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Navy leadership training (Accession and beyond)

BigIron

Remotely piloted
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
All:

Informal research being conducted here on leadership training in the USN/USMC. Training meaning somewhat formalized with an instructor present, or via online methods where leadership or management is the focus of the lesson.

USNA folks: What kind of formalized leadership training does the USNA offer? I see there are yearly leadership conferences, but are there any classes or instruction given on leadership theories? Also lots of discussion about ethics and decision making, but any formal instruction on how to be a leader?

OCS folks: In the 12 weeks you are there, is there any formalized leadership instruction or classes?

NROTC folks: Same question as the academy folks.

Fleet warriors: When/where are you guys getting structured leadership training? I know Center for Personnel Development offers Divo/DH classes and there are some classes for PXO/XO/CO folks. Is BOLT still around at NASC? I see the Navy uses the Navy Leadership Competence Model, but this was news to me.

Post Grad: I know the NWC NSDM (now TSDM) talks about organizational structure and team management (in order to develop a staff), but is there any classes or leadership training conducted at NWC or NPS?

Troopers: What leadership training is being taught in the fleet for the enlisted?

I appreciate any responses. Also any suggestions for leadership training.

Thanks,

-BI
 

phrogpilot73

Well-Known Member
USNA folks: What kind of formalized leadership training does the USNA offer? I see there are yearly leadership conferences, but are there any classes or instruction given on leadership theories? Also lots of discussion about ethics and decision making, but any formal instruction on how to be a leader?
When I was there (holy shit, has it really been 13 years since I graduated? Damn, I'm getting old), we had one semester (3 credits) of Naval Leadership, where we learned the Stockdale leadership module. The textbook was "Naval Leadership, Voices of Experience". We also had a semester long class on ethics, another semester for Naval Law, and then a semester long Junior Officer Practicum that focused on leadership specific to the service/community we had selected during service assignment. Guys who want to go Marine Corps go through Leatherneck, which is a 4 week, very structured instructional/evaluation period in Quantico - and it includes how leadership is done in the Corps.

That's the formalized stuff. Informal stuff was the positions you held in the brigade, that were supervised by officers - where you had opportunities to try and fail before you hit the fleet and people's lives were on the line.
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Formal leadership training: BOLC or whatever it's called now.. A couple days on divo notebooks, how to do evals.. All before Primary, so three years later when I needed it, it was a distant memory. (hey Navy.. How about right before or after the RAG?).

Other than that, and the "learn by doing" of OCS/Fleet, no training.
There has been "ORM for leaders" and such.. But it was NKO, therefore worthless.

OCS Grad, 01-02 (Oct 01) to give a time point of reference.
 

Jim123

DD-214 in hand and I'm gonna party like it's 1998
pilot
BOLTC (2 weeks long) right after wings but before the FRS. MB's description sounds about right- a decent mix of theory and practical. No formal DH school (maybe that's an FTS thing, I don't know if my "OP-T" colleagues had it, but I do know some of my friends went up to Rhode Island for SWO DH school as part of their dissociated tour schools).

I suspect many details of OCS have changed in the past ten years but I doubt the overall model is much different. There were formal leadership classes covering administrivia, management, ethics, public speaking... Everyone took turns being the class leader for the day. There were various other "opportunities"- random class billets that were somewhere between glorified babysitting and being accountable for actual people/places/tasks, some kind of weird lab problem I vaguely remember (the object was to "get everyone across" a small obstacle course of monkey bars without touching the sand and you had a few large wooden boards to lay across the monkey bars to walk across).

Random non-navy example- on my IA I remember that the NCO Academy was a big deal in the Army for SSG(P)s (E-7 selects). Important enough to TAD guys from deployed units, in-theater, to a different FOB as required, for about three weeks.
 

yakboyslim

Well-Known Member
None
I just finished DIVOLC after API. From what I can gather this is basically a new name for BOLTC. DIVOLC was interesting but like MB said I will forget most of it before I need it.

At OCS we had some formalized leadership training that was taught by instructors from the academy. It was only 2 days of specifically leadership oriented classes and the curriculum seemed disorganized and probably varied from class to class. We also had a lot of classes on administrivia and ethics. Then all the billets and class leader things that Jim123 mentioned, though most days these billets did not require any real leadership skills.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
We got pulled from the sked at the end of primary and did BOLTC. The LT who ran it actually did a pretty good job IMHO, and I remember her discussing some good topics.....unfortunately that was in '08, and many FTI's, syllabuses, and Top Gun chapters later, I am only now getting ready for my PCS to the fleet (does it exist actually?). If they only did one thing to change the program, I'd say that the timing could be better. Maybe towards the end of the RAG, or checking in at your new command (though this would probably not work for pri-A dudes).
 

smittyrunr

Well-Known Member
pilot
Contributor
Same comments as above on BOLTC and USNA ('02 grad). I did BOLTC between Primary and advanced, I've always thought it should be part of the RAG syllabus so it could be tailored to the community you were about to join.
I did NWC JPME 1 via distance learning- the NSDM part of the course did cover some leadership theory, as noted above, from the perspective of working with a staff.
For VT instructors, I think we had a leadership module in the FITC course, but this was more from the CRM point of view instead of "how to be a leader."
Enlisted side- individual commands run a petty officer indoc program when advancement results post. I'm not real familiar with the details, but it is run by the command, so I'm sure the effectiveness varies.
Otheriwse, I have not seen or heard about any formal leadershp training for aviation before the PXO pipline. There probably should be some sort of program. It doesn't need to be as formal (and it sounded like, painful) as the Air Force Captian's career course, but moving BOLTC/DIVOLC to the FRS and then maybe formal seminar as part of the DH sylabus.
 

