Baseball holds a special place in my heart, and expressing the reasons behind this deep connection can be challenging. Terence Mann, portrayed by James Earl Jones in the movie Field of Dreams (1989), captures some of the essence of my profound love for the sport.
Movies generate memorable moments for their audience, and Field of Dreams is no different. The famous line, commonly misquoted as "If you build it, they will come," conveys a timeless message that has motivated countless leaders to move forward.
The Situation
In 2007, I was given the responsibility to establish a state-of-the-art engineering training center in Pearl Harbor, HI. The facility was intended to feature a fully functional replica of the engineering control room found on a Los Angeles Class submarine. However, upon my arrival, all I found was a cluttered area on the second floor of Building 39 on Ford Island, devoid of the expected trainer.
The situation on the first floor was equally unsatisfactory. This floor housed my command's engineering school, which included classroom courses and some smaller hands-on training facilities. Over time, due to budget reductions and lack of leadership attention, both the school and its instructors had deteriorated. The training equipment was in poor condition, offices were disorganized, and instructors prioritized planning classes based on their vacation schedules rather than the operational needs of the submarine fleet they were meant to serve. I knew that the new trainer's arrival would not only generate new excitement in the school but also bring in important visitors who would carefully inspect the facilities and assess the current situation.
Task and Action
Similar to my previous time on board the Pasadena, I guided each of my managers through their classrooms and labs, inquiring about any shortcomings they noticed. I also highlighted additional areas that needed improvement and clearly communicated my expectations to them, not just in terms of the school's appearance but also in their leadership roles. They promptly took action by changing light bulbs, painting walls, refinishing floors, and replacing office furniture. A very positive beginning indeed.
At the same time, I began organizing daily lunches with my Chiefs, that is, my managers. My goal was to foster teamwork and camaraderie through these gatherings. Keeping the atmosphere cheerful and friendly, we familiarized ourselves with each other, discovered our individual strengths and weaknesses, and created a space where they could ask me tough questions in private, away from the scrutiny of junior Sailors.
During these meetings, we established updated class timetables that were synchronized with fleet activities instead of staff operations. My Chiefs were enthusiastic about the changes. Yet, a major obstacle we encountered was persuading senior Navy officials that increasing the number of courses offered would lead to higher student enrollment. Questioning the logic of increasing course options while the current ones were not being fully utilized was a rational yet misguided line of thinking. In a disagreement, we reached out to prominent individuals for backing our case, and eventually, our perseverance paid off as we achieved success.
The Results
Terence Mann's plea that "If you build it, they will come" proved to be accurate. Increasing course availability by 80% led to a significant rise in course enrollments and attendance from the fleet. We were lauded for our approach and awarded for improving fleet readiness. Central to this achievement was the necessity of setting clear, succinct, and precise expectations, goals, and anticipated results. No speculation, no insinuations, just straightforward encouragement to excel and achieve great success.
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