DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY FOR TASK COMPLETION

EVALUATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF DIVISION JOBS Your first and foremost responsibility as a leading petty officer is to evaluate and prioritize division jobs daily. Changes in the command’s mission or other various changes could cause changes in the urgency of some jobs. You must blend these changes into division jobs without upsetting the routine. DELEGATION OF AUTHORITY FOR TASK COMPLETION Since the exercise of authority is important to the growth of junior petty officers, delegate authority at every given opportunit y. Realize, however, that every situation won’t allow you to delegate. Be careful not to overdelegate. Giving petty officers more authority than they can handle can sometimes destroy their confidence. Remember that petty officers to whom you delegate authority may make mistakes. Learning to deal with their mistakes is a part of their training and professional growth. Use delegation wisely. It is one of the biggest responsibilities the Navy has entrusted to you. It can make or break your junior petty officers and affect your future as a leader. SIGNATURE AUTHORITY The commanding officer (CO), officer in charge (OIC), or person “acting” in either position must personally sign the following documents: Those which establish policy Those which center on changes to the command’s mission and are addressed to higher authority Those which deal with certain aspects of military justice (The acting CO or acting OIC may sign these documents only if a staff legal officer finds that the commanding officer’s signature is unnecessary.) Those required by law or regulation (e.g., ship’s deck log) Delegating Signature Authority The commanding officer may delegate signa- ture authority to military and civilian subordinates and may authorize those subordinates to delegate signature authority further. Subdelegated signature authority may be delegated to the lowest responsible person whose position is reasonably related to the function involved. The CO must delegate signature authority in writing and should delegate to titles rather than names. When delegating signature authority, the CO should include a brief outline of the types of docu- ments involved. The CO may delegate signature authority in the unit organization manual or instruction. Authorized personnel may sign corre- spondence that falls within their areas of responsibility, unless good judgment calls for the signature of a higher official. When subordinates sign documents under delegated authority, they usually sign “By direction.” Only the original, which goes to the action addressee, must be signed. All other copies must have typed or stamped signature-block informa- tion below the signature area. The name of the signer appears in all capital letters on the fourth line below the text. Unless the signer has a certain preference, the initial(s) and last name are used. Do not include the signer’s rank/rate or a complimentary close. Each line of the signature block starts at the center of the page. When you are typing a letter, add the signature block only when you are sure who will sign the corre- spondence. If you use a stamp, remember to mark all copies and avoid smeared or crooked impres- sions. The following are a few examples of signature authority that may be delegated to the leading petty officer: The signing or initialing of all service record pages except Page 1 (DD Form 4 or NAVPERS 1070/601) and DD Form 214 The signing of special request chits for recommending or not recommending approval The signing of various 3-M documents, such as the weekly schedule, the automated 2-29