Sizing up

Posted on Tue Jun 28th, 2011 @ 6:03pm by Captain Jackson Hawkins & Commander Basil Hart

1,037 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Winds of Change
Location: Office of the Commanding Officer
Timeline: Early Evening - Day 1

ON

The day had been busy for Hawkins. From the moment he greeted the Yerdi at the docking ring this morning, Hawk had been swamped with preparations to fully consider the Yerdi requests. And while all of those things were important, Hawk couldn't feel that there was something he was neglecting. It was certainly not Hawk's intent to give the Medical Division little attention, but in his mind they were the least needing of immediate direction. Commander Hart's actions had apparently been sufficient to stay below the radar, until now. Hawk sat at his desk, finishing a glass of water, and waited on Commander Hart to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long, as Hart had just finished up with the "Nutty Professor". The knock at his open door announced the physician's presence. The clipped verbal tones of an English gentleman followed immediately: "Commander Basil Hart, reporting as ordered, sir!"

Hawkins smiled, drinking his usual glass of water. "Welcome Commander, can I get you something?"

"No, thanks, captain," Basil replied. "What can I do for you?"

"Commander, I'd like a briefing on our medical facilities. Frankly, as the only base in this sector, I'd like to make sure that we've created a state of the art facility that can handle anything thrown at it." Hawk paused to pour himself another glass of water. "I want to give you the opportunity to compete with any other medical facility in Starfleet."

Basil smiled. "That would require us to be a lot closer to Sol Sector, sir," he said. Considering our location, we do pretty good. Our diagnostic equipment and treatment facilities are top notch already, and our staff experienced and professional. I offer as proof of that, the recent outbreak of the newly discovered mutation of the Psi 2000 Virus, and our ability to quickly discover its morphology, diagnose, and treat the disease within eight hours of the first reported symptoms."

Hawk nodded. "I'm not disparaging the department in any way Commander, my desire is simply to improve upon what we have. I believe that we have the leadership necessary to do so and in the process of chasing a goal of perfection, we'll find ourselves a cutting-edge research facility."

Basil looked at his new commanding officer, sizing him up. "I know you're not, captain." Scuttlebutt said this officer was a real hard-nose. Basil made it a point not to assume someone was a jerk until they went out of their way to prove it to him. He continued. "To be honest, sir, I don't believe in perfection. Let's say the perfect phaser has been made idiot-proof. That just means that someone will come along and build a better idiot. Medical technology is the same way. It's a combination of technology and highly trained, motivated and competent physicians that will make this a top notch facility."

He paused, trying to see things from both sides. "On the other hand, my granny used to say that if you shoot for the stars and miss, you'll still land pretty high up." He smiled at the captain.

"Which is a far more articulate method of expressing my intent. Thank you Commander." Hawk smiled. "So, how do we do it?" He paused to take a drink of water. "I mean I understand the basics Commander, good leadership, proper equipment, proper personnel... But I need to know what you need to; how did you put it? Shoot for the stars."

Basil decided. "I think that people like to be empowered to resolve issues within their purview. They are the true drivers of improvement and quality. I mean, there are certain times when a person feels like he or she is being micromanaged, and nobody likes that. How would my surgeons feel if I looked over their shoulder while they were operating, and told them what they were doing was wrong, even though it worked? Granted, if they were truly endangering the life of the patient, I might step in, but I think that innovation and a little leeway go a long ways in making for a happy productive staff. That's why my leadership style is a little relaxed. My people know their jobs, and I let them do them, even if something my not be straight out of the rulebook. I think that if my department were allowed that kind of latitude, they would be even more productive and innovative. In the past, I had the Commodore's tacit permission to research along these lines, as long as no ethical boundaries were crossed. I'd like to continue in the same vein under your command. Look what thinking outside the box did for the Psi 2000 variant we discovered." He shrugged. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that I choose my battles, captain. As for what I need, it's simply to be allowed to continue running my department as I see fit, and doing everything I can to boost my staff's morale, and by default, their performance."

Basil did not yet know if this captain would be amenable to frank talk and advice, so he used his own command style and practices to give a hint. Whether or not the captain accepted or rejected it, Basil was fine with, either way. He just hoped he had not crossed a line. A good working relationship between Captain and Chief Medical Officer often lent itself to synergy, where the whole was greater than the sum of its parts.

Hawkins smiled. "Of course Commander, but as with everything, moderation. I am perfectly willing to give you as much latitude as you require within the over all framework as long as we are in communication about department goals and progress towards those goals." The Commanding Officer paused and took a drink. "Or better phrased Commander, I'm willing to give you as much leeway as possible until you give me reason to question that discretion."

Basil smiled. "I can ask no more, sir. Is there anything else you need? I'd like to get back to sickbay with your permission."

Hawk nodded. "Please Commander. I wouldn't want to keep you from your work."

__________

Captain Jackson Hawkins
Commanding Officer
Starbase Typhon

Commander Basil Hart
Chief Medical Officer
Starbase Typhon

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