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The Uss Florida Case Study Essay

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The USS Florida Case Study

The USS Florida Case Study In 1997, Commander Michael J. Alfonso made the history books. According to an article published that year, they found that (regarding Alfonso) “It was the first time in the 15-year operating history of the United State’s most lethal submarine that a Trident commander had been dismissed, the Navy said. http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19970909&slug=2559353).” The article states that he was verbally abusive to the crew, refused repeatedly to listen to opinions of other officers and senior enlisted personnel, and disregard of his crews views which caused morale problems on board. When Alfonso first took command, the crew was excited to have him as their …show more content…

Now and again, a sailor will have a crisis of conscience; they usually go to the chaplain and if they don't resolve their reservations they leave the service.” http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/may/20/trident-submarine-captain-life-onboard. This article also mentions that the captain is responsible for maintaining morale of the crew. With all of this information on what life is like on a submarine, it is safe to say that a leader in this situation should be more concerned with high-quality interpersonal relationships rather than high certification grades. Therefore, Admiral Sullivan’s decision to fire Alfonso was the right decision. Looking at the four components of Emotional Intelligence that Daft (2011) discusses, it would seem that Alfonso was lacking in all of them. He had no concept of self-awareness- he didn’t seem to be in touch with his feelings and how his emotions affected others. He could not self-manage- he did not control disruptive or harmful emotions, he was not seemed as trustworthy, conscientious, or adaptable. He was not socially aware of the people around him- he did not seem to understand or empathize with others. And, he was not able to build any positive relationships with others through relationship management. Alfonso should look at these four components and try to incorporate them in to his life in order to become a better leader. Daft (2011) states that if you take all four of the components together, you can “build a string

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