STAFFING National Training Department

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN Appointment of Flotilla Staff Officers (FSOs) The recruiting process – internal and external functions Mentoring and training Developing FSOs Personnel Security Investigation

APPOINTMENT OF STAFF Every unit’s senior elected officer appoints staff officers. To be successful, elected officers must make certain that staff officers are well briefed on their duties and responsibilities. An elected officer’s delegation of authority to a staff officer does not relieve the elected officer from any responsibility. a. Every unit’s senior elected officer appoints staff officers. Staff duties are purely administrative, providing functional supervision over specifically authorized activities. The appointment and delegation of duties should be given to each staff officer in writing. The Auxiliary is organized and administered along parallel staffing principles, which requires staff officers at all levels, in conducting Auxiliary activities, to report to senior levels and to monitor activities at lower levels. Mission accomplishment will be difficult unless members carefully follow the parallel staffing concept. Staff officers are charged with carrying out their part of the unit mission.   b. To be successful, elected officers must make certain that staff officers are well briefed on their duties and responsibilities. To carry out these duties, staff officers are encouraged to appoint committees to help them. Staff officers must report progress monthly to the Chief of Staff or elected appointing officer. Staff officers will maintain records and correspondence concerning their office. These documents are turned over, with all publications and other pertinent material, to the successor when relinquishing office. c. An elected officer’s delegation of authority to a staff officer does not relieve the elected officer from any responsibility. Elected officers must ensure the delegated authority is properly exercised and instructions are properly carried out. Staff officers may assign qualified Auxiliarists to duties in their responsible area. The Flotilla Procedures Manual (COMDTINST 16791.5 (series)) contains sample appointment letters and specific duties for flotilla staff officers. The Division Procedures Guide (COMDTPUB P16791.3 (series)) provides for division staff officers.

APPOINTMENT OF STAFF Staff officers are appointed and serve at the elected officer’s pleasure. Normally, new members are not offered staff officer appointments during their first membership year. Staff officers are not barred from holding simultaneous elected office or another staff office. Elected unit leaders may designate a Lay Leader to serve at their pleasure. d. Staff officers are appointed and serve at the elected officer’s pleasure. Staff officers may be removed from a position any time the appointing officer deems it appropriate. The term of each staff position expires with the appointing officer’s term. District staff officer appointments are made only with Director approval. National staff officer appointments are made only with NACO approval. National Department Chiefs are appointed only with the Chief Director’s approval.   e. Normally, new members are not offered staff officer appointments during their first membership year. Understandably, new members should use this initial period by gaining qualifications and learning about the Coast Guard and Auxiliary. Hopefully, time will also be spent working with elected or staff officers in areas of new member interest, but the unit’s elected leader has full discretion to waive the year’s service to make appointments as deemed useful for both the member’s and unit’s benefit and to encourage volunteer contributions. f. Staff officers are not barred from holding simultaneous elected office or another staff office. Before appointment of additional jobs, however, the added burden on the individual should be considered by the elected leader and by the unit membership. g. Lay Leaders. Elected unit leaders may designate a Lay Leader to serve at their pleasure. The position is not an authorized staff position and will not be recorded in AUXDATA. The title and any insignia related to chaplain will not be used. Lay Leaders in performing invocations, moments of silence, and other activities must ensure offered content is non-sectarian to avoid offending persons of different beliefs and to recognize the inherently wide diversity in the Auxiliary.

STAFF APPOINTMENTS Operations (OP) Publications (PB) Materials (MA) To carry out the Auxiliary program, FCs appoint staff officers, as needed, up to 16 flotilla staff officers (FSOs) from the group listed below. Operations (OP) Publications (PB) Materials (MA) Vessel Examination (VE) The Flotilla Commander (FC) is to appoint an FSO in each of the internal functions: FN, IS, MA, MT, PS, PA, PB, and SR. Additionally, an FSO is to be appointed in at least one external program in RBS and/or Operations and Marine Safety (OMS). No staff officer need be appointed to a program not supported by the flotilla. A flotilla member may hold more than one appointed staff office concurrently at various unit levels or within the same unit level. Functions and programs may be combined and, if so, do not require separate staff appointments.

STAFF APPOINTMENTS Secretary/Records (SR) Personnel Services (PS) Member Training (MT) Communications (CM) Marine Safety & Environmental Protection (MS) Public Affairs (PA) Finance (FN)

STAFF APPOINTMENTS Navigation Services (NS) Information and Communication Services (IS) Program Visitor (PV) Public Education (PE) Communications Services (CS)

STAFF APPOINTMENTS The Flotilla Commander (FC) is to appoint an FSO in each of the internal functions. Additionally, an FSO is to be appointed in at least one external program. No staff officer need be appointed to a program not supported by the flotilla.

