Flag and Executive Leader Implementation Course

Get Real, Get Better

To remain the world’s strongest Navy, we must have consistently strong performance. Yet, the gap between our best and our lowest performers is too great. The Navy has teams with great culture and great performance, but we also see examples of teams with poor culture and weak performance. We must reduce variability; identify and correct small problems before they grow into larger, systemic, issues; and envision and deploy innovative approaches that accelerate our warfighting advantage. 
 
Get Real, Get Better is a call to action for every Navy leader to apply a set of Navy-proven leadership and problem-solving best practices that empower our people to achieve exceptional performance. 

Get Real, Get Better is the formula consistently used by our best performers all Navy communities, informed by multiple years of Navy learning in enterprise improvement and deck plate best practices. 

Get Real requires Navy leaders to self-assess; be honest, humble, and transparent about their actual capabilities and limitations; challenge their beliefs using data, facts, and diverse input; and “embrace the red” by being curious and taking pride in finding and fixing problems. 

Get Better requires Navy leaders to self-correct; find and fix small problems before they become larger, systemic issues; fix the root causes, not just symptoms; apply Navy problem solving tools and best practices to shift from more activity to better outcomes; set clear accountability; work collaboratively; and quickly fix or elevate barriers to progress. 

Using a learning mindset is essential. It requires Navy leaders to transparently share what they learn to make others more successful; be courageous and aim high even if it means potentially falling short; build trust among their teams; recognize and reward those who adopt Get Real, Get Better principles; and experiment frequently to find the best solution, adjusting the plan based on learning. 

This approach empowers our people – to find and fix problems and innovate at their level, from the deck plate to senior leaders – instead of burdening them with extra requirements, policies, or bureaucracy. The latter principle is important: we must simplify, streamline, and align guidance, requirements, activities, and processes for our people so intent, standards, and focus is clear. We must make our systems and processes work for our people – not vice versa – so our people can do their best work.  

We are applying Get Real, Get Better in a variety of areas: to the CNO’s NAVPLAN Implementation Framework (NIF) to improve strategic outcomes in readiness, capability, capacity, and Sailors; to improving safety in maintenance and operations; to our work on solving Fleet priorities, like manning shortfalls and timely Sailor pay; and to our daily work at all Echelons with teams big and small.  

This is an all-hands effort that starts with you, as an individual, and expands to the performance of your unit, your command, and the entire Navy organization.  Every one of us can improve, and competition demands we strive to do so every day. This course will provide an overview of the culture and problem-solving principles, tools, and best practices from proven practitioners on how to implement Get Real, Get Better. It uses a hands-on learning approach – with problems brought from the participants for which they are an accountable supported or supporting commander to work on during the application exercise portions of the class. An MS Teams channel will include material from the course for use after the week concludes. 

How can I enroll in an upcoming FELIX course? 
To enroll in an upcoming course, follow the instructions below based on your category: 

If you need help or have additional questions, please reach out to the appropriate contact listed above.
 

Available Training Dates