vessels. While all of these responses to social issues will eventually be tested in a historical context, a challenge we must accept is to remain a pace setter for merit based change. For the purpose of this essay, we will look at how three aspects of leadership; decision making, interpersonal relations and leadership by example, can help us deal with the social issues challenge. |
| Decision- Making | Recognizing Social Issues If we accept the premise that social issues are rapidly changing then we must make an effort to stay abreast of what social issues are facing us today. Our awareness of social issues comes from our contact with other people and from the media. The more varied our contact with other people and the more varied our exposure to the media, the more complete our picture of our environment will be. Reliance upon a limited sources of information can result in myopia and a lack of exposure to other viewpoints. Discussing issues only with people of a similar viewpoint can result in group think, everyone agreeing with each other, and validating what may be an incorrect or incomplete picture. Consider the recent Million Man March on Washington, DC. Jews and Muslims, men and women, blacks and whites all viewed the same event very differently. Reliance upon a single source of information could have effected our perception of the event, and influenced our responses to Coast Guardsmen who were personally involved with the event. Decision-Making in the Face of Social Issues As leaders we are faced with two types of decisions regarding social issues, right versus wrong decisions and right versus right dilemmas. Right versus wrong decisions can usually be solved by consideration of our organizational rules or objectives. Consider an example: Military personnel are not allowed to combine leave with special liberty. After returning from a long patrol, a crew member wants to depart on leave immediately following a stand down (special liberty). Although it would be nice to support the crew in this fashion the right thing to do is covered by our organizational rule, which requires the member to extend their leave to include the special liberty period. Contrast this with a right versus right dilemma. A Petty Officer with several years service and below the maximum height for Coast Guard service, has incurred severe neck strain because he cannot stand in his workplace because of low overhead's. It is right to retain the member because he is below the maximum height for service. It is also right to recommend the member for discharge because he is not available for worldwide service, as he cannot serve on board certain classes of cutters with low overhead's. Right versus right decisions are more difficult and pose more of a dilemma for the leader. They require a value-based decision process. Our core values can be applied to these decisions, but they often yield an intangible result, especially as our core values would say both decisions are correct. A pragmatic approach to dealing with these types of leadership dilemmas is found in Kidder who suggests applying the following tests to all value-based decisions. Tests of Value-Based Decisions The first test of a value-based decision is to determine if the act is legal. In the case of our dilemma, it would be legal to retain the member and transfer him to a command with higher overhead's, and it would also be legal to administratively discharge him as unsuitable for worldwide assignment. If the decision is legal then consider these other tests:
If your decision fails any of these tests, then you need to give serious consideration to the consequences of your actions and the impacts of your actions upon the individuals involved and your organization. If time allows, validate your decisions, particularly in light of their social consequences and impact. Communications up and down the chain of command can become the key to success. The core value of honor is particularly valuable here as we validate our decisions with honesty and objectivity. |
| Interpersonal Relations | Knowing your people Gen. Omar Bradley wrote this about knowing your people: "...Because war is as much a conflict of passion as it is of force, no commander can become a strategist until first he [she] knows his [her] men. Far from being a handicap to command, compassion is the measure of it. For unless one values the lives of his [her] soldiers and is tormented by their ordeals, he [she] is unfit to command..." Knowing your people begins with a heartfelt and deep caring for their lives and the daily trials they endure. The core value of "Respect" is a benchmark for leaders and how they care for their people. Respect must be a common thread throughout the command. A leader must also have a sense for the Coast Guard's culture and the cultures of those they lead. Knowing your people is critical when responding to or dealing with social issues. From a macro stand point it provides us with indicators of potential problems and the impact that social issues may have. From a micro stand point, it provides us with the ability to internalize the impact of social issues on each individual. Interpersonal Communication The key to successful interpersonal relations is communication. Steven
Covey explains in his book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People", the
"principles of empathic communication". Covey presents the concept that we