STAFF APPOINTMENTS A flotilla member may hold more than one appointed staff office concurrently at various unit levels or within the same unit level. Functions and programs may be combined and, if so, do not require separate staff appointments.

RECRUITING STAFF The positions that your flotilla NEEDS to accomplish your goals Internal Functions (Member to Member) External Functions (Member to Public) Mentor Selective recruiting

SELECTING THE STAFF What position do you need to fill? What qualifications are you looking for? Who do you know with those quals? What organizations are formed around these interests? How complicated is the position? Could an assistant help? Is this an Internal (necessary) position or an External position? We have already discussed that not all the External positions need to be filled. By now you have outlined your goals for the flotilla and know which positions need to be filled. That’s really the hardest part. What characteristics or qualifications do you need in the position you need to fill? Take the positions one at a time and think about what the job entails. The detailed descriptions are listed in Chapter 5 of the Flotilla Procedures Manual. So, if you are looking for a web site manager, FSO-CS, this person should be interested in computers and be familiar with websites. He or she most probably knows how to survey various sites for news; web site skills can be developed through training, which can be arranged by having the member attend Aux-04. How about the FSO-CM, Communications? This person should be interested in radios. Where would you look for people interested in radios? Try the local radio aircraft club, amateur radio organization or electronics club. You may even go to the local vocational school and recruit, recruit, recruit. Normally, a person should be a member for 1 year before being appointed to a staff office. That year goes by very quickly since we have the security checks. Appoint this person as assistant while he’s getting his security checked and then he or she will be ‘trained’ to take over the job when necessary. Can you name different hobbies and/or organizations where you can look for each of your officers? Remember, you are planning for long term. A new member should not have an office for at least a year, so plan ahead.

INTERVIEWING THE STAFF What is the level of interest? Has the member completed the Patriot Readiness form? What is the prospective member looking for ... Social or Service? Be sure to outline 'The next step’! The best time to train anyone is when a member is first approved. The interest is at its highest peak that it will be in the entire career of an Auxiliarist. This is true of any organization or business. It is the job of the Personnel Services Officer to have the new member complete the Patriot Readiness form. This gives the experience that can be searched whenever a certain job needs to be filled. It also lets the bridge know how often the new member may be available for duty. These play an important factor in the filling of staff offices. This FSO-PS needs to be honest and forthright about the time and talent needed to do the jobs we do and the expectations of each new member. This is not a social club though fellowship is one of our cornerstones. We serve our country by supporting the Coast Guard in whatever the Commandant needs. Do not over expound on what we do but give an honest portrayal of what is expected. Never leave a new recruit wondering ‘what happens now?’ They have no clue how to get a uniform, where to take a test, how to fill out paperwork, etc. Find a mentor who will either help with the information needed or get someone else who can. Also, follow up on the progress of each new member so no one falls ‘through the cracks’. This may seem like a digression In the topic of Staffing, but staffing starts with the new member application. If new members are not fully acclimated, you will be doing all the work yourself.

DEVELOPING THE STAFF Do not hand FSOs their job descriptions and expect them to take off! Explain the job Discuss the expectations Explain the paperwork Explain the goals Help them get the training needed Okay, you have convinced someone to be FSO-PA. Do you say “All you have to do it set up the Public Affairs booth when there is a festival, I will let you know when they are”? What have you done here? 1) You have taken away his or her thunder; 2) you have diminished the person; 3) you convinced him or her that you needed him but now you take away his control; and, 4) you have minimized the job. As a result you are now overloaded – remember, there are up to 16 positions, how can you stand in for each one of them? The opposite happens. You give him or her the job description and say “See ya!” That’s almost worse! You leave them floundering and wondering what to do now! To be a good staff officer, each one needs to know what exactly is expected of him or her. The Flotilla Procedure Manual explains the details of each position. You know Who and What, but When, Where, How and Why remains to be explained. Nothing in the Coast Guard happens if the paperwork is not done. No paperwork, it didn’t happen! Part of this paperwork may be ‘on-line’ communication with the Chief of Staff (VFC) or the Division Staff Officer (SO) on a monthly basis. This is part of the job that most staff officers ignore. Every level has to report to one above him or her...even the Commandant. Where do you think he gets his information? He gets it from the flotilla through what we call Parallel Staffing. The rest of the paperwork is the forms needed for completion and recording in Auxdata. Each position has specific codes that need to be used. The FSO-IS will have the information for the new officers. Many of these staff positions have “C” schools that will train the new officer for the job. Take advantage of these and get the staff officer excited to be accepted into one. By now, you may have compiled your goals for the year. If not, discuss this with the flotilla and name your goals for the year before it gets too far along. Remind them that just because you have named staff officers does not negate the need of participation by the individual members.

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