CommodoreMid

Whateva! I do what I want!
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Same comments as above on BOLTC and USNA ('02 grad). I did BOLTC between Primary and advanced, I've always thought it should be part of the RAG syllabus so it could be tailored to the community you were about to join.
I did NWC JPME 1 via distance learning- the NSDM part of the course did cover some leadership theory, as noted above, from the perspective of working with a staff.
For VT instructors, I think we had a leadership module in the FITC course, but this was more from the CRM point of view instead of "how to be a leader."
Enlisted side- individual commands run a petty officer indoc program when advancement results post. I'm not real familiar with the details, but it is run by the command, so I'm sure the effectiveness varies.
Otheriwse, I have not seen or heard about any formal leadershp training for aviation before the PXO pipline. There probably should be some sort of program. It doesn't need to be as formal (and it sounded like, painful) as the Air Force Captian's career course, but moving BOLTC/DIVOLC to the FRS and then maybe formal seminar as part of the DH sylabus.

Ditto on BOLTC and timing. There was some good info in there, but I did it before API so I brained dumped a lot of useful stuff. Furthermore, the curriculum was completely SWO centric. It was also taught by a SWO and he was a good dude and did his best to answer our questions, but at the end of the day he admitted that a lot of what he knew was probably going to be completely different for us.
 

TheBubba

I Can Has Leadership!
None
Echo everything phrogpilot said about USNA.

In addition to the formal courses: Naval Leadership and the practicum course, leadership is also taught through the ethic program as well. My experience wasn't that the ethics courses taught ethics, but more armed Midshipmen with the tools and knowledge needed to ask the right questions and examine the facts needed to make ethical decisions.

IMHO, USNA (and all of the rest of the Academies) are "leadership laboratories", where Midshipmen and Cadets are thrust into leadership positions with experienced officers and senior enlisted observing, evaluating and instructing. You'll see this in everything from everyday academy life to summer training. The two formal leadership instruction experiences that proved the most valuable for me were Leatherneck (even though I ended up not wanting to be a Marine) and CSNTS (sailing cruise where I was dual hatted as essentially the "XO" of the sailboat and the entire "squadron" of 4 boats... responsible for navigation, OPTAR funds and most of the admin stuff that goes with getting 4 sailboats in and out of a marina).

Following Plebe summer, there is almost no time during the 4 years at USNA where you won't be expected to take charge and lead a group of your peers through some evolution, whether it is something as simple as cleaning your company spaces as a plebe or leading your company, battalion or brigade as a Firstie. And at every point, you've got people watching and at the correct times, providing instruction or suggestions that may or may not help, with the focus being on "Small Unit Leadership" (a huge buzzword and USNA).

All in all, I'd say that the whole 4 years at USNA proved to be a "formal leadership" course.

Again, just my humble opinion.
 

MIDNJAC

is clara ship
pilot
Not really as much in the scope of BOLTC, but I would say that maybe a good chalk talk about how our troops' careers progress, what sorts of milestones they need to meet, how to do our best to help them get there, and other such topics would be good. Tailored to aviation communities of course. I know my first real day-to-day interaction with enlisted folks was 2.5 years into the game when I got to the RAG. Obviously as a Cat 1 you don't have any formal leadership responsibilities, but it was a different experience. Just being ignorant to the demands placed on them, and what they expect of us out on the flightline makes for some avoidable faux pas'. Some of it is common sense, but there are a lot of little things that can go a long way towards helping them out, and maybe bringing them a little motivation after many long hours turning wrenches on a hot flightline with mx control continually yelling at them. As a stud, you kind of take it for granted that they are there to help you, and you may even chalk up those awesome PC's as just doing what is expected of them. Nobody ever told me that taking the time to write a BZ type letter about a rockstar PC actually does matter to them, and that even as a lowly JG, your input could have a positive effect on their fitreps/promotions/etc....at least not until I asked someone about it. Just a couple thoughts
 

millsra13

'Merica
pilot
Contributor
On the enlisted side we have a week long leadership class we have to take for every promotion past E-3. Usually we just call it PO3 indoc, PO2 indoc, etc. Obviously it isn't anything too intense, but there are some good take-aways. I'm not too sure how set in stone they are about taking the courses before you actually get advanced to the next pay grade, but I guess I'll find out. I just made first class 2 days ago, but wasn't able to get frocked because I checked out of my command the same day to go to OCS. Not that making first really matters at this point, but if I was scheduled to get paid on one of the early increments I wonder if I actually will...having not taken the PO1 leadership course. Any hard-charging DIVOs have any experience with this?
 

MasterBates

Well-Known Member
Might be local.. We did PO Indoc in all my commands.. But only on making PO3. There were other leadership courses for PO2/1, but I have no idea if they were "required".. As by the book about shit like that as my last command was, I would have thought I'd heard of it.. (then again.. we'd actually have to advance people.. which was rare there)
 

HooverPilot

CODPilot
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
I actually attended the DH course at Dam Neck in '08. 5 day course with some good material, some bad. I would actually recommend it. It is an "optional" course. Many communities never attend, some occasional send folks.

Main theme was actually how to be an effective DH. How to support your leadership, how to take care of troops & how to call bullshit. The IG came and gave a great presentation on all the CO firings in the previous 12 months. Like I said, I would recommend it.
 

BigIron

Remotely piloted
pilot
Super Moderator
Contributor
I appreciate the discussion and all the replies.

Things are still what I thought.

Anyone else?
 
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