Anchors Aweigh
Leadership Thought of the Day
We are currently enjoying a period of relatively low fuel prices. Just this weekend I paid only $2.55 a gallon at our local filling station. $2.55 a gallon is still a lot of money, but when we were looking well over $4.00 a gallon not too long ago; this feels like a real breath of fresh air. While we (temporarily) enjoy these low prices, I want to share an interesting comment I came upon.
I heard it mentioned that in the military, fuel cost can go as high as $400.00 a gallon! Now this is not just another government overspending mess resulting from bloated bureaucracies and inefficiencies, this is a reflection of the cost associated with getting fuel to our war machines in the field. When you are at 40,000 feet of elevation and smoking along at 500 mph, you don’t just pull over at the next exit ramp and top off. Some big tanker has to get up there and slake your thirst. If you have tanks roaming the deserts of the Middle East, or in other remote regions of the world, they too need fuel, and more likely than not, it is trucked to the job site. It costs a lot of money to just get the fuel to where it is needed. Hybrid propulsion technologies might look like a good value for automobiles if gas prices spike again, it is easy to see where they would pay off in the military.
That being the case, it is a marvel to understand how our Navy has developed nuclear propulsion so well. Since the launch of the USS Nautilus to today, the United States has commissioned over 200 nuclear powered submarines and twenty three aircraft carriers and cruisers. Instead of needing to rely on slow and easily targeted oilers to follow our fleet around and keep their tanks filled, the nuclear powered vessels can be deployed at will to whatever mission our country requires and stay on mission until the all clear is sounded.
The feat of creating this incredible fleet can be attributed to the leadership of a remarkable man, Four Star Admiral Hyman George Rickover, known affectionately as the “Father of the Nuclear Navy”. Admiral Rickover served in the US Navy for 63 years, the longest service record in Navy history. His reputation for working long grueling hours, of pouring over minute details of every design, manufacturing and procurement issue set him apart as a remarkable leader. In his tenure, the Navy recorded zero nuclear accidents of uncontrolled release of fission products.
I came across a copy of a speech that the Admiral gave at Columbia University in 1982 from Chris Buday, where he articulated his management philosophy. I am sure that by today’s management philosophy standards, he would be looked at like a dinosaur. I also understand that many people who worked for the Admiral had a difficult time with many of his demands and practices. Still, reading this one cannot help but to see the timeless wisdom in much of what he held as vital management and leadership truths. I ask myself if the USA would have been able to create such a world class Navy, a vital element of the safeguarding our nation and of free people all over the globe, if the Admiral had not been as focused and driven as he was. Feel free to browse the transcript of his speech from the comfort of security he helped to provide here.
Stay Strong,
Terry
