The visit built on prior Vice Chief listening engagements in response to the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) January 11 call to action for the Navy to Get Real and Get Better – the initiative to broadly apply the leadership behavior of Navy’s highest performing, strongly self-assessing and self-correcting, units and organizations. The Hampton Roads visit included discussions with U.S. Fleet Forces Command, Naval Information Forces, Naval Submarine Forces, and Naval Expeditionary Combat Command.  The Vice Chief met with Flag and SES leaders from each of these commands, as well as with Command Triads and Major Command Commanders, to hear their thoughts on how to broadly bring alive Get Real, Get Better (GRGB) practices at speed.

In these engagements, Lescher amplified CNO’s call to action, discussed GRGB principles, and solicited specific feedback from front-line leaders to refine the next steps for scaling GRGB leadership development, tools and support, and recognition and incentives.

Lescher also met with the leadership of the newly established Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) to discuss removing barriers to accelerating their role in making the Navy more ready, safe and lethal, in alignment with CNO’s remarks at the NAVSAFECOM establishment. “Safety Command plays an essential role in Get Real, Get Better, in building better leaders and empowering teams at every single level to self-assess and to self-correct, to learn and to innovate, and to solve problems more effectively” CNO remarked. 

NAVSAFECOM serves as the Department of Navy lead for non-nuclear safety standards, expertise and oversight of the Navy and Marine Corps Safety Management System (SMS).  

 

“The Naval Safety Command is at the pointy end of the spear of the CNO’s call to action to Get Real, Get Better,” said Rear Adm. F.R. Luchtman, NAVSAFECOM commander. “As a key element of this call to action, NAVSAFECOM will ensure risk management, problem solving and critical thinking are encouraged at the enterprise, unit and individual level.”  

Throughout the rest of February, Lescher will continue to meet with leadership from Navy’s 17 communities to hear feedback on how Navy leaders can work together to bring consistently strong performance to the Fleet, reduce variability in execution, and identify and correct small problems before they grow into larger, systemic, issues.

“For GRGB to be successful, the Navy’s most senior leaders must lead by example, demonstrate Get Real, Get Better behavior, and prove its power by how they solve the problems that matter most to our Sailors,” said Lescher.  “Building and inspiring trust is at the heart of how we must lead to sharpen our warfighting edge and ensure our Navy is ready for combat.”

To learn more about Get Real, Get Better click here.