Being the Best Plebe/Leader/Teammate During Plebe Summer

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bgreat

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I am an incoming MIDN (very soon) who is trying to focus on the short-term future more than the long-term future. Right now, my goal is to be the best plebe during PS. Later, my goal will be the same but during shorter periods of time. During plebe summer (not the academic year), how can I be the best plebe/leader/teammate? Any advice and responses are helpful.
 
bgreat said:
I am an incoming MIDN (very soon) who is trying to focus on the short-term future more than the long-term future. Right now, my goal is to be the best plebe during PS. Later, my goal will be the same but during shorter periods of time. During plebe summer (not the academic year), how can I be the best plebe/leader/teammate? Any advice and responses are helpful.
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Before you leap toward demonstrating how well you have accomplished something - pause and look around for a struggling classmate and pitch in to help. You will have 4 years to demonstrate your individual shininess; invest the time this summer in being low-key, steady, reliable, a good shipmate, observant of others, acting to help rather than to demonstrate your own prowess.

Leave the HS accomplishments behind - “When I was X….” That’s your past. Be present in the now. Your focus is on learning to be a plebe.

Listen more than you talk. You cannot hear when you are transmitting. You will learn a lot more when the subject is not yourself.

Open your mind to the variety of backgrounds, beliefs, family situations, motivation for attending USNA, regional accents, etc., and shed any tendencies to judge or be influenced by preconceptions (bias). You’ll get a whole lot more time back in your life when you make an effort not to judge others, except when it is your duty to do so. Just because someone’s leadership style is different from your own, that does not mean that style is not as good as yours. It’s just different.

Be a good roommate. Square away your gear and respect others’ space and eardrums. You’ll have 3-4 people sharing 1 sink, 1 shower, with very little time to get what’s necessary done.

Don’t be “that guy/that girl” no one wants to room with.

Avoid hubris. Remain teachable. Expect to fail at times and learn from it.

Now, go hug a parent and go PT.
 
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Find 30+ seconds a day to just be still. Even if it means your roomies are there and talking or whatever. Practice the art of brief meditation. It's incredible what a few minutes of mindfulness can do for a human brain.

Wear deodorant and shower. Being stuck in a room with a roomie who doesn't handle their stinky body and clothes is incredibly unpleasant (DS has had this the last two years with one roomie). Everyone will have the PS 'perfume', but it can be managed to some degree with some basic hygiene and courtesy toward others.

Take out the trash, share assigned chores.

Don't judge other's performance during your time at USNA- as much as that is humanly difficult to accomplish. Everyone has a different baseline, childhood, financial circumstance, skillsets, strengths, weaknesses, cultures, religions/or not, and academic and athletic aptitude.
 
Being the best plebe is not being the best physically or with your rates. No one cares how many pushups you can do or if you come in with your rates memorized. Your classmates will think you "are the best" if you encourage them and stay next to them through thick and thin. Help out that classmate who is struggling. Take the time to get to know everyone. That's what matters
 
Bottom line…be humble.

CaptMJ always has bullseye advice and I echo it. Over plebe summer (and the rest of your career) you will be required to work as a team…get to know your platoonmates as people, build a connection…these are individuals that are likely to be lifelong friends. Cohesiveness and trust is usually accompanied by connectedness…which leads to well oiled teams.

Capt MJ said:
Expect to fail at times and learn from it.
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Can’t emphasize this enough…you will fail. There will be stress and sometimes emotions. However, don’t hold on to emotions for too long. Ask yourself what would you do differently next time? Mistakes that are made, learned, and corrected demonstrates growth. However, don’t make the same mistake twice (maybe three times during plebe summer)! Be open to others’ honest failures…don’t get frustrated if you feel the consequences of others mistakes because you could be next in returning the favor and you’d want others to be accepting.

Be yourself. Embrace the challenge (suck). Lean on each other. Laugh at some of your mistakes. Some of your best memories will be reflecting back on the ridiculous things that occurred during plebe summer. And lastly, keep the spark in your heart about “why” you wanted to join the Naval service.
 
bgreat said:
I am an incoming MIDN (very soon) who is trying to focus on the short-term future more thans thessar long-term future. Right now, my goal is to be there best plebe during PS. Later, my goal will be the same but during shorter periods of time. During plebe summer (not the academic year), how can I be the best plebe/leader/teammate? Any advice and responses are helpful.
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Terminate delusion of grandeur such as coming first in the run. Instead take care of your roommates and squad; they'll do the same. Sign that you're bonding with them is when you are all taking care of other Midshipmen.
 
severn said:
Terminate delusion of grandeur such as coming first in the run. Instead take care of your roommates and squad; they'll do the same. Sign that you're bonding with them is when you are all taking care of other Midshipmen.
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Specifically on your comment about the run. Early in my plebe summer, we had a guy in my platoon who was the target of the upperclass for a number of reasons - couldn't do rates, froze under pressure, etc. One thing he could do was run like the wind. Plebe OldRetSWO was a terrible runner and on our first significant run was having trouble making it to the end when the guy who could do nothing right BUT run came back and carried plebe OldRetSWO to the finish and sacrificing what was probably his only triumph of the day.
He only lasted with us for another couple of weeks but I've never stopped appreciating what he did.
 
All spot on.

Change your thinking from being the best plebe to the best plebe you can be, the best leader to the best leader you can be.

Regardless of statistical measures like GPA, company rank, oom - there will always be someone better than you at something, and you will always be better than others at other things.

