Over the past few weeks, I have had varied involvement in two selection boards considering a large number of applicants desiring to serve in our Navy. In the process, our prime directive has become “The Whole-Person Concept.” That model is intended to overtly encourage all of us to acknowledge applicants who may not have achieved high scores in standardized tests, attended prominent universities or enjoyed a stellar grade point average because they were busy living life beyond the classroom. I think we all can agree that many experiences we value are lived beyond academia.
As a devoted father, I am a bit concerned with our current trajectory and feel as though my personal situation, largely based on deliberate choice, is stacking the cards against my son. Because my wife and I chose to wait until we were married to start a family, we choose to take our commitment to family seriously, and we work hard to deliberately nurture our son, we may very well have provided him the greatest obstacle of all, an opportunity to develop at his own pace relatively free of unnecessary distraction. With good reason, “The Whole-Person Concept” has always been there, but by making it the prime consideration, children like my son will likely be placed in the category of “privileged” and his accomplishments through young adulthood will be measured by a different standard. Rather than acknowledge those who have accomplished much by a singular standard and then acknowledge the subjective level of adversity they might have had to overcome in the process to meet/exceed that standard, we choose to knock perceived “privileged” people down a notch just because we believe they have not had to work as hard as others to enjoy their high level of accomplishment.
Though recent examples at work bring this to the forefront of my mind, unnecessary qualifiers surround us and undermine accomplishments…
- Billy is a good football player, but it’s only because he is 6’6″ and his Dad played in the NFL
- Sally is really good in biology, but that’s because her Mom is a Doctor
- Mr. Johnson runs a very successful business, but he inherited the company from his Dad and didn’t build it himself
We ought not to diminish Billly’s, Sally’s, or Mr. Johnson’s accomplishments because we believe they had a running start or were “privileged” with a running start.
Which two would you choose to join your workcenter (please excuse the omission of other important variables)?
- Jimmy has a 2.2 GPA from “Online University,” but he’s a single dad and has overcome much adversity
- Suzy came from a broken home, cared for her younger siblings, held down a job yet achieved academic greatness and is a wonderful communicator
- Johnny graduated from an Ivy League University with honors and grew up “privileged” from both a parental and economic perspective
Suzy is an easy choice and that makes sense. She is a strong candidate and has demonstrated a great deal of grit over the years. But what about Jimmy and Johnny? As the “The Whole-Person Concept” continues to trump the “Best and Fully Qualified”, Jimmy will continue to beat out Johnny every time. I submit the two models are not mutually exclusive, but instead “The Whole-Person Concept” is an input to deciding who is “Best and Fully Qualified.” When used properly, a Suzy will always rise to the top and a Jimmy will be valued over “a Johnny when appropriate (but we are beginning to make it the default response). In essence, the spirit of the concept is being undermined in its execution.
I ask that we all continue to stack the cards against our children in the minds of those who have hijacked “The Whole-Person Concept.” We must give our children the advantage of what was once considered our parental responsibility, but is now considered by some creating a “privileged” environment. Likewise, we need to continue to do our part to help others achieve their full potential, regardless of the perceived advantages they enjoyed in adolescence. We must celebrate high standards without unnecessary qualifiers.
- How do you define “Best and Fully Qualified?”
- How do you define “privileged?”
- Are you ensuring “The Whole Person Concept” is informing who joins your team?
I read you loud and clear on this. I suspended award of the RADM James S. McFarland NJROTC Scholarship for one year after the selection committee chose a minority female, single mother, academically challenged individual who could not assemble a letter of thanks to the RADM's widow without assistance. Merit matters, principles matter, character matters. Thank you for your post.
You and your wife are giving your son a gift that is invaluable. That gift will also present him with enormous challenges. Fortunately, he will have the character to overcome them.
Sean, I'm going to be the "Devil's advocate" here.
The 2.2 single dad with the on-line degree may well be far more qualified than 4.0 Harvard grad. The 2.2 guy knows how to do things in life — hold down a job, be a parent (presuming he's a good parent), overcome "adversity" (NFI), and handle responsibility. The Harvard guy, on the other hand, knows how to go to school.
We take in many 2.2 GPA officers every year from USNA and other service academies. Are they more qualified than the 2.2 guy in your example? Who would be hired if the Harvard guy pulled a 2.2 GPA? Admittedly, I'm not a Harvard or miltary academy grad so I don't know what those experiences are like, just as they don't know what it's like to earn a degree over 12 years while deploying most of that time (my path). As you may recall, my wife is a USAFA grad and we've had many discussions about whose path to a B.S. degree was more challenging. In the end we've agreed that each comes with own set of difficulties.
I believe we need to be looking for leaders to fill our ranks rather than academicians. Each person has to be judged on their merits, but I'll take the solid leader who's an average student over the 4.0 guy/gal who can't lead hungry Sailors to the galley.
It's a sad statement that a kid is considered "overprivileged" because he has a mom and a dad living with him at home teaching him values and responsibility. Fortunately, our kids will be in the same boat as your son.
Kevin – I agree wih you 100%, so it's clear at I could have written my points a little better. As a USNA grad who grew up in a home where my Dad chipped away at his B.S. while raising us, I firmly believe I had it easier. That said, I am not ready to take something away from an Ivy League grad just because they have yet to prove they will succeed in the face of adversity. I guess my point is that we all should consider "The Whole Person," but when we remind ourselves to do just that we are really saying, "Give the nod to the perceived "have not."
Thanks for the comment. We are really going to miss you in the wardroom!