Remember, the impressions made during the first
days on the new assignment will carry over for a long
time to come. The member’s future attitude concern-
ing the outfit is being molded, good or bad, during
this period.
The following suggestions should assist you in
properly handling new members of your crew:
Put new arrivals at ease. Give them a cordial
greeting. Make them feel that you are glad to have
them. Be tactful. Get their names correct and remem-
ber them.
Show personal interest. Seek out topics of
mutual interest. Ask about their previous work and
their families, and ask if they have been properly
berthed.
Give them the right point of view. Let them
know you have confidence in them and that you ex-
pect and demand good work. Now is the time to build
proper attitudes and loyalty.
Tell them about the work. They are eager to
know what they will be doing. Show them how their
jobs will fit in with the whole picture and help them
feel that their jobs are important.
Give them essential information. Do not con-
fuse them with endless details. Write down for them
some of the essential information, since, at this time,
they have so much other new information to remem-
ber.
Introduce the new personnel. Always intro-
duce newcomers to each member of the crew and to
any others whom they need to know.
See them again at the end of the day. Ask
them how they are doing and give them a few words
of encouragement.
If you cannot personally carry out these sugges-
tions, put new personnel in the hands of a trusted
subordinate who is well-qualified to handle the situa-
tion. Explain the reason for your unavailability and
tell the new arrivals that you will want to talk with
them later in the day—and be sure to do it.
PERSONNEL PROBLEMS
Misunderstandings can arise in almost any work-
ing situation, such as a complaint in good faith, a dis-
agreement between crewmembers, or disobedience.
These are problems that you must face and attempt to
solve as expeditiously as possible.
Whenever you have a problem to solve, you
should use a logical, proven method to guide you to a
solution. Problem solving is primarily a method of
thinking based on scientific procedures. This section
shows you how to use a scientific approach to solve
a problem.
One of the most important steps in learning to use
a scientific approach is accepting the need for a logi-
cal, orderly procedure for evaluating a problem. An
excellent procedure is the six-column approach. Over
the years, this method has given excellent results.
In the six-column approach, the column titles
represent the phases and sequence of the problem-
solving process: (1) facts, (2) problem, (3) possible
actions, (4) consequences of possible actions, (5) ac-
cepted courses of action, and (6) cause of the
problem.
A shallow look at the system may lead you to
think that the process is fine, as long as time is not an
important element. You may think you won’t often
have enough time to use it. A deeper look, however,
will show you that this process, properly learned and
properly used, applies to any problem, regardless of
the time element. You must then realize that time is
relative. Extra time spent at the beginning saves time
later on.
By using a scientific approach, you will make
better use of whatever time you have available to
solve the problem. Some problems require lengthy
consideration. Others, however, may require only a
few seconds to determine the facts, identify the prob-
lem, consider a course of action, and act. After you
have used the process several times, it should become
automatic whenever you encounter a problem.
Now place yourself in the hypothetical situation
of being the leader of a group of problem solvers as
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