"Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity?" (T3) Leadership In The Naval Intelligence Reserves

Was honored to be invited to two Joint and Naval Intelligence Reserve Changes of Command this past weekend; one in Pearl Harbor, HI for CAPT Doug Beck and one in Fort Meade, MD for CAPT Shane Halloran .?I’ve known both since they were Junior Officers.?Along the way I served with them in peace, crisis and combat in the Middle East, in the Far East, and in the most complex workplace imaginable; the Pentagon.??

I was able to remotely, or in person share the following thoughts with those Commanding Officers and the men and women in their commands who put the “serve” in “Reserve … one focused in #Europe and #Russia , the other focused in #Asia on #China .?Both units are exemplars of what the Chief of Navy Reserve , Vice Admiral John Mustin , seeks in terms of Readiness and Warfighting … both units decorated for significant achievement as a team and several of their personnel recognized as Joint Reservists and/or Sailors of the Year.??

I first learned the true value and force multiplying capabilities of a Naval Intelligence Reserve unit when I was the Director of Operations at the Joint Intelligence Center Pacific (JICPAC) 20 years ago.?The unit was then commanded by my United States Naval Academy '83 classmate, CAPT Mark Dowd , and CAPT Beck was then a Lieutenant in that unit.?Prior to that point, I used to be of the erroneous mindset -?based on previous interactions - that Reservists worked only on weekends or drill periods, and didn’t contribute much as they could to the command’s mission.?That was until I realized I was the dope who got it all wrong.?

I learned then that Reservists were just as patriotic and hardworking as the active duty component (maybe more so because of the civilian - military work balance they had to maintain), and what they really wanted was to be given meaningful work and to be held accountable for the results, just like the active duty team.?And once we implemented that paradigm …?efficiency, effectiveness, performance, productivity and morale rose off the charts. ?So thank you, patriotic, hardworking, bright members of the Naval Intelligence Reserves who have always been THE GOLD STANDARD for supplementing the active duty component, and my apologies for not realizing this important truth earlier in my career.?

It was also 20 years ago that I codified what I consider the three pillars of great leadership … the Three T’s … “Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity?,” (T3) based in part from what I saw from superb Reservists. ?At that point I had a good sample size of the leaders I worked for or observed who were POOR, those that were GOOD, and those that were GREAT. ?What common characteristics did the GREAT ones possess that made their organizations the best, and that Doug and Shane both epitomize?

• TEAMWORK:?Teamwork begins by building trust.?A leader - and that can be any influencer on teams like those at INDOPACOM or EUCOM Reserve Intelligence Units - from Petty Officer to CAPTAIN -?has many responsibilities, and one of the most important is building relationships.?The result of relationships is trust and the by-product of trust is loyalty ... and loyalty to the team is the essence of workplace morale, whether wearing a uniform or a business suit.?The best military teams I ever encountered in Naval and Joint intelligence world had a tangible sense of trust and loyalty to each other with a shared understanding of what needed to be accomplished and the desired end state. ?These two Reserve Intelligence Units led the way in this area.?
• TONE:?The GREAT leaders stay positive.?They show others they care. ?Great leaders never try to create an atmosphere based on how much they knew, but rather on how much they care. ?They make shipmates want to come to work every day and as a result, retention rates are high.?Just like one can walk into a sports team locker room and sense if there is a winning culture, that sense was tangible in both these commands. ?
• TENACITY: Nothing will help you overcome obstacles more than trying again … sometimes trying harder, sometimes trying smarter.?One of our most renown Admirals was Hyman Rickover, Father of the Nuclear Navy. ?He is often cited, “Success teaches nothing … only failure teaches.”?100%! ?I’ve found that in several decades of dealing with young men and women in the military and corporate sectors that the difference between achieving your goal and falling short is that one extra attempt.?The finest sailors I served with weren’t necessarily the brightest, the most physically fit or came from the best backgrounds.?The best were the most TENACIOUS … they showed grit, valor and perseverance with a purpose to make themselves and their teams better.?I’ve known Doug and Sean long enough to know things didn’t always break their way.?But that made them just try harder the next time which earned them the respect of others and made their successes for Navy and Nation all the more rewarding. ?

A final note … in order to have a successful command tour, one must have a successful command. ?That certainly was the case for these two units whose members achieve a deep understanding of China and Russia. Many of them were mobilized to serve forward with operational forces, providing decision advantage and were prepared to fight and win.?So congratulations, again, to these two outstanding Commanding Officers of Joint Detachment Headquarters Indo-Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Operations Intelligence Center (INDOPACOM JIOC), and Navy Reserve Unit Joint Intelligence Operations Center - European Command (JIOCEUR).

– Rear Admiral Paul Becker, USN (Ret) is a motivational and national security keynote speaker.?He is a leadership professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and the CEO of The Becker T3 Group. In 2016, The Naval Intelligence Community established “The Rear Admiral Becker ‘Teamwork, Tone, Tenacity’ Award for Leadership” in his honor.?To connect with Paul, visit his website: https://TheBeckerT3Group.com