Plugged In: How the 21st Century Sailor Communicates
The MOC
Photo From U.S. Department of Defense.
By
RDML Kavon Hakimzadeh
October 18, 2022
21st century Sailors’ use of social media to post their concerns is democratizing the Navy. In fact, it is reversing the traditional roles of leader and follower. Just this year, social media posts about a fuel leak at Red Hill, suicides on USS George Washington, and slow repairs to bachelor quarters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have consumed significant senior Navy leadership bandwidth. Their time is being spent responding to Congressional and media inquiries into Sailor concerns posted on Reddit. Social media posts by “followers” who do not feel they are being heard are driving leadership actions. This, in turn, is setting the priorities for the focus of Navy leaders.
This is a classic example of reactive rather than proactive leadership. It is happening because the Navy’s current listening tools are outdated and ineffective. Traditional, well-intentioned techniques such as open-door policies, all-hands calls, or annual Likert-scale command surveys are 20th century artifacts. Only the most senior of those remaining in uniform understand them. Sailors are communicating their concerns online and through social media – which makes their leaders uncomfortable. They use social media because they grew up with it. It is how they have always connected with each other and communicated with the world. They expect instant listening, responses, and gratification. Those expectations are being met, but not from their Navy leaders; instead, media-savvy journalists and Congressional staffers are the ones listening.
Senior leaders must meet Sailors where they are in order to better communicate and engage with them. Otherwise, detachment and erosion of trust and credibility will follow just as the Navy needs our Sailors fully focused on Great Power Competition. Better connection requires both technical and social approaches. Technical solutions should be easier, while social fixes will be uncomfortable for some. A thorough education on the use of social media must become mandatory for senior Navy leaders. Because the number and types of platforms are constantly evolving, social media education should be incorporated into all phases of the leadership-training continuum. Leaders must become well-versed on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, slack, Glassdoor, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, etc., just as their Sailors are. WiFi on ships, with necessary security, both in port and underway, is an absolute must. Today’s Sailors have spent their entire lives learning to function, communicate, and find connection via a handheld device. The Navy cannot change that.
The Navy must move away from reliance on long, time-late surveys to understand command climate. The feedback from these is too slow for today’s Sailors. Based on historically low response rates, taking them feels like a punishment to most. A replacement option could be single question daily pulse surveys that can be accessed via ship’s WiFi or when logging onto a work computer. Survey questions must also be better. Imagine the impact of the question “Has your supervisor thanked you this week?” on both Sailors and their supervisors.
Leaders must have the psychological safety to try and fail on social media. Recently, a senior military officer was “…found to have brought ‘negative publicity’ and attention to the Army by engaging with a twitter troll online while defending service women from partisan attacks.” The risk of losing control of a narrative on social media is as real any other form of mass communication. Mistakes will be made, but these must be corrected through practice and training, not fear of career repercussions.
The Navy does a great job of creating leaders that are confident in their worldviews, and those who rise to senior leadership are by definition exceptional. When interacting with Sailors, leaders must have the humility to recognize that they are not the baseline for perception of Navy policy and decision-making. The way they communicate must reflect that humility, because what they say will be shared with the world.
For example, consider the stereotypical scenario of a leader responding to a Sailor complaint with “that’s the way it was when I was in your position.” This response is dismissive and unacceptable on an interpersonal level. But, when posted in a video or in the comment section of social media, these words can be manipulated and amplified into a gross condemnation of the entire organization.
Instead, responses should focus on ensuring the complainant understands that they are heard. Leaders are not apologists, but it is acceptable to say: “Yes, I hear your complaint and I understand why you don’t like it.” It is also ok to say: “I hear you, but I don’t have an answer you would like right now…” There is a vulnerability associated with that response – after all, seniors are conditioned to “have all the answers.” But when posted for the world to see, it demonstrates the respect, communication and trust necessary for senior leaders to retake control of the Navy’s actions.
RDML Kavon Hakimzadeh is the Director of Joint and Fleet Operations and U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect the position of the United States Navy or the Department of Defense.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.
