Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) Third Level Managers (3LM) recently participated in a High Velocity Leadership Symposium to help improve their personal management communication skills, team development, and team building.

The basis of the workshop came from research, planning, and collaboration, and a 3LM joint symposium with Norfolk Naval Shipyard, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, and Portsmouth Naval Shipyard senior leaders. They built a program that could collectively improve communication within the workforce at all four shipyards while still meeting the needs of the mission.

“Our focus hasn’t changed and we are still going to get the ships out on time,” explained Command University Program and Management Analyst Dave Randall. “We are just bringing people and communication back into the element and shifting from ‘Just Get It Done’ to ‘Care, Ownership, Respect, Excellence (CORE).’ Part of that is clarifying the direction and expectation of tasks we are given which overall helps us produce a better product.”

The four-day workshop was filled with guest speakers sharing their leadership skills and experiences, and interactive exercises allowing senior managers to alternate roles of the manager and subordinate while learning how to break down communication barriers and improve them.

Director of Radiological Control Office (Code 105) Gary Sauers explained how communication and interpretations can change based on one’s position. “When you are the boss, you have to be very clear because when you use terms such as, ‘go get it’ or ‘go fix it’, that is exactly what happens, and you may not get the results you wanted or expected unless you have established clear understanding from the beginning.”

In today’s working environment, communication comes in different forms. Some people prefer to communicate via email, text, phone, and some still prefer the old-fashioned, face-to-face interaction.

“I truly believe communication has to be completely interactive,” said Code 701S Special Projects Officer and Manager. Stacey Merilic. “In order to effectively communicate, you have to learn how to fix the misunderstandings whether they are language barriers, learning styles or generational gaps.”

Throughout history, the shipyard has been filled with different generations that have learned from what some would call “hard knocks” all the way to the newest innovation and technology which leaves some to see and understand the end result differently.

“There is miscommunication and misunderstanding between the generations. I don’t think it is a lack of motivation or drive,” said Merilic. “For example, the younger generation thinks differently than the older generations. We just need to work on closing those gaps and understand they want to understand the reasoning “why” they need to do whatever it is that needs to be done. Once they get clarification, there is generally not issue getting it done and they move forward.”

Other communication tactics discussed were how to identify how people think, their behavioral habits, how they learn and communicate, and how to effectively get a message across to leaders, peers, teams, and subordinates.

"The goal is to help them learn the tools to become more effective leaders," said Puget Sound Naval Shipyard Leadership Program Manager and 3LM observer Kevin Ady. "Communication is a huge part of leadership. If the leaders take what they are learning to heart, it will help them set the bar for their team or shop. It will also build a much stronger team and just the impact it will have across the board is amazing from bottom to top and top down."

Command University Curriculum Designer Turner Anthony, explained part of keeping the up tempo and motivation within the teams was understanding how a misunderstood action can have a negative impact to the mission and cause a negative ripple inside the workplace.

“We have to learn how to change the behaviors and that is going to take time. With CORE, we are able to identify and address key issues and areas, and still focus on our people,” said Anthony. “We work in a fast tempo and stressful environment. We need to consider how a temperament can affect a team or project. When this happens, not only leaders, but as teammates, we shouldn’t forget or be afraid to address the situation or assume the problem is going to take care of itself. We are all in this together at all levels and we need to look out for each other on good and bad days.”

One of the discussions involved analyzing behaviors that could help leaders understand how certain methods and tones might be interpreted and received in a negative way. It revealed why it is important to know your employee behaviors to help define, identify, and assist in a situation that is preventing them to remain focused on their job.

“As leaders, we need to realize the behavioral part of communication is important and sometimes overlooked. If we don’t take the time to stop and look in the mirror, think about how we are modeling the CORE values and behaviors, it can have a huge impact on not only a team, but a mission,” said Cultural Special Projects Officer Capt. Beth Silsdorf. “I really do think CORE is the foundation for establishing an ideal environment where all people can thrive vice just surviving on old communication styles.”

For more information on 3LM, future leadership courses and training, visit Command University on WebCentral at http://webcentral.nnsy.navy.mil/departments/c900/C900CU/default.aspx or call 967-2883.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy Facebook or Twitter.

For more news from Norfolk Naval Shipyard, visit www.navy.mil/.