MCPON commemorates establishment of office

Photo By Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Lopez | 170201-N-TP832-001 JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Feb. 01, 2017) An illustration showing the 14 Master Chief Petty Officer's of the Navy to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the office of the mcpon. (U.S. Navy illustration by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael Lopez/Released)  

JACKSONVILLE, FL, UNITED STATES

02.02.2017

Story by Seaman Michael Lopez 

Navy Public Affairs Support Element East, Detachment Southeast

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Only 14 Sailors have ever held the highest enlisted office that continuously bridges the gap gap between Navy leadership and enlisted personnel.
According to Naval Administrative Message (NAVADMIN) 011/17, the office of the Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (MCPON) was created as an advisory position to the Chief of Naval Operations. Navy leadership wanted a senior enlisted person that could be honest about challenges their Sailors faced.
“The mcpon’s primary responsibility is to be the immediate representation of all enlisted Sailors,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Bill Houlihan, command master chief of Naval Station (NAVSTA) Mayport. “He is the enlisted advisor to the Chief of Operations and when policy is being constructed, the mcpon’s council could be sought to offer opinions on behalf of the enlisted Sailors.”
In the NAVADMIN, MCPON Steven Giordano encouraged Sailors to reflect on the changes made by previous mcpon’s and the Navy to enhance the lives of enlisted Sailors and their families.
“As I was working around the house, I started thinking about this message from the mcpon,” said Master Chief Petty Officer Johannes Gonzalez, command master chief of U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet. “I looked into some books, and it was pretty amazing to understand that was a turning point for senior enlisted leaders. They were told that their voices were heard, their opinions mattered and their feedback would make a difference.”
At the time of the office’s inception, Navy leadership was concerned about the force’s low morale and equally low retention rate. Master Chief Petty Officer Delbert D. Black, the first mcpon, began visiting Sailors in a capacity that no one else had done before.
“Anytime that a leader can go to the deck plates and gain insight into how enlisted Sailors live and work and how their families are supported,” said Houlihan. “They show a significant level of concern, which in turn will increase moral.”
Navy leadership felt they needed a mcpon to bridge the gap between an officer’s and enlisted Sailor’s perspectives on the implementation of policy.
“Sometimes senior leadership will think something is a great idea, and on paper it looks great,” said Chief Air Traffic Controller Stephen Lane, tower chief at NAVSTA Mayport’s, air operations department. “But when the people down on the deck plates say ‘hey you’re going about this the wrong way,’ that’s what the mcpon is there for. He allows us to voice our opinions and our day-to-day needs to get our jobs done.”
It was not just important for the mcpon to communicate with senior leadership; he also had to communicate with his sailors across the fleet.
“The lines of communication are really open with the mcpon’s office through the Chiefs Mess,” said Lane. “The mcpon is a chief. If I have something I want to say to the mcpon, I can email or send it through my CMC [command master chief]. “If it’s a valid enough point, or something the Chiefs Mess as a whole deems necessary to go forward, then he’ll take it up to the CNO.”
The relationship between the Chiefs Mess and the mcpon allows a voice to be heard by Navy leadership speaking on behalf of junior enlisted Sailors.
“I may not know a whole lot about the mcpon,” said Air traffic controller 2nd Class Miles Hill. “But I think the creation of the position was good for communication. We’re always told to use our chain of command, and this lets us get information all the way from the bottom of the ranks to the very top.”
Gonzalez said Black started a theme for future mcpons with a simple message of ‘I’m going to listen to you, tell me what you want.’
“The key to being an effective mcpon is to simply listen and truly prioritize what is affecting our Sailors,” said Gonzalez. “It’s easy to listen, but having the courage to make those tough decisions and to put certain things in practice is a tough job, and that’s an admirable trait.”
As the office of the mcpon’s chief of public affairs from 2006 to 2010, Houlihan saw first hand how stressful the job of the mcpon can be as it is filled with frequent travel, decisions regarding the enlisted force and the Navy’s best interests and very little free time.
“I got insight into that office that I never understood before,” said Houlihan. “While I was there I got to see their impact on policy and how they helped shape it. In some cases you could say that the mcpon is a sanity check because he has access to information that the rest of us don’t, so he can look at policies and the way they will affect the fleet.”
Mcpon’s are selected from a very prestigious group of enlisted leadership with experience and tenacity.
“I don’t know if I have what it takes,” said Gonzalez about his aspirations to become a mcpon. “But I can tell you that I’m striving for that position, because I know the difference you can make in a Sailor’s career and the entire enlisted force.”
Gonzalez continued with his sentiment about his passion for leadership.
“We all can’t do it,” said Gonzalez. “But I can tell you that if any chief petty officer is not striving to be the mcpon or to go as far as they possibly can in the Chiefs Mess, then they shouldn’t be a chief petty officer.”
To view Giordano’s official message visit http://www.public.navy.mil/bupers-npc/reference/messages/Documents/NAVADMINS/NAV2017/NAV17011.txt

• Date Taken: 02.02.2017
• Date Posted: 02.02.2017 10:33
• Story ID: 222278
• Location: JACKSONVILLE, FL, US