SWSC program hones junior officers' leadership, warfighting readiness

[Tony]

A program at Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC) is giving junior officers a new tool to sharpen their leadership skills.

The Leadership Assessment Program – Surface (LAP-S) provides 360-degree feedback to students of SWSC’s Advanced Division Officer Course to better prepare them for the challenges of leading Sailors in the Fleet. As part of LAP-S, ADOC students sat for assessment boards with senior Surface Warfare Officers and developmental feedback professionals March 16-20.

“We are investing in our officers starting at a very junior level,” said Capt. Ralph Lufkin, SWSC’s director of Intermediate Training (N76). “We are making sure that we provide tangible, action-oriented feedback to these officers at the ADOC level and then at the department head level.”

The LAP-S process, which is part of a broader Navy Leadership Assessment Program initiative, begins with a 360-degree feedback survey. Participants also complete cognitive and non-cognitive assessments before sitting for their board.

“We are intentionally taking time in the midst of the curriculum to sit this officer down with folks they haven’t worked with previously,” Lufkin said. “Two senior surface warfare officers and a developmental feedback professional.”

To provide this unique perspective, board members from across the fleet flew in to Newport to participate, interviewing the junior officers to get a holistic view of their leadership capabilities, character development, and the intangible connections that strong leaders build with their teams. One member of each board was a Navy medical professional who served as the developmental feedback professional to provide clinical analysis of the responses, Lufkin said.

The goal of this intensive process is to provide junior officers with the descriptive feedback they need to succeed.

“[The officers] who participate in LAP-S walk away from these boards with some significant increases in self-awareness,” said Lufkin. “That allows them to lean into their strengths and working on areas that might be blind spots.”

By investing in the leadership development of its junior officers, SWSC aims to ensure that the Fleet is led by the most capable and well-prepared leaders, ready to meet the challenges of a complex global environment. The LAP-S program is a key component of this effort, providing the tools and feedback necessary for the next generation of Surface Warfare Officers to succeed.

O-3 and O-4 Surface Warfare Officers who are interested in participating in the LAP-S Program as board members can contact the LAP-S Program Manager at AADOC_KF360@us.navy.mil or call (401) 841-2402 to be added to the distribution list with no commitment required.