Mary Ann Rockey - Navy: Steady ship

I’d say don’t think that just because you are not a senior manager yet that you can’t make a difference. Effective senior leaders rely on the informed, thoughtful advice and action of their staffs. They can’t know everything in every area so your ideas count with them when you can package them in a way that makes sense to them.

I’d also say, don’t listen to the ‘nay sayers’ who say it can’t be done or that it has been tried before and failed. Some things are important enough that you continue to work the issue even if efforts have been less than completely successful in the past.

True change is often characterized by a few false starts. You can’t let those stop you. Sometimes it is a matter of timing. As an example, our efforts to improve the way we manage our software applications in the Navy really became much more ‘doable’ with the deployment of our Navy-Marine Corps Intranet. With NMCI as the catalyst, the time was right and we are driving the success from there.

Q: What's the best advice you received, and from whom?

I’ve had the good fortune of receiving some great advice from many fantastic leaders in the government. My current bosses, Mark Honecker and Vince Walls, are great to work for and always make themselves available to discuss problems and provide advice.

Probably the best advice I received was from Karen Meloy, who is now a senior executive with the Naval Supply Systems Command. It wasn’t really advice, but more an observation of her leadership style.

She would walk around just about every day and talk to all the people who worked for her. She’d ask what they were working on and discuss their problems and ideas. It was such a win-win situation. She had a good idea of what people in her organization were working on and could guide them if necessary. And, it really made a difference in people’s motivation level. It only took about a half-hour or hour of her time … but it had huge payoffs.

For some folks who were working more routine matters it was their only time with the boss. It made them feel important because the boss took the time to chat with them even though they were not working on the boss’s number one project.

Q: Why government service?

Making changes in government is not an easy task … but it can be done. I have had the opportunity to work with some very dedicated, conscientious, innovative people who do great work for our government, employees and industry partners. The “systems” within government often makes change difficult. That’s what makes working for the government so interesting … you have to find ways around, through and over the roadblocks that sometimes get put in your way.

I enjoy trying to find smarter, better ways to do things and then figuring out how to make it happen. Sometimes it’s like working a giant, complex puzzle. I have a very basic belief that you can make a difference and you can help government run better and more efficiently. When you focus a team on an effort, provide clear direction and support, it is amazing what you can accomplish.

Working in DOD and the Navy, when we make government run more effectively and efficiently, it makes a difference for our sailors and Marines as well as the taxpayers we serve. I see being able to make a difference in our nation’s future as a benefit to government service. If I didn’t feel what I was doing was making a difference, it would be time to go open that coffee shop at the beach!

Q: How important is mentoring in developing a good manager.

I think mentoring is very important. I have been on both sides of mentoring. It has been important for me in my career and those I have had the opportunity to mentor have moved up the ladder.

I really think that when you can include executive shadowing as part of a mentoring program it is even more effective. With shadowing, the prospective leader doesn’t just hear what you have to say, they actually see how things are done.

When I worked the manufacturing technology program, I had an executive development candidate who shadowed me for several months. She said that was more helpful to her career than any discussions we could have had. I know my boss, Ariane Whittemore, has had Presidential Management Interns shadow her at times. Seeing how things are done is a very powerful way to learn.

Q: What part does fun play in your work?

One of my bosses, Mark Honecker, is always asking if we are having fun. And most of the time the answer is yes. He is a big believer that work should be fun and I am also. It is nice to work for a boss like that and I’ve learned a great deal from him. Attitude plays a big role in work being fun.

Working together as a team creates an atmosphere that can lend itself to fun. A team approach can be both fun and productive. When work is fun … it feels a lot less like work. When work is fun, people are usually much more productive. Work becomes something you want to do instead of something you have to do.

Q: How do you balance work and home life?

I think it is important to actively balance work and home life. I enjoy work and I enjoy doing my best to make a difference. But I don’t want it to be completely consuming. I may bring home some reading in the evenings, but for the most part evenings and weekends are family time.

Teaming and leadership support are critical factors in being able to balance work and home life. It is my feeling that you can get a lot more done in a team structure than you can yourself. A team is far more flexible also: If one person needs to be out, the rest of the team pitches in. And it is much more fun to work in a team environment.

Today I’m leading a team that includes full- and part-time government employees, military personnel, industry partners and reservists. When you leverage the talent of all those smart people you don’t have to have folks sacrificing all of their home life.

Navy leadership is also very supportive. The director and deputy director of our division, Mark Honecker and Vince Walls, believe it is important to maintain a balance between work and home life.

Sometimes it takes effort and planning to balance everything. For example, I sometimes try to fit in gym time by taking a document I need to read with me and read it on the stationary bike ... I guess that’s time management at its best!

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