Old timers say that not long ago, when the military threats were more simple, the academy taught leadership by having the mids read about such masters as Adm. Chester Nimitz, then throwing them out into the fleet to see how well they had learned.
Now, leadership is recognized as having a basis in science. In a recent class, Greeley discussed parasympathetic backlash, the physical and emotional weariness after a firefight, and he offered this warning about decision-making in combat:
"Under severe stress, 70 percent of your blood goes to your extremities. What does that do to your ability to think? How will you prepare for that?"
The academy's answer is, in part through required academic courses in individual and organizational behavior, theories of motivation and group dynamics, science that is linked to the study of such moral philosophers as Immanuel Kant, John Stuart Mill and Aristotle.
This shift in curriculum was overseen by Trainor, who holds a doctorate in sociology from the University of Maryland, where he studied with David R. Segal, professor of sociology and director of the Center for Research on Military Organization.
Segal said the Naval Academy "for years resisted the notion" that leadership has a basis in science and can be learned from a book.
Now, the officers selected by the academy to directly supervise midshipmen are first sent to the University of Maryland for a master's degree in leadership.
But academy officers acknowledge that leadership can't be learned only from a book. "The only way you can do it is through experiential learning," said Trainor, by linking academic science and practical experience.
The practical experience comes in the academy's vast Bancroft Hall, where all midshipmen live and where they direct all aspects of student life through squads, platoons and companies, and are graded on their leadership performance.
Navy Lt. Bill Lehner, who advises a company of about 200 mids, said his student leaders have had to confront difficult problems: " 'My dad's a Vietnam vet and will be homeless in about two weeks, how do I handle that?' And, 'My girlfriend has been raped.' "
Having sharpened their leadership skills during the academic year, mids are sent out to the fleet during the summer, and they might find themselves having to give orders to smart-aleck, deck-savvy sailors.
"We make sure they are living and breathing leadership everywhere," says Navy Capt. Matthew L. Kunder, commandant of midshipmen.
