Volume LXX . Issue 2 • 2023 reserve.uscg.mil/magazine [email protected] MAGAZINE Anastasia M. Devlin Editor Chris S. Rose Creative Director COMMAND Adm. Linda L. Fagan Commandant, U.S. Coast Guard Rear Adm. Miriam Lafferty Assistant Commandant for Reserve Capt. Susana Lee Chief, Office of Reserve Policy and Requirements Integration Cmdr. Katy Coombs Chief, Reserve Policy and Strategic Communications Division Lt. Cmdr. Samantha M. Block Chief, Reserve Strategic Communications CONTACT INFORMATION [email protected] Commandant (CG-R55) Attn: Editor, Reservist 2703 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., SE (Stop-7721) Washington, DC 20593-7721 http://reserve.uscg.mil Facebook: @uscoastguardreserve Instagram: @uscg_reserve Twitter: @uscgreserve #uscgr RESERVIST (COMDTPUB 1001.29) is published by the Assistant Commandant for Reserve, U.S. Coast Guard. It is intended for information only and is not authority for official action. Views and opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or Coast Guard. The editor reserves the right to select and edit all materials for publication. We continue to strive for perfection, yet unattained. As I make my way around Headquarters, I see signs constantly with the logo of the Commandant’s Intent, which was released last summer at the change of command. There’s a great tagline that says “Tomorrow looks different. So will we.” I’ve seen this tagline on briefing slides, pamphlets, and websites. And, though ubiquitous, it’s still motivational every time I read it. It’s the right sentiment, because people seem to be so hungry for change. The leaders at the top want it; the operators on the ground are excited for it. We’ve been hearing it for the last year, so it feels like it’s just around the corner. But who goes first? Who makes the first move to look different? I’ve heard talk about this “frozen middle,” the senior enlisted, the commanders and captains, the senior civilians who may be hesitant to change up the process. But in their defense, these folks also are the ones who take the most amount of heat when things go wrong. They are the ones who must deal most directly with the fallout when administrations change, goalposts get moved, or staff turns over without much notice. Just some grains of salt in a landscape peppered with opinions these days. You know, a few years back, I was on active duty for a joint operation, and I met a fellow public affairs officer, a sharp Army captain. As we worked our way through ops, we’d occasionally compare and contrast how our services operated, but there was at least one commonality: how hard it was to find solutions that worked across different offices. That was the first time I ever heard the phrase “silos of excellence,” indicating that each division or directorate or command had secured things within their own scope of authority, without recognizing that their solutions often created problems for operators in other divisions. They controlled and secured what was within reach, and trained people below them, ensuring the silo effect carried into the next generation of leaders. This phrase, whether it’s about silos or stovepipes, has been around for at least a decade, and it’s likely found farther back in similar sentiments, both in government and in industry. However, the problem of silos is compounded by low (and shrinking) tolerance for failure over the last 20 years or so, ensuring leaders (in the middle) tighten control, rather than reach for innovative (or collaborative) solutions, trusting their people. “Silos of excellence” stays with me, and it’s something I watch out for when the good idea fairy pops their head into a meeting. It’s also something I look for when I am creating my own solutions. Am I part of the frozen middle? In what ways have I gotten creative lately, and to whom have I reached out to share in the past few months? If you’re not changing, you’re not growing, and change at this pace is difficult. The cultural problems on top of it are daunting, but not impossible. We won’t be the first or the last to deal with this culture problem, but change is slow, and our patience can be thin. Finding that safe zone where change starts, allowing our motivated young leaders to try new things takes courage and contagious calm. Teddy Roosevelt had the right idea when he said, “In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” Sounds cynical, but it’s not. I’m just one person looking forward to great things coming from this organization. The talent we continue to bring in has good ideas, and they’re sharp as tacks. Nowhere to go but up! Anastasia Devlin Editor-in-Chief RESERVIST MAGAZINE FROM THE EDITOR This month's cover is an homage to the Reservist in 1973. If you look closely, 50 years ago they were facinng the same issues, we face today. The more things change...
