Are You An Ambassador of Goodwill or Hostility?
Each year the U.S. Navy advances thousands new chiefs and each goes through a process called Initiation. One significant line of effort with the process is to indoctrinate them on the new expectations and roles that accompany their advancement. As I explain in the first chapter of the Chief Petty Officer’s Guide , many of these expectations are found in the Chief Petty Officer’s Creed . Among them is the charge to be the “ambassador of goodwill.” Although this charge is directed towards new and tenured Navy Chiefs, the necessity for any naval or civilian leader—from leading deck seaman to the Chief of Naval Operations, shift supervisor to CEO—to embrace and execute their role as an ambassador of goodwill cannot be understated. Outcomes such as the Glenn Defense Marine scandal , liberty incidents overseas and stateside, public hearings on the impacts of infrastructure shortfalls, and recent expressions by Sailors indicating their growing mistrust of the CPO mess all have caustic impact
