A few years ago I used a phrase "leading through." I have resisted searching this phrase on the internet because I am sure someone smarter than me has written an entire leadership book about it! What "leading through" means to me is leading yourself as well as your team through uncontrollable adversity, big or small. As we get more senior in rank, we have more responsibility, we have more authority, but that never means we have full control. There are always setbacks and many frustrations that we as leaders have to understand and come to grips with before we can move forward, and then help those that we're responsible for to do the same. This can be anything from having a key member of your team quit at a critical moment, to a decision that comes from above your paygrade that has an effect on your world (home port change, schedule change, etc), to an emergency or event that changes life as you know it. In all of these cases, we need to review the situation and work towards acceptance before we can help others get through it. This doesn't mean you can't dissent professionally when you disagree with a decision, and it doesn't mean you have to be a "yes-man" all the time. It's about finding the balance between your dissent, disagreement, and willingness to sacrifice that will once again allow you to be fully committed. It's also important to have people to vent to, and vent appropriately. Often you need to take the time for self-reflection to think it over and decide how to move on. A long time ago, my mother gave me a small sign that simply says "snap out of it." I keep it on my bulletin board as a reminder that I'm responsible for leading myself through whatever frustration I'm facing (even though I still get a lot of help from others, it's up to me to snap out of it!). More importantly, as a leader I understand that I am responsible for supporting others in their efforts to get through the inevitable frustrations, and to do that, I need to "lead through" and move forward. Be kind to yourself and all those entrusted to your care…
CAPT Anne K. Lynch, NOAA
Director, CPC
| 09 - 27 Oct 2017 | REFTRA 83 |
| 14 - 17 Nov 2017 | Mid Grade Week Two |
| 21 Nov 2017 | BOTC 130 Graduation |
| 04 - 08 Dec 2017 | CO/XO Conference |
| 08 - 12 Jan 2018 | Mid Grade Week One |
| RADM David Score | 01 Nov 2017 |
| LCDR Denise Gruccio | 01 Nov 2017 |
| CDR Mark Sweeney | 01 Dec 2017 |
| ENS Kaitlyn Seberger | 15 Dec 2017 |
| LT Alexander Johnston | 29 Dec 2017 |
| CAPT William Odell | 01 Jan 2018 |
We are very excited to announce that the students from BOTC 130 have received their first assignments! Please join us in congratulating these men and women on taking this exciting step toward their future careers:
| OC Alexandria E. Andonian | NOAA Ship Oscar Dyson | Kodiak, AK |
| OC Nicholas J. Azzopardi | NOAA Ship Rainier | Newport, OR |
| OC Hayley A. Betker | NOAA Ship Hi'ialakai | Honolulu, HI |
| OC Brian S. Caldwell | NOAA Ship Okeanos Explorer | Davisville, RI |
| OC Alexander W. Creed | NOAA Ship Pisces | Pascagoula, MS |
| OC Nicolas S. DeProspero | NOAA Ship Nancy Foster | Charleston, SC |
| OC Emma M. Ethier | NOAA Ship Henry Bigelow | Newport, RI |
| OC James C. Freed | NOAA Ship Bell M. Shimada | Newport, OR |
| OC Eric C. Fritzsche | Initial Flight Training | Lakeland, FL |
| OC Andrew J. Fullerton | NOAA Ship Oregon II | Pascagoula, MS |
| OC Daniel E. Jessurun | NOAA Ship Oscar Elton Sette | Honolulu, HI |
| OC Taylor A. Krabiel | NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson | Norfolk, VA |
| OC Airlie G. Pickett | NOAA Ship Rainier | Newport, OR |
| OC Patrick E. Pope | NOAA Ship Rueben Lasker | San Diego, CA |
| OC Lyle L. Robbins | NOAA Ship Rainier | Newport, OR |
| OC Kevin A. Tennyson | NOAA Ship Fairweather | Ketchikan, AK |
| OC Jackson Vanfleet-Brown | NOAA Ship Fairweather | Ketchikan, AK |
The students are looking forward to connecting with their ship's wardroom and crew as they prepare to transition to life in the fleet. Thank you to all those who attended Billet Night and supported the students on this exciting and emotional night!
For those that missed Billet Night last week have an opportunity to watch it again by going to https://livestream.com/CGA/ocs. Enjoy the video!
Final call for Mandatory BRS Training - All officers who will have less than 12 years of service on January 1, 2018 are required to take the BRS Opt-in Training class by OCT 31. This training is congressionally mandated and NOAA will be required to brief our numbers out in early November to an expert working group at the Pentagon that reports to Congress. This training is located on CLC.
Upcoming Training Opportunities
The Thrift Savings Plan will be hosting two webinars in November. The first one TSP and BRS will be presented on November 7th. The second webinar will follow later in the month and is titled TSP Investment Funds and Managing Your Account. These will give you further insight into how TSP works, how it pertains to BRS and offer tips to help maximize your investments. Further information will be coming in the November 3rd Cyberflash.
