Earning recognition and developing the right relationships is paramount to your successful selection as an Officer Candidate. You have got to find ways to earn recognition for your work, and you have got to find ways for it to be recognized by the right people. Not all your personal and professional relationships are equally valuable when it comes to seeking a commission. If you want to be a Mustang, you need to take ownership of your recognition efforts and develop the relationships necessary to be successfully selected.

Be a Recognized Sustained Superior Performer

It’s not enough to just be a superior performer, you must also be recognized as a superior performer.  I don’t care how great a job you’re doing, if the right people don’t know about it, it’s not helping your career.  Don’t get me wrong, working hard is a virtue, but that’s not what this blog is about; this blog is about rising up from the enlisted ranks to become a Naval Officer. If you’re not being recognized for your performance you need to fix yourself. 

The good news is if you’ve followed the eight keys presented in my previous article, recognition should follow automatically; however, this is the real world and that is not always the case.  Every command is different:  some give out praise and recognition freely, while others can be more reserved.  The bottom line is that you must find a way to be recognized and standout from your peers if you ever want a chance to earn your commission.  The onus is on you to be recognized.  It is no one else’s responsibility to recognize you, you need to make your own opportunities.

“If you’re not being recognized for your performance you need to fix yourself… It is no one else’s responsibility to recognize you, you need to make you own opportunities.”

Don’t Want to Self-Promote? GET OVER IT!

I can feel some of you already taking offense to this heading. Give me a second and hear me out.

So how do you get recognition? First and foremost, follow the eight keys to being a competitive Officer Candidate. Secondly, find ways to create opportunities to have face time with senior leadership at your command, officers in your extended chain of command, and officers within the community or communities you’re seeking to join.  These are the key players in your career progression.  This means volunteering to drive the Admiral around when she comes to visit, volunteering to give a presentation at a command event, being on a command training team, getting involved in base activities and associations, and using every opportunity you have to talk to these folks.

Some may call this “self-promoting” or “playing the game”, and there may be a shred of truth to that. But does that matter?  Self-promoting is a big factor in almost all cases of recognition in the Navy.  As I’ve mentioned before, you need to be writing your own evaluations and awards — that’s self-promotion.  The truth is that many Sailors could earn their commission, but they’re not willing to do what it takes. 

The truth is no one cares about you more than you.  If you don’t care enough about yourself, your goals, and your ambitions to promote yourself in your own self interest, why should anyone else promote you?  I have heard too many Sailors say that they don’t feel comfortable writing or talking about themselves or their performance.  I’ve got three words for you:  GET OVER IT!!!!  Stop with the self-conscious excuses and the pity party, take ownership of your career and figure it out.  If you’re still having trouble, ask for help.  The bottom line is that you’re going to have to self-promote if you want to be a Naval Officer.  So, be humble, be confident, get out of your comfort zone, and create your own opportunities to be recognized by the people who matter.

Does this mean you should start singing your own praises and telling the world how great you are? Absolutely not. Results speak for themselves (or should). What I’m saying is that in the competitive environment of seeking a commission it’s not enough to say, “My record speaks for itself.” While drafting your evals, awards, or recommendation letters, or sitting for interviews you must be able to talk comfortably, eloquently, accurately, and concisely about yourself, your accomplishments, and why you deserve to be selected.

“The truth is no one cares more about you than you. If you don’t care enough about yourself, your goals, and your ambitions to promote yourself in your own interest, why should anyone else promote you?”

Key Players

Aligning yourself with the people that can help you the most is incredibly important. Not all chiefs and officers are equal in the amount of power and influence they can have over your career and your prospects of becoming a Naval Officer.  For example, having the support of the Weapons Department Head (WEPS) on your ship is great, but if you’re in Supply Department and SUPPO (the Supply Department Head) doesn’t support you, the WEPS support doesn’t mean anything.

