Introduction
A navy is about roles, mandates, deployments, training, preparedness, maintenance and the whole gamut of operations. However, what makes a Navy effective and efficient are the men and women behind the machines. Many years back (I’m given to understand - 10 years back), some wise men in the naval hierarchy took two very significant decisions. One, they decided to recalibrate the basic education standards for induction of officers to a BTech degree and second for sailors from Matric-equivalent to Secondary School Recruits (SSRs) or 12th grade. These momentous decisions, today, have given us a set of men and women who are educated, aware, enthusiastic and straining at the leash for more. Today, ships are being run by these young officers and sailors, Sea I and Leadings/equivalents. They manage everything from seamanship evolutions, war-fighting, maintenance, machinery upkeep and watch-keeping. They are both working and supervisory hands. They also seek to be more involved, be important members of teams and want more responsibility and recognition. We are today reaping a ‘dividend’ of two very good decisions taken by our predecessors but this, I fear, goes largely ‘unrecognised.’
The current lot of men and women joining the Navy are from cities, small towns and villages all over India. The revolution brought about by internet penetration and connectivity in these areas has raised awareness levels and expectations. Growing prosperity and living standards has also made most of them relatively more affluent and therefore, aspirational. It also makes them compare their own lives with their friends on the civilian street as well as with their leaders within the service. If we desire better personnel by raising induction standards, then as a responsible organisation it is our duty to meet their increased expectations and aspirations. The question is have we changed to meet them?
The New Generation
The first thing we need to recognise and accept about this new generation is that they are different. They are a lot more individualistic in their approach to the service. They want to be unique, be recognised for their individual talent and abilities and be given responsibility commensurate to their abilities and performance. They are a lot more aware and the overload of information that they receive through the internet on their smart devices allows them to compare. Connectivity also provides them easy access to friends and family pursuing other careers and therefore, more opportunities to exchange notes. This then raises their expectations from the Navy. It could also lead to disillusionment and dissatisfaction at early times in their careers, if these expectations are not met.
They are also a part of the new generation of Indians, who have grown up in a very global environment with most having been born just before or after the opening up of the Indian economy and the removal of barriers. They have had access, in different ways, to the world and what it has to offer from soft drinks to fast food, gadgets to clothes, music to movies and international standards to the lack of it in places in India. All this makes them aware of what the best in the world is, and where we fall short. Their peers work for cutting edge companies and organisations who have adapted to the globalised world, be it through infrastructure, HR practices, functioning etc. This again results in comparison. Our stock answers of ‘Serving with Pride,’ ‘Nation First,’ ‘Confidentiality,’ ‘Government regulations,’ ‘Follow orders,’ ‘This is the way it has always been done,’ ‘Your Batch will be considered…,’ ‘Treating them as a Group,’ etc., will all be met with scepticism and in some cases disdain. End result: the dividend we reap would be lost very soon if we don’t change and adapt ourselves as an organisation to them and their ways. Let’s not forget they are the Navy, the future, the Sword and it is for us to keep them sharp.
The Myths and Misunderstandings
It would be very easy for an organisation to misread them and my fear is we may have already. Numerous comments on the younger generation of men and women (officers and sailors) and their levels of commitment, inclinations, interests, attitude etc. have been made by many of us in discussions, both formal and informal. I have been witness to many and have partaken in them too. Many of us (the older generation), have served in Training Institutions and bemoaned the myth that we don’t get the ‘cream’ anymore or that the ‘best’ don’t join the Navy or that the young in the Navy today are not as good as we were. While this may be true in specific instances where we induct the wrong man or woman despite stringent induction procedures, to generalise would be a disservice. The question to be asked is whether there exists a gap in our understanding this new breed of officers and men. If the answer is ‘no,’ then we go about with business as usual. If the answer is ‘yes,’ then we need to introspect on the ‘why’ and from there look to mitigate.
