TWO DAYS ON THE USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN

The weather in San Diego was a bright and shiny 74 degrees as our Delta flight landed over the city one Sunday afternoon in August. The following Monday morning, as the sun rose, its heat clashed with the cool Pacific Ocean breeze blowing Southeast as we pulled onto the US Navy base on Coronado Island. We arrived early for our two-day immersion with the US Navy via the Leaders To See / Distinguished Visitor program. Monique and I had arrived to the same spot three years prior for the one-day trip aboard the USS Harpers Ferry for a similar program – this time, the program was a two-day program aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln.?

A few facts and figures. The Leaders to Sea / Distinguished Visitors program, sponsored by Commander, Naval Surface Forces, is designed to provide influential community leaders, educators, and business and industry executives with insight into the daily operations of a Navy ship at sea. The program seeks to increase awareness of the leadership development and career opportunities that the Navy provides, to provide a view into life in the Navy, and to build advocates for the Navy within the civilian world.

The USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN-72) is the fifth Nimitz-class aircraft carrier in the United States Navy. She is the second Navy ship to have been named after the former President Abraham Lincoln. Her home port is NAS North Island, San Diego, California and she is a member of the United States Pacific Fleet. She carries a crew of about 5,500 sailors - ship's company: 3,200, air wing: 2,480.

Back to our story! We toured the helicopter base where the Navy services MH-60 Sea Hawk helicopters and yes, saw where they recently completed filming Top Gun 2 (and yes, I did see the runway where Mav raced his motorcycle!). We completed a briefing with the Commander and headed for the small air terminal on base to board the CMV-22B Osprey for our 45-minute flight out to the carrier. The CMV-22B is the Navy’s long-range/medium-lift aircraft primarily used for logistics and transporting personnel, mail and cargo from advance bases to the carrier. The aircraft lands and takes off like a helicopter and then the props shift to operate as an airplane. Incredible engineering and great ride on these brand new aircraft!?

As we approached the carrier, we could see out our Osprey window a series of F-18’s performing maneuvers as we made our approach to the moving carrier. We landed, the back door lowered, and we walked off onto the flight deck into what was an overwhelming sensory-overload set of sights, sounds and movement. Dispersed around the flight deck were various aircraft – F/A -18’s, F-35’s, E-2 Hawkeyes, MH-60 helicopters and of course our Osprey. We landed between flight operations maneuvers that were ongoing. A brisk cool breeze flared across the flight deck as steam from the catapults hissed; jet fuel flowed into aircraft; and we were off and running on and around the ship for what was to be a jam-packed 48 hours. We experienced most parts of life onboard – from operating a “small city” to cooking meals for 5,500 sailors and executing flight operations in preparation for deployment. And we learned a lot. Here are five takeaways from our experience.?

CURIOSITY FUELS CONVERSATION.?We learned so much by asking questions. We had volunteer hosts that escorted us all over the ship, joined us during meals, and at some meals, we picked random sailors with whom to sit. You never know what you might learn if you are curious and just ask. We asked about their background, why they joined the Navy, about their experience on the ship, and so much more. Everyone has a story – and we were surprised at some of their answers. One woman shared with us that “the Navy saved her life.” She shared with us the challenges and problems in her home town, with her family/friends, and how her decision to join the Navy gave her a fresh start in a positive direction. Another man shared with us that he appreciates the education sponsorship as part of serving – something that was critical for him to be able to get his degree.

CULTURE POWERS PERFORMANCE.?The culture on the USS Abraham Lincoln was energetic and positive. From the moment we landed on the deck, there was a positive energy that we felt from every person with whom we interacted.?As we exited the Osprey and looked around, the deck was filled with air wing support personnel welcoming us on board. Throughout the ship, we met individuals with all types of background and experience – all welcoming and engaged. This is representative of the captain’s approach to leadership – Capt. Walt “Sarge” Slaughter. What was interesting was that the ship was about to have a change in leadership to a new commanding officer - Capt. Amy Bauernschmidt. She flew out with our group to the ship and is the first female commanding officer of a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier in the US Navy.

E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E IS A FIREFIGHTER. One thing we saw, read and understood – on an aircraft carrier EVERYONE is a firefighter. Everyone has a job to do as related to fires. This is especially critical on a vessel with 70+ aircraft, loaded with jet fuel, a nuclear reactor, and ordnance. More broadly, the crew was engaged and aligned on successfully completing their mission – and we saw this in action as they were running drills while we were onboard the ship. Yes, you can “feel” cultures that are moving, progressing, delivering and those that are drifting, waning, missing the mark. While we frequently see silos within corporate America each vying for resources or opportunities for their own individual wins, this was not the case on this ship. Everyone knows what the “win” is and how their role plays into that success – the vision and literal mission are defined, understood, and part of the fabric of the daily routine. And if there is a fire, everyone has a role to play in putting it out, repairing the damage, and getting back to routine operations.?

YOUR PATH IN LIFE IS UNIQUE. Far too often we are programmed to think that we need to go to “this” school and then get “this” job and then move to “this” city and marry “this” type of person and get involved with “this” organization and live life “this” way; we become stuck in the mode of “there is only one way that’s the right way.” We see this with kids graduating from high school today and feeling they have to immediately enter into college. We see this within corporate America as people look at their career paths and believe that they have to follow a “certain” plan or path. The people we spoke with on the ship prove that there is no one right path, but rather that there are many different paths available that are all meaningful. We met individuals who enlisted in the Navy right out of high school; others right out of college; some went to the Naval Academy; others to college and were in ROTC. We met some who joined as officers and others who chose to apply to officer candidate school. We met some who have chosen breadth and who have intentionally rotated among many different types of ships or job functions, and others who chose depth to really understand specific functions of a single ship or work responsibility / role. The key differentiator is that each person chose the path that worked best for them in getting to the Navy. Now, once onboard, each has limited “choice” in what they get to do once in the Navy but the path to getting there, was of their individual choosing!

WHEN YOU EXPECT MORE, YOU OFTEN GET MORE THAN EXPECTED. Many of the sailors and officers we met were young. They were kids … 18, 19, 20-years old.?Fueling, maintaining, directing, launching and recovering multi-million-dollar aircraft. Managing bullets, bombs, guns, missiles, and other ordnance. Maintaining a nuclear aircraft carrier. And yet, the level of responsibility they are given and that they prove they can handle every single day is incredible. No one is babysitting these kids. They are told what is expected, and they are learning and applying. It served as a massive reminder to me that we often make assumptions about individual interests and abilities – without “expecting” more or giving them the opportunity to perform at a higher level. The Navy has and continues to launch young people into careers built on a model of coaching, development, mentoring, on-the-job-training, reward and recognition.

After 48 hours of going up/down ladders, exploring many aspects of the ship, observing day and night flight operations, attempting to sleep as jets accelerated and launched just two stories above, eating meals with all levels and aspects of the ship’s crew, and more, we boarded the CMV-22B Osprey for the return flight to Coronado.

As we found three years prior, on our return Delta flight to Atlanta, our thoughts went immediately to the quality and caliber of sailors we met. And how we can support them now and, in the future, as they enter the workforce. The mechanisms and methods used to operate in the US Navy provide a great training ground for current military needs and set up the young men and women that serve with skills to launch back into school or into a career after the Navy!