For some reason respect has been on my mind lately. It seems that respect isn't something that comes into play very often as a straight forward card to be played. It's a subtle card one that makes even the bad hand a little bit better. I think it's one that we know flows two ways and I think maybe organizations and businesses have lost. It seems they wonder why nobody likes them when they don't show respect. Or at the very least want some without giving the service that gains respect.
In any case I thought I'd share a story about power and respect that I thought might resonate. It begins on the U.S.S Shreveport when I first checked on with Boatswain Brennen. Boatswain is pronounced as Boson is a title that means man who knows how to run a ship. Similarly the Forecastle of a ship is said as Foc'sle Maintenance, repair, rigging and steering admin and other miscellaneous things a Boatswain knows them all. It's not a title you hear often even though every ship has plenty of Boatswain's mates. I'll use B. to refer to the title from now on
B. Brennan had the foulest mouth I've ever heard. The closest you'll get to him was the Drill Sergent from Full metal Jacket. Creative and liberally spraying out Fuck, Cunt, Cock, Shit and every variant on them and combining them in novel way I admired his way with words. Wordsmiths the world over aren't half as entertaining as he was. I think I'll always feel like I do the words a disservice if I don't use them as well as he does.
B. Brennan was a long time member of the navy. He was going on 33 years when I met him and there was no way that anybody was going to gather as much clout as he had without seriously endangering themselves. He knew his job and he kept people safe. On most ships the captain has the most sway on ours B. Brennan did.
It all had to do with his being upfront with how he did business and that he was willing to do the same things that he required of his subordinates. If his crew was going to be up all night he'd be there to make sure things went well. He had enough rank and experience that if he said something couldn't be done you wouldn't doubt it. But he'd make sure that if it could be done it would damn well be done.
Opposite him on our ship was the captain. The man had a strong work ethic but had spent too much time as an officer and didn't think of the enlisted men as people deserving much attention. It wasn't that he didn't know his job or that he was incompetent. He had been a fighter pilot for much of his career and made the choice to move up in rank rather than stay in the pilot's seat which is a hard decision.
But still the captain was using this post to accomplish other things. You can always tell who's serious about what they're doing and who thinks what they are currently doing is just a placeholder for other options. This post for him was a quick step onto carriers and higher rank nothing to worry about just something to ride out.
In the navy there's a tradition of Standing whenever the captain enters a room. And above the flight deck in officer's country we (the deck dept) followed this tradition. However in B. Brennan's area, below the flight deck there was only one person to get that type of respect and that was B. Brennan.
This I don't think would fly in any other branch but sometimes a ship needs to function as a place of truces. When you're in cramped spaces dealing with the same people in and out every day, if there isn't some structure people can get unruly but if there isn't give and take people fight in a serious way. The captain knew this fortunately. By not intruding too much on the space of the ship where we were he made peace with the people who would make him look good.
So while there might have been a pissing contest or two on board between others, these two managed to maintain places of power without resorting (at least not in public) to pure power plays. Our missions were accomplished without incident and we managed to shine a little here and there.
It's important to let people have respect. They perform well when you show it to them . Without it they'll try and sabotage you. It just seems that organizations don't get this and I wonder how to teach them this.
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