Refresher Training Class 83 is on deck! Since their report date on October 9, they have been engaged in various training activities including Basic Safety Training, First Aid/CPR, DC Wet Trainer at Navy Station Newport, and Underwater Egress Training at Survival Systems USA. In the upcoming weeks they are looking forward to RADAR, Advanced Fire Fighting, and Bridge Resource Management.
In addition to receiving essential training for their return to sea, the REFTRA Officers have also had opportunities to interact with the new additions to the fleet from BOTC 130. These networking opportunities are crucial in the development of the Officer Candidates, as it helps them to gain valuable perspective about life in the fleet.
One such opportunity is during Peer to Peer Presentations, where REFTRA officers discuss topics based on their experience thus far in their careers. Some topics being covered in this class include Managing Stress, Aiding a Vessel in Distress, and The Importance of a Functioning Team, just to name a few. Thank you for your continued participation in these activities!
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With a fiscal donation from your ACO and hardware with history provided by CPC, CDR Miles Croom, NOAA (ret) had a beautiful shadow box made for CDR Grady Tuell, NOAA (ret).
"Good friends help you to find important things when you have lost them... your smile, your hope, and your courage"
-Doe Zantamata
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Two Aviation Advisory Boards were conducted in recent months and resulted in the following officers being selected for NOAA Aviation and eventual assignment to NOAA's Aircraft Operations Center:
A Heavy Aircraft selection board was also held resulting in the following officer being selected for upgrade.
Congratulations!
In the late 1880's, naval lieutenant John Elliott Pillsbury was Assistant in the Coast and Geodetic Survey and Commanding Officer of the C&GS Steamer BLAKE, arguably the most innovative oceanographic vessel of the nineteenth century. Whenever a steel line goes over the side of an oceanographic or fisheries research vessel, think of the BLAKE as it was the first ship to ever use that technology.
Under Pillsbury's command, the BLAKE was engaged in classic Gulf Stream studies. In the introduction to "The Gulf Stream: Methods of the Investigation and Results of the Research", Pillsbury eloquently expressed his wonder and awe at this mighty force of nature:
"Man stands with bowed head in the presence of nature's visible grandeur, such as towering mountains, precipices, or icebergs, forests of immense trees, grand rivers, or waterfalls. He realizes the force of waves that can sweep away light-houses or toss an ocean steamer about like a cork. In a vessel floating on the Gulf Stream one sees nothing of the current and knows nothing but what experience tells him; but to be anchored in its depths far out of the sight of land, and to see the mighty torrent rushing past at a speed of miles per hour, day after day and day after day, one begins to think that all the wonders of the earth combined can not equal this one river in the ocean."
For more information on this ship and its accomplishments see "The Gulf Stream."ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/oceanheritage/Gc296g9p541891.pdf , "Three Cruises of the BLAKE" at ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/oceanheritage/QH93A261888v1.pdf ,and "Deep Sea Sounding and Dredging" at ftp://ftp.library.noaa.gov/docs.lib/htdocs/rescue/oceanheritage/Gc75s531880.pdf
The NOAA Office of Habitat Conservation is seeking a motivated and responsible officer (LCDR) to take up the duties/responsibilities/authority of Restoration Center Executive Officer in Silver Spring, MD. NOAA's Restoration Center is devoted to restoring the nation's coastal ecosystems and preserving diverse and abundant marine life.
As Executive Officer, the officer's duties/responsibilities fall into four main areas: Program Management/Budget Operations, Executive Secretariat for the Deep Water Advisory Working Group, Strategic Planning, and Program/Operations Effectiveness/Efficiency.
NOAA Fisheries has 32 NOAA Corps Officers in shore billets, with the vast majority of these billets falling into the O-2/3 range. This is a new; more senior billet geared towards establishing/expanding your leadership competencies and should be viewed as a stepping stone, career enhancing billet in NOAA Fisheries.
This billet becomes available in FEB 2018. The position could be under-lapped for the right candidate. A full billet description is posted at: https://www.corpscpc.noaa.gov/careermgmt/pdf/billets_n/2040_n.pdf
Interested officers should contact both the Assignment Coordinator at (301) 713-7694 and the NMFS Liaison Officer, CAPT Michael Ellis, at mike.ellis@noaa.gov or (301) 427-8060.
With the recent changes in leadership, many officers have been approved for new assignments, have changed assignments, and/or have been extended in their current assignment. The dynamic nature of the next few months will result in assignments becoming vacant and closing unexpectedly especially at the O5/O4 rank. As a friendly reminder, continue to keep your preference up to date as it is possible that an assignment could be made quickly over the course of this period and your updated preferences related to the list of available billets are essential.
Enjoy and congratulations on "celebrating a century of service"!