Naval Reserve Association

ProfessionalDevelopmentHow Long Is “Too Long”?CAPT Larry Weill, USNNational VP for Professional DevelopmentIremember standing outside ofthe National Defense Universityone afternoon as I congratulateda young lieutenant on her selectionto LCDR. As she discussed hercareer milestones, she made apassing remark about her collateralduties in her current unit that she hadperformed as an ensign. My curiosityarose; and I asked her the question,“How many tours have you had in thisunit?”, to which she answered, “One!”She had been in the same unit for thepast eleven years! It was only a credit toher outstanding service and hard workthat she had been promoted to O-4, andI worried about her prospects for furtherpromotion.This brings me to the topic of thismonth’s column: homesteading andcareer growth. We have all heard aboutthis thing called homesteading, which isthe long (and sometimes VERY long)tenure of an officer in a single unit.What is it, and why is it bad for a youngcareer? Let’s talk about that some.First of all, the APPLY Board had avery good idea when they decided on thestandard noncommand tour tenure ofthree years. Three years is about thelongest that a senior officer shouldremain in any one billet to remaincompetitive. For a junior officer, thatperiod might be a little longer, but nevermore than about three and a half years.For an officer to spend longer in onelocation not only limits his or her experienceto one small niche, but also indicates tothe promotion board that he/she is afraidof growth, of taking risks, and of assuminggreater responsibilities.Each year, about a half dozen juniorofficers write to me and ask the samequestion: “I’ve been in the same unit forsix years now. I spent two years as aDivision Officer, then I was the AdminOfficer, and then they made me theTraining Officer. Should I stay in theunit if I have a chance at becoming thenext XO?” My answer would generallybe, “No.” First of all, six years is alreadyway too long, and most promotion boardswill look at that factor in a negativelight. That being said, it is a good thingthat they have moved up within their unitstructure. Going from a Division Officerto a Department Head to XO shows thatthey are making progress and handlingtheir responsibilities well. However, Iwould advise that officer to seek anequal position (XO) inside of anotherunit rather then remain in his/her currentunit. (Or, accept the XO job untilanother XO position comes open; then,transfer.)The Commanding Officer should beon top of this process and should play amajor role in limiting the tour length ofhis or her officers. The first step is thatthey should know how long each of theirofficers have served in that unit andwhen they plan to transfer. This shouldbecome a part of every FITREP counselingsession, including the semiannual review.In many cases, junior officers knowwhen they arrived but will admit thatthey never thought about their plans fortransferring. Help them to get started inthis process. Counsel them on thenegative aspects of homesteading. Makethem think about other units, other jobs,and other opportunities.Sometimes this process can seem to becounterproductive to the good of theunit. Think about it. Many units have a“Lieutenant ‘5.0’ Do Right” who has beenin the unit for three years and who knowsit all. He or she has been to the supportedcommand many times, and they lovehim/her. He/she knows all the contacts,can fill out any of the forms, and couldprobably take over as CO if needed.Yes, it is hard to lose someone like that.But, improbably as it sounds, others willstep up and quickly fill his/her shoes.(Especially if he/she has been doinghis/her job and training others.) By nottransferring that officer, not only areyou limiting his/her career, but also youare not encouraging others in your unitto attain those same levels of proficiency.Sometimes, the junior officer may notwant to transfer; and, in those cases you(as CO) need to offer more “incentive.”Let him/her know that he/she will notbenefit from another year in the unit(including his/her FITREP!); and, then, keepyour eyes open for good opportunities.Use your own CO network to find possibleXO jobs that are opening. Introducehim/her to new possibilities, even if it meanstraveling as a JO.Finally, as advice to the junior officerwho has “settled in” to the same job orduties for more than one-to-two years, Iurge you to try something new that willprovide you with growth opportunities.I know that this means leaving thatcocoon of safety, but it is something thatyou MUST do if you are to continuegrowing as an officer. Take on a job atthe next level up the org chart. Stretchand expand your horizons. And remember:if the shoe fits, there’s no room forgrowth.VISIT OUR NEW WEB SITE ATwww.navy-reserve.org12 NRA NEWS/APRIL 2007