Center for Maritime Strategy
By RDML Kavon Hakimzadeh
21st century Sailors’ use of social media to post their concerns is democratizing the Navy. In fact, it is reversing the traditional roles of leader and follower. Just this year, social media posts about a fuel leak at Red Hill, suicides on USS George Washington, and slow repairs to bachelor quarters at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center have consumed significant senior Navy leadership bandwidth. Their time is being spent responding to Congressional and media inquiries into Sailor concerns posted on Reddit. Social media posts by “followers” who do not feel they are being heard are driving leadership actions. This, in turn, is setting the priorities for the focus of Navy leaders.
This is a classic example of reactive rather than proactive leadership. It is happening because the Navy’s current listening tools are outdated and ineffective. Traditional, well-intentioned techniques such as open-door policies, all-hands calls, or annual Likert-scale command surveys are 20th century artifacts. Only the most senior of those remaining in uniform understand them. Sailors are communicating their concerns online and through social media – which makes their leaders uncomfortable. They use social media because they grew up with it. It is how they have always connected with each other and communicated with the world. They expect instant listening, responses, and gratification. Those expectations are being met, but not from their Navy leaders; instead, media-savvy journalists and Congressional staffers are the ones listening.
Senior leaders must meet Sailors where they are in order to better communicate and engage with them. Otherwise, detachment and erosion of trust and credibility will follow just as the Navy needs our Sailors fully focused on Great Power Competition. Better connection requires both technical and social approaches. Technical solutions should be easier, while social fixes will be uncomfortable for some. A thorough education on the use of social media must become mandatory for senior Navy leaders. Because the number and types of platforms are constantly evolving, social media education should be incorporated into all phases of the leadership-training continuum. Leaders must become well-versed on Twitter, TikTok, Reddit, Instagram, Snapchat, slack, Glassdoor, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, etc., just as their Sailors are. WiFi on ships, with necessary security, both in port and underway, is an absolute must. Today’s Sailors have spent their entire lives learning to function, communicate, and find connection via a handheld device. The Navy cannot change that.
The Navy must move away from reliance on long, time-late surveys to understand command climate. The feedback from these is too slow for today’s Sailors. Based on historically low response rates, taking them feels like a punishment to most. A replacement option could be single question daily pulse surveys that can be accessed via ship’s WiFi or when logging onto a work computer. Survey questions must also be better. Imagine the impact of the question “Has your supervisor thanked you this week?” on both Sailors and their supervisors.
Leaders must have the psychological safety to try and fail on social media. Recently, a senior military officer was “…found to have brought ‘negative publicity’ and attention to the Army by engaging with a twitter troll online while defending service women from partisan attacks.” The risk of losing control of a narrative on social media is as real any other form of mass communication. Mistakes will be made, but these must be corrected through practice and training, not fear of career repercussions.
The Navy does a great job of creating leaders that are confident in their worldviews, and those who rise to senior leadership are by definition exceptional. When interacting with Sailors, leaders must have the humility to recognize that they are not the baseline for perception of Navy policy and decision-making. The way they communicate must reflect that humility, because what they say will be shared with the world.
For example, consider the stereotypical scenario of a leader responding to a Sailor complaint with “that’s the way it was when I was in your position.” This response is dismissive and unacceptable on an interpersonal level. But, when posted in a video or in the comment section of social media, these words can be manipulated and amplified into a gross condemnation of the entire organization.
Instead, responses should focus on ensuring the complainant understands that they are heard. Leaders are not apologists, but it is acceptable to say: “Yes, I hear your complaint and I understand why you don’t like it.” It is also ok to say: “I hear you, but I don’t have an answer you would like right now…” There is a vulnerability associated with that response – after all, seniors are conditioned to “have all the answers.” But when posted for the world to see, it demonstrates the respect, communication and trust necessary for senior leaders to retake control of the Navy’s actions.
RDML Kavon Hakimzadeh is the Director of Joint and Fleet Operations and U.S. Fleet Forces Command. The opinions expressed in this article are his own and do not reflect the position of the United States Navy or the Department of Defense.
The views expressed in this piece are the sole opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the Center for Maritime Strategy or other institutions listed.