In addition, if you’re trying to become a Warrant Officer don’t submit recommendation letters from Master Chiefs. This is not a knock against Master Chiefs by any means; their guidance, experience, and mentorship is a valuable asset to you as a Sailor and leader. But what experience to do they have as a Warrant Officer? You need someone that has worn Warrant bars to tell the selection board that you’re made of the right stuff to be their replacement.

Determining who the key players for your career progression are may seem obvious to some, but it wasn’t obvious to me as a young Sailor.

Your Immediate Chain of Command

First and foremost, you have to have the support of your chain of command, from your Chief to your CO.  At present these are the most important people that can influence your career; they are directly involved with your development and can see the efforts of your labors.  You need to develop positive professional working relationships with your Chief, your Division Officer (DIVO), your Department Chief, your Department Head (DH), your Command Career Counselor (CCC), your Command Master Chief (CMC) or Chief of the Boat (COB), your Executive Officer (XO), and your Commanding Officer (CO).  If you don’t like them, I don’t care, and neither do they.  Suck it up.  Take ownership of your career and find ways to positively and professionally work with and for the people who can help you get where you want to go.

Learn From My Mistakes

Quick Sea Story: In 2009, when I was a Second Class Petty Officer (that makes me feel old) I butted heads constantly with my Chief and Division Officer.  I was hitting all the wickets; my evals were great, my programs were recognized as the best on the waterfront, I sat on the Enlisted Surface Warfare Specialist Qualification board, I was on two command training teams, I earned spot Navy Achievement Medals, I was taking college classes, I was on the Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure Team (VBSS), I was unstoppable.  But, I was also a jerk, and had a terrible attitude toward my immediate chain of command; namely, my Chief and Division Officer. 

In the end, my attitude (and a stack of counseling chits) got me sent to Captain’s Mast for “contemptuously turning from and walking away from a superior commissioned officer while being addressed.”  In this case, it was my Division Officer that I walked away from.  She had just given me a tasker that I didn’t agree with and after I poorly explained why I thought it was a bad idea, I threw my hands up and walked away from her while she was still talking.  The funny thing is I still ended up doing exactly what she had asked me to do.  But, because I had decided to be an jerk and mouth off to my superior, I received 45 days of restriction and 45 days of extra duty with a suspended bust down to Third Class Petty Officer.  I absolutely deserved it. 

My relationship with my immediate chain of command never quite recovered from that incident. However, I transferred a year later, got a fresh start at my next duty station, and was able to learn from my mistakes and recover my career.

I tell this story to emphasize how important relationships are to your success. Despite doing all the right things when it came to my personal and professional development, my efforts were not positively recognized because of my attitude and lack of professionalism.  The truth is, had I been more mature, aligned my attitude with my goals, and known what I know now about communication, professionalism, and tact, I could have been a lot further along in my career as an officer.

My point is that you need your chain of command’s support and that starts with developing and maintaining a positive professional working relationship. Learn from my mistakes.

Your Extended Chain of Command

Other than your immediate chain of command, the next group of people you want to develop positive professional working relationships with is your extended chain of command.  These would be the folks at the Squadron, Headquarters, or Type Commander level.  

A CAUTIONARY NOTE:  When interacting with these folks you must always walk a fine line;  BE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT YOU SAY!  These people work for, or are, your boss’s boss.  Never, I repeat, never give away information that could make your boss look bad.  Talk in broad strokes, talk about them, talk about your career, never gossip, and always talk positively about your command. 

Remember your place (professionally) in the big scheme of things.  For example, if you’re a Machinist Mate Second Class, be friendly with the Squadron Engineer when you see them, make small talk and talk about your Engineering Depart’s recent successes.  Don’t talk about an engineering casualty that happened on the mid watch because someone didn’t follow the proper procedure.  For one, the Squadron Engineer may not know about it and you just got your Engineer in trouble.  Secondly, you shouldn’t be bringing up anything negative to an outsider (i.e. someone outside your command); always leave a positive impression of you and your command.  As one Commanding Officer told me, “Never trust anyone off the boat!”