It is my opinion, having recently handed over command of a frontline Fleet ship that the answer unfortunately is a ‘yes.’ My own experience, leading and working alongside these young officers and men for close to 18 months, is that they are bright, eager, responsible, committed and believe themselves to be the best. Most of the young officers and men I had the occasion to work with were more aware than I was at their seniority, were definitely more competent than me and my peers that I know of closely and this coupled with their new-gen attitude made them supremely confident. What I also noticed was that they were eager to do more, learn more, had questions or questioned more and needed to be given answers, responsibility and trust. It required my Heads of Department and me to adapt ourselves to new forms of leadership and new methods of motivation. Young sailors (Sea I/IIs and Leadings) were constantly outdoing our expectations and we had to find new ways to challenge them and keep their enthusiasm going. It was certainly a learning experience for us to be able to keep up with them and more importantly recognise them individually and as teams.
If we assume this to be true of the majority of our young officers and men, where is the problem, if at all there is one? Today, the Commander’s Conference, the apex decision making body of the Navy, is attended by individuals whose average age is close to 53 - 58. This body, in all its wisdom, maturity, experience and capability, attempts to shape policy and plans for a Navy that has an average age of 22 - 25! (The figures are rough calculations). There is bound to be a disconnect, it is natural and must be expected. Some would argue that this has always been the case and exists in all large organisations. Maybe true, but there was always a ‘Bridge’ that existed that kept the apex leadership connected to the men and women on ground (or at sea).
The Broken Bridge
This ‘Bridge’ is built on the shoulders of the Commanders, Captains and to a smaller extent Commodores of the Navy. People like me must bear the weight of this onerous responsibility. This is where, in my opinion, the crux of the problem I am trying to highlight lies. For years, the Navy was carried on the shoulders of these ranks both in Staff and Command appointments. It was we who were responsible for shaping and formulating policy, for providing perspectives and opinions, for taking and passing feedback, for ensuring the aspirations and expectations of the young were conveyed without fear or favour to the leadership, for ensuring that attitudes and such like of the young were understood, appreciated and encouraged, for ‘bridging’ the generational gap between those younger and those older (junior and senior maybe more appropriate). It was we who were to have ensured that voices are not stifled, opinions were not squashed, attitudes and independent confident thinking was encouraged and nurtured. I use ‘we’ everywhere because I am very much a part of this ‘Bridge.’
Why did this very important ‘Bridge’ break? In my opinion, all three generations are responsible for this ‘Broken Bridge.’ But more so, the fault rests squarely on our shoulders on which this ‘Bridge’ was built in the first place. In the pursuit of personal ambitions, we began to focus only on those things we believed would promote us. We started to ‘toe the line’ to make sure we earned the goodwill of those above. This, in turn, was encouraged by those above who started to get used to compliant Staff and the vicious circle spiralled to eventually bring us here. We forgot that the majority of the Navy was actually below (This term is used purely as a direction) us and focused ourselves looking upwards. We started to dump difficult situations and decisions upwards and this got encouraged by the few in the leadership who liked being in control and taking all the decisions. Slowly and steadily, we distanced ourselves from those we were meant to lead and ‘look after.’
The ‘Bridge’ broke down. As the distance grew, in interactions, parties, functions, meetings, barakhanas, etc., the young lost faith in us seeing us for ambitious ‘Yes Men’ (A very far cry from the superhuman mutant X-men) and started to be rudderless and looked for alternate avenues to reach the apex leadership through various fora and means available.
All is Not Lost
After many years, we are today in a new Navy. Our apex leadership is now actively seeking genuine, honest and even dissident and contrarian opinion. Look at the many posts on the Chief of the Naval Staff Discussion forum, the constant messaging in the form of pan Navy and Command General Messages, Fleet Cdrs’ instructions, etc., extolling us to be open, frank, fearless, voice our opinions et al. Yes, there would still be some leaders who may not be receptive, but today we are blessed, in that the bulk of the senior Commodores and Flag Officers want and yearn to listen. It is time for us to stand up and be counted and deliver to them what they seek. It’s time for us to ‘Build the Bridge.’