should "seek first to understand, then to be understood." Our ability to
communicate effectively is contingent on our ability to listen effectively. Not only is it
important to practice this skill as leaders, but we have to provide a forum where this
skill is demonstrated and taught, since effective listening is not something that comes
naturally. |
| Leadership by Example | Leaders must recognize that their actions and attitudes serve as an example to the people they lead and set the tone at the unit. It has often been said that "a unit is a direct reflection of its command." As we make decisions regarding social issues we also set the precedent for future actions. Leaders influence those they lead and their environment. We must set the standard of conduct and the level of character for others to follow. We must also accept the responsibility of being a mentor to others and to cultivate the leadership development process at our unit. A leader must exhibit physical and moral courage... leaders must understand the word commitment and apply it daily... and a leader must be a teacher. Physical and Moral Courage General Matthew B. Ridgeway explains "there are two kinds of courage, physical and moral, and he [she] who would be a true leader must have both." Leading through social issues almost always requires courage. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and Nelson Mandella are two examples that come to mind. However you don't have to be leaders of many to set an example. How about Mrs. Rosa Parks who refused to sit in the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1954. Her single act ignited the civil rights movement. She stood firm in the face of great physical danger... firm in her moral conviction that racism was going to end even if it had to start on her bus. The courage to do what Mrs. Parks did serves as an example for any leader facing social issues. Dr. King led an entire nation towards change and yet he never held an elected position in government. His leadership in the social issues of his day continues to resonate as an example for leaders faced with social issues of today. Our lesson from Mrs. Parks and Dr. King is that we should not underestimate the impact our decisions can have on the broad social issues of today. Commitment The next attribute a leader must possess to deal with social issues is commitment. We set an example through our own commitment to our core values, commitment to our service, commitment to the public we serve and commitment to our people. This is not selective commitment but rather a commitment that personifies "devotion to duty." As John Gardner explains in his book "On Leadership", "Commitment requires hard work in the heat of the day; it requires faithful exertion in behalf of chosen purposes and the enhancement of chosen values. In return it gives meaning to our lives and joint endeavors and lends dignity and continuity to living. Commitments motivate. Values motivate. The hunger for justice, for liberty, for equality of opportunity, and for dignity as an individual has overthrown coercive systems and toppled proud regimes." We must have the commitment to lead the way through today's social issues. There must be a passion about our commitment and it must be demonstrated to all of those we lead. Teacher and Mentor Relationship Finally, there is the attribute of teacher or mentor. We as leaders must take the time to cultivate leadership development among those we lead. Gardner suggests that mentors are "growers, good farmers rather than inventors or mechanics." Growers he explains, "work with what they have." They are in a "patient partnership with nature." As we cultivate leadership characteristics and skills, we have a lasting effect on the individuals we lead and on our service. By taking the time to develop a leader of tomorrow we provide them with tools for handling future social issues. Leaders should use the LANTAREA Leadership forum, or the Chiefs mess, or an all hands meeting to share their experiences. |
| Conclusion | The character of today's social issues offers a greater challenge to our
leaders than ever before. Society's moral decline, single parents, the impact of social
economics on our work force, inappropriate relationships, diversity and gender equality in
the military, are issues that change rapidly. Effective leaders must be able to deal with
the social issues which effect the environment in which we serve or the damage to our
service and our people can be considerable. Consider the impact that "Tailhook" had on the Navy. Remember to focus on total honesty and reveal everything that you know about the decision even if unpleasant. As state governments and Congress look to abolish affirmative action programs, consider the impact that those decisions have on the people you lead? Deal with that impact using effective and open communication skills always seeking the win/win solution. Demonstrate your commitment to your people by understanding and respecting the issues which effect them. As moral decline threatens our society and affects your unit, set sail for your ethical "true north" by using the Coast Guard's core values to show the way. Remember that our Coast Guard mirrors society, the good and the bad. In short, don't be reactive to social issues. Get engaged ... attack them head-on for the good of your unit and our service. |
| Bibliography |
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