That being said, these people can significantly help you with your officer package.  You’re going to want as many high ranking people in your officer package as you can get; from your CO’s recommendation, to letters of recommendation, and interviews.  For most operational Navy commands, the CO is typically a Commander.  So in order to seek out and establish positive professional working relationships with O-6 and above officers (see my article about recommendation letter strategies), the Squadron/Type Commander/Fleet or Headquarters is the best place to start.

Don’t Let Distance Stand in Your Way

For some of you, seeking out and developing a relationship with your extended command, or even your immediate command could be difficult, but it’s not impossible. 

I was in this position when I was submitting my Officer Candidate School (OCS) package to become a Supply Corps Officer.  I was stationed in Souda Bay, Crete, Greece, one of the Navy’s best kept secrets:  beautiful beaches, wonderful culture, great food, cheap economy, just an all around great duty station.  But, I was far removed from my chain of command.  I was stationed with the Naval Supply Systems Command, Fleet Logistics Center Sigonella, Site Souda Bay.  The only members of my immediate chain of command at my location were my Chief, a Warrant Officer, and our Officer in Charge who was a Lieutenant at the time.  The rest of my chain of command — the CMC, XO, and CO — were in Sigonella, Sicily, about a couple hours flight away.  My extended chain of command was even further, San Diego, CA. 

Establishing these relationships and earning recognition was difficult because of the distance.  So I worked my ass off to become an indispensable leader within my organization and create new efficiencies that warranted attention.  I also had the support of my “on-island” chain of command which ensured that I received every opportunity to brief our CO, visiting Admirals, and other dignitaries.  It was through this work, the eight keys, and the opportunities to connect with high level officers that I was able to include three Captains and an Admiral in my officer package.  Which, if you’ve read my article on recommendation letters, gave me some serious leverage against the board.  Like one of my mentors, “the Commander isn’t going to tell the Admiral no.”

Outside the Chain

In addition to your extended chain of command, the next group of people that can help you are officers in the communities you want to join.  These officers really need to be people you’ve worked with, for, or adjacent to in the past. They should be familiar with you, your performance, your aptitude, and your work ethic.  How is a stranger supposed to stake their reputation on you and recommend you for a commission?  It seems pretty obvious, but I still see it all the time. 

Look, I get it.  You want to get commissioned.  But don’t ask for recommendations or interviews from strangers.  You shouldn’t want an interview from a stranger anyway.  How much is that person really going to be able to speak to your aptitude, potential, performance or ability after a half-hour conversation? 

What you really shouldn’t do is blind post to some social media group looking for mentors, interviews, letters of recommendation, etc.  Don’t get me wrong, these groups are great for seeking guidance to specific package related questions if after doing your due diligence you are still unable to come up with the answer.  But, what you’re really telling these groups (of officers by the way) by asking for recommendations, interviews, etc is that you have not properly developed your network and probably aren’t ready for the increased responsibility of being a Naval Officer. 

Work within your own network of officers.  If you need to expand that network, use your current network to help you. Your network should grow naturally and organically.  If you’ve been following the eight keys to being a competitive Officer Candidate, there should be no lack of support for you and your goals from those closest to you.

Key Players in Your Career Progression

1) Your Immediate Chain of Command

1. Chief
2. Division Officer
3. Department Chief
4. Department Head
5. Career Counselor
6. Command Master Chief/ Chief of the Boat
7. Executive Officer
8. Commanding Officer

2) Your Extended Chain of Command

1. Squadron
2. Type Commander
3. Fleet/ Headquarters

3) Officers in the Community you wish to join

4) Other High Ranking Officer you personally know

Final Thoughts

• Being a recognized sustained superior performer is different from being a sustained superior performer.
• Recognition is your responsibility.
• If you’re not comfortable self-promoting, get over it.
• Not all relationships are equally valuable to your officer package.
• Develop relationships with key players.
• Don’t let distance hinder developing these relationships.
• Don’t seek letters of recommendation, interviews, or mentors blindly; especially on social media.
• Expand your network organically and naturally.

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