Techniques
Supervision can range from almost no direct
supervision of the highly experienced, to close
supervision for the young and inexperienced JO. Do not
oversupervise. If your workers are capable, experienced
and have demonstrated their ability, it would be foolish
to supervise them too closely. They may resent it, and
their work may suffer.
Workers who are young and inexperienced,
however, need close supervision until they can develop
the skills and abilities necessary to do their jobs
properly. But here, it is not so much a question of super-
vision as it is of training. If your workers have never
done a certain type of job before, it is up to you to train
them.
Always remember that the thoroughness of a
completed job depends on the petty officer in charge. If
you are running an office, the responsibility for any
finished product is yours regardless of who does the
work.
If one of your staff members writes a poor story, for
example, it is up to you to edit it or have it rewritten
before it goes to the PAO for approval and release. There
is no excuse for giving a sloppily written story to the
PAO, then blaming your JOSN or JO3 for any errors or
blunders that are brought to your attention. If you
continue passing the buck in this reamer, you will not
only lose the respect and confidence of the PAO but that
of your staff as well. Be sure that in editing and rewriting
you train your juniors, as well as, improve their written
work. Unless you can improve their skills and the
immediate product, you will end up doing all the work
yourself.
Criticism and Praise
As a senior JO, you must devote much thought as to
whether a job is botched or well done. Never be too
quick to criticize. Sometimes an individual may have a
good reason for doing what he did in the way he did it.
Avoid making unfavorable remarks just for the sake of
being critical; you do not want to symbolize trouble
every time you appear. Unwarranted criticism may
create a feeling of hostility and even be the cause for
some of the mistakes you are criticizing.
Try constructive criticism. This means not just
pointing out that a job was mishandled, but also
explaining how it can be remedied. Doing this will show
that you are trying to be helpful. When you criticize at
all, make sure you are right!
As with criticism, there is an art in giving praise and
encouragement. Public commendation is an excellent
aid in developing a person’s morale, but do not
repeatedly pat someone on the back for doing his job.
Never hesitate to thank or praise an individual in such a
way that others know of the praiseworthy deed. If one
of your subordinates makes a good suggestion or goes
out of his or her way to do a better job, give credit where
it is due. Even if the suggestion is not practical, let the
individual know you appreciate the thought behind it.
Be courteous to juniors as well as seniors. Bear in mind
that to overdo praise is to lessen its value.
Passing the Word
Every good public affairs program is based on
information and understanding. Your office relations
should be based on the same principle. Keep your staff
informed. Make sure they understand the importance
of their work and the goodwill to be gained from it for
the Navy and the command. If they have to work late or
do something out of the ordinary, make sure they know
the reason why. Yet, be careful not to overemphasize an
obvious point. Some things just do not require
explanations.
EVALUATING
Learning Objective: Recognize the public affairs office
programs and products that are evaluated for
completeness and efficiency.
Every office manager looks for ways to perform
functions in a more efficient manner. To do this, you
must take a step back and objectively evaluate every
facet of the public affairs office operation.
As a manager, you evaluate the effectiveness of
public affairs programs and products while you
supervise. Documentation will help your cause and can
range from simple informal note-taking to more formal
methods such as the memorandum for the record and
after action reports. This will help jog your memory and
lead to changes at the appropriate time.
Another dependable method of evaluating is
soliciting input from the men and women actually doing
the work. This bolsters pride and professionalism,
encourages 100-percent effort and gives them a firm
sense of responsibility.
Programs
During the evaluating process, be sure to pay close
attention to your public affairs programs. Check to see
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