I know, it is not my place to be prescriptive, especially since I am equally responsible for the ‘Broken Bridge.’ But to borrow and paraphrase from the epitaph of the Signal School, “To what avail a lament or mirror held up, when change is not initiated and direction not shown.” And therefore, with an aim to generate discussion, debate, conversation, acceptance and eventually change, I suggest the following to my colleagues, seniors and juniors. None of these are exhaustive and certainly none of these are claimed to be all correct. But it would, I believe, generate a tug at the collective consciousness of the Navy’s Officer Corps. With all disclaimers in place, here goes…
Sail Forwards and Onwards
Let us first Believe. Believe in ourselves, believe in the glorious service we chose to serve in, believe in our seniors and most importantly, believe and trust in our juniors. Let every man and woman be trusted for his abilities. However capable or not, let us trust that each person is ready to do his best and no ‘cattle-prods’ are needed. From belief and trust would automatically flow respect for all. Let us ensure we believe, trust and respect until proven otherwise or let down. And even then, let us dust off the disappointment, shake off the betrayal and continue to believe.
To the Leadership, I say, Listen. He or she who speaks may have experienced less, but may not automatically know less. Don’t believe the maxim that the past was better or the present and the future aren’t good enough. Don’t ridicule even the most ridiculous. Don’t come in to ‘chair’ having already decided. A contrarian and dissident voice is not always equal to insubordination. Don’t focus on only that which agrees with you, and worse, that which agrees with your Boss. You have no Boss, you are the Boss. Come away from ‘Ivory Towers’ and exclusive demarcated areas and course mate clubs and mingle. The young are waiting to hear, imbibe and learn from you. We are the men and women you lead. We are your priority, we are your raison d’etre.
To my colleagues, the ‘Bridge Builders,’ I say, be Fearless. We carry the largest responsibility and the most difficult. We walk the thin line between the aspirations of the young and the expectations of the old. We occupy leadership positions as Commanding Officers and Executive Officers and also all important Staff positions in decision making chains. Let us not snigger at the man or woman who speaks his mind, right or wrong, when he is ridiculed by leadership. Let us not ‘herd’ ourselves to toe the line. Let us break up our collective need for safety in numbers and be ready to stand up alone and stem the tide. We know that we wouldn’t be offended (bura maan jayega) by dissidence from our juniors, why do we believe that of our seniors? Trust them for their maturity to accept questions and opinions. Nobody is going to earn ire for speaking their mind. Do not believe the few examples that are ‘put together’ or conjectures borne out of gossip. Let us convey what we hear from below without dilution or ‘modifiers.’ It’s not our job to make things palatable, it’s our task to ensure the right decision is taken. Let us empower below and enable above. We are the ‘middle child’ and as long as we occupy this position, let us be the sponge that soaks in from both ends. Yes, we have our own needs and aspirations and let us continue to voice them in all vigour. But let us not focus only upwards and sideways, let us also look down and seek out and remain connected with the young. We are the ‘Bridge,’ we must stand up and lend our shoulders to build it strong.
To the young, I say, be Patient. The Navy is yours to inherit in time. Tumhara time aayega. Until then continue to retain your spirit and enthusiasm, continue to tilt at the windmills. We will change to match up to you, we have no choice. You are the future, you are the Sword we wield. Work hard and smart to keep it sharp. Remember, the hilt doesn’t kill. You are the best the Nation has, you are the ‘cream.’ The ethos and belief of the Navy rests on your shoulders and the change that you seek articulated in the many posts on this forum and otherwise will come. You seek more responsibility, you want a bigger piece of the action, you want to get out of the mundane and the drab, stop the ushering and liaison duties, do away with the unnecessary and excessive checks and balances, equalize the different standards of living, remove the denial of access and answers, seek respect for capabilities and individuality, etc. All this will happen. We are on the cusp of change, you started it. It will take time, but it will happen. Allow for us ‘oldies’ to shake off our lethargy and inertia and move at the pace you set. Don’t slow down for us, we will catch up, we have no choice. It is you who will lead and if need be, hold us by the ear and drag us into the new Navy. Every ‘why’ and ‘why not’ of yours will have to be answered by us and where we don’t have the answers, we look to you to provide them. Trust us for our intent and don’t be disillusioned by the ‘Nay Sayers,’ they are but a few.
Who are we? We are the Navy! The best there can be, for sure at sea.
