Chapter 3 Management of the Office of the Chaplain

CHAPTER 3 MANAGEMENT OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN When Religious Program Specialist (RP) petty officers are advanced to RP1 or RPC, they are accepting responsibility for the work of others—in both professional and military duties. Every petty officer is expected to be a leader as well as a technical expert. Therefore, RPCs and RP1s should strive to improve their leadership ability and to increase their technical knowledge through study, observation, and practical application. The purpose of this chapter is to help the RPC or RP1 acquire the leadership skills necessary to attain managerial competency as an office manager or as an administrative office supervisor. This chapter will also present the basic skills that the manager of the office of the chaplain must possess in order to have an effective and well-run office. Whether at sea or ashore, the same elements of good management affect the opera- tion of the office of the chaplain. RELIGIOUS PROGRAM SPECIALIST AS MANAGER OF THE OFFICE OF THE CHAPLAIN The RPC or RP1 serving in the office of the chaplain is likely to be the senior petty officer there and consequently will assume the role of office manager. The primary goal of the RPC or RP1 who is manager is to plan, organize, direct, and control the operation of the office of the chaplain in such a way that the mission of the Command Religious Program (CRP) can be accomplished. RESOURCES OF THE MANAGER The basic resources of a manager are per- sonnel, office organization and facilities, time, money, and materiel. The effective manager integrates all five resources into a unit that can successfully accomplish CRP objectives. Personnel Since the efforts of assigned personnel will ultimately determine how effectively CRP goals will be achieved, it follows that supervising and training people is the central, most important managerial task. Even the best equipment or the best possible arrangement of jobs will be of little value unless the office is staffed with well-trained, highly motivated personnel. PERSONNEL ASSIGNMENTS.— Personnel assignments are made by the Naval Military Personnel Command (NMPC) and the Enlisted Personnel Management Center (EPMAC). Navy recruiters provide personnel to fill authorized billets. As personnel assets are made available to NMPC and EPMAC, some billets must be filled on a priority basis. After all priority manning has been completed, the remaining personnel assets are distributed on a fair-share basis to fill existing billets. This distribution process forms the basis of the Navy Manning Plan (NMP) and is monitored on a continuing basis by EPMAC. PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT.— Machin- ery and equipment can usually be purchased when needed, but conscientious and dedicated people can be obtained only through effective leadership and support. The leading RP must show a great deal of interest in the performance of assigned personnel. How well they perform is directly related to the performance of the leading RP. In order to guide assigned personnel in the area of performance, the RPC or RP1 must closely observe their day-to-day office activities, identify weaknesses, and recognize any poor work habits that have developed. Whenever difficulties arise, positive steps by the leading RP will usually make assigned per- sonnel feel more at ease. Identification of the error, negative trend, or weakness, together with encouragement by the leading RP, will most often 3-1