"How's your day, and how can I make it better?"

With genuine care and full intent of following up on the replies to this question, Lt. Cmdr. Troy Smith set out to improve the quality of life for all 560 Sailors under his supervision.

As executive officer for Information Warfare Training Command (IWTC) Monterey, Smith spent his time at the school helping to build a culture of mutual respect between Sailors of all paygrades, both staff and student.

"Working for Lt. Cmdr. Smith was an honor," said Seaman Jill Patterson, a language student working temporarily as an executive assistant. "His authentic leadership style inspired me every day, and his forward-thinking, receptive and humble attitude during his time at IWTC Monterey encompassed all the qualities of a leader that I wish to see in myself someday."

Listening to people and following through on these items ensured that the command as a whole succeeded. During his tenure, the command saw reductions in attrition at one of the Navy's hardest schools, and a 98 percent passing rate on the Navy-wide physical fitness assessment.

Yeoman 2nd Class Christopher Martinez added, "I appreciated him being my superior and mentor. He helped shape my career and professional life and showed me how to transform my mistakes into skills. I really appreciate everything he taught me!"

A universal concept in the military is that officers and enlisted see things differently. Smith's leadership helped to close the divisions in rank as he considered the opinions of his Sailors from seaman recruit to commander.

"Smith set the example of how to treat people with dignity and respect," said IWTC Monterey Commanding Officer Cmdr. Andrew Newsome. "His leadership style built a firm foundation of trust that allowed the command to achieve at high levels across all of our mission areas. IWTC Monterey is better because of him, and we greatly appreciate his service."

Smith was selected to the rank of commander and detached IWTC Monterey, Feb. 23. He is scheduled to report to Carrier Strike Group (CSG) 10 in Norfolk.

IWTC Monterey, as part of the Center for Information Warfare Training, provides a continuum of foreign language training to Navy personnel, which prepares them to conduct information warfare across the full spectrum of military operations.

For more news from Center for Information Warfare Training enterprise, visit http://www.navy.mil/, http://www.netc.navy.mil/centers/ciwt/, http://www.facebook.com/NavyCIWT, or http://www.twitter.com/NavyCIWT.

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