More than pipes and wires

My dad served in two (almost three) hot wars and one Cold War during his 30 years in the US Navy. Half of those years he led teams of well-trained sailors who maintained the Navy’s arsenal of nuclear weapons. They were known as “Dragon Keepers.” He and his men performed inspection trips out in the fleet and at forward locations, ensuring that those men were properly trained in the maintenance and, God forbid, deployment of the dragons in their keep.

He retired a senior Warrant Officer. And many of the men he commanded ended their own naval careers outranking him. That was a point of pride for Dad. He taught, “Give your men the best possible training, the best tools and the best support you have. And then get out of their way and let them do their job.”

Dad said a leader takes responsibility for the team’s actions when times are tough, and he makes sure the team gets all the credit when things go well.

Everything I ever needed to know about leadership, I learned from a Dragon Keeper.