You don’t need to put unnecessary pressure on yourself. The one thing I told my son before he walked in - understand why things are happening and laugh bad days off before you start the next day.
 
Plebe summer (year) is really not the time to stand out... as others have noted, be part of and contribute to the team. If you try to stand out at the expense of the team, you will draw extra , uh, how do I say this nicely, "attention," from the Detailers.

I'm not saying you can't be a leader -- there is no doubt that by the end of Plebe Summer the upperclass have figured out who the leaders in your Company and Class are-- but its not going to be the guy that finishes first in the run, who shouts the loudest, or whose room and uniform is squared away but his roommates are struggling. t's going to be that guy /gal that is quiet, butconfident, learns from his/her mistakes (yes, there will be mistakes !) and accepts responsibility for their actions.

The bottom line..don't be "that guy (gal)" that is gunning for the top of everything, but nobody wants to talk to or be around. Plebe Summer is about team building, and the lessons and experiences you have run far behind being a plebe. BGO'08 is spot on --some of your best memories will come from Plebe Summer -- you will be talking about your detailers and some of their antics years at Reunions long after you leave the Navy.
 
Isn’t “best plebe” a bit of an oxymoron? 🤣

Focus on being the best YOU can be, without comparing yourself to other people. Everyone is going to have their strengths and weaknesses. Some of your classmates will struggle with running, others with pushups, rates, drill, bearing, teamwork, or staying calm when getting berated. Some will struggle with all of the above. Nobody will be perfect. Be collaborative, be selfless. You are not competing against these people.

That said it’s certainly fine to want to be a top performer. Part of that is being in top shape, learning your rates, moving quickly, and following orders to a tee. But also instead of comparing yourself to your fellow plebes, try to help them as much as possible. If people see genuine selfless effort from you, then you will be a valued plebe!
 
Kierkegaard said:
Isn’t “best plebe” a bit of an oxymoron? 🤣

Focus on being the best YOU can be, without comparing yourself to other people. Everyone is going to have their strengths and weaknesses. Some of your classmates will struggle with running, others with pushups, rates, drill, bearing, teamwork, or staying calm when getting berated. Some will struggle with all of the above. Nobody will be perfect. Be collaborative, be selfless. You are not competing against these people.

That said it’s certainly fine to want to be a top performer. Part of that is being in top shape, learning your rates, moving quickly, and following orders to a tee. But also instead of comparing yourself to your fellow plebes, try to help them as much as possible. If people see genuine selfless effort from you, then you will be a valued plebe!
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Well said, Ensign K!
 
"If people see genuine selfless effort from you, then you will be a valued plebe!"

Perfect!!!

During PPW my DD made some comments about the "Leaders" she ran into during PS who failed to recognize that every plebe in the squad-platoon brought with themselves unique expertise and leadership Exp at something. She described the "I'm a leader" types as "future politicians"

I think the only thing my DD would add is a suggestion to bring a sense of humor with you to PS (including a willingness to laugh at yourself).

All the best to the OP. You introduced a very timely question that other plebes-to-be should benifit from.
 
OldRetSWO said:
Specifically on your comment about the run. Early in my plebe summer, we had a guy in my platoon who was the target of the upperclass for a number of reasons - couldn't do rates, froze under pressure, etc. One thing he could do was run like the wind. Plebe OldRetSWO was a terrible runner and on our first significant run was having trouble making it to the end when the guy who could do nothing right BUT run came back and carried plebe OldRetSWO to the finish and sacrificing what was probably his only triumph of the day.
He only lasted with us for another couple of weeks but I've never stopped appreciating what he did.
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That brought a tear to my eye.
 
A few thoughts...
  • Fail Forward: Its about having a growth mindset. If you are afraid to fail, you won't reach your growth potential and therefore won't be contributing all you can toward the common good, when you do fail (it will happen) get up and reflect in order to move forward
  • Implement the Cycle of Continuous Learning and Improvement (CCLI): Plan, Act, Monitor and Adjust. Apply this method to everything. This is how we lead a school district with 20,000 students and 2,000 staff. Most people plan and act but forget to monitor and even fewer make the adjustments. If you look at successful sports teams, they do the monitoring and adjusting well at half time.
  • Stay the course: Success in anything isn't about the low hanging fruit or the quick wins, its about being the rock that everything can be built upon. Be the rock for your fellow classmates but most importantly for yourself.
  • Be mindful: Don't be that person. One of the things my son reflected on from his short week at the Academy last week was that some kids were trying too hard to be perfect. His perception was that it wasn't real. Be your authentic self because others can pick up on it right away if you aren't. Be your best version of yourself and let that be enough or you will struggle to move forward.
  • Listen to understand: In my professional career I have learned that listening is much more than just hearing someone speak. Unfortunately at times we listen for what we think someone is saying or what we want them to say. It's really easy for two people to hear the same directive or order and have two totally different perceptions of what comes next.
  • Seek Clarity, not certainty
  • Don't waste time on Recycled Pain: Just move forward, hard times will come and go but keep moving forward and most importantly don't add to an already tough situation by continuing to fuel issues with negative energy.
  • Most importantly: Find your "Why" and remember it: Each year, I have the leaders in our organization write down their "why". It can range from a personal "why" or a professional one. I'm sure if you are accepted to the academy you had to articulate your why at some point in order to get here. Write yourself a postcard and on the back put your why and have your parents or a friend mail it to you in December. Keep a copy with you as well. Plebe year will be amazing, but based on what I have seen here, it will be really hard at times. During one of those hard times, open your letter and remember your why. Reflect on it and then move forward. CCLI.
 
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