completely  aware  of  the  consequences  of  each  decision you make. In this step you consider the relative importance of each  of  the  course  of  action.  Whichever  action  you accept in the next step (step #5) will involve the use of manpower   and/or   materials;   therefore,   you   must consider  this  step  carefully  to  obtain  the  most economical  result.  This  phase  of  the  problem  requires much discussion and thought. 5. Accepted courses of action (column 5). In this step, one (or a combination) of the possible actions will be chosen as the solution of the problem. Do not think that  you  need  unanimous  agreement  to  achieve  a solution. Usually, you will give serious consideration to the opinion of the majority; however, the final decision is your responsibility as leader, based on your personal evaluation  of  the  facts  and  recommendations  submitted. 6. Cause of the problem (column 6). Now assume that  you  have  solved  the  immediate  problem;  it  no longer exists. What is left for you to do? You should ask, “What caused this problem to occur?” By asking this  question,  you  have  begun  to  think  in  terms  of preventing  the  problem  from  happening  again,  if possible.   You   should   give   considerable   time   and discussion to this phase. To be a good leader, you must develop  insight  to  determine  the  basic  causes  of problems.  Good  thinking  in  this  area  can  help  the organization to function smoothly. The goal is to prevent problems  from  occurring,  rather  that  solving  them  after they occur. Remember, if you don’t make a concerted effort to prevent problems, you  will have to make a concerted effort to solve them. COMMUNICATING You must develop good communication habits if you are to succeed as a supervisor. Communication can be broken down into two broad categories: internal and external. INTERNAL COMMUNICATION To achieve good internal communication, keep your personnel informed. Your personnel should know the reasons behind changes that affect them. If security prevents  you  from  giving  reasons,  let  them  know security   is   the   reason.   They   will   understand. Communication  is  a  two-way  street.  You,  as  the supervisor, need feedback from your crew on everything that  is  happening  so  you  can  make  decisions  and formulate plans. Be open and free in communicating with  your  people  and  encourage  them  to  discuss  their feelings and opinions. Good  internal  communication  also  means  each person is taking to every other person. Work centers and work  groups  should  communicate  freely  with  each other.  This  is  important  in  developing  harmonious relations  within  your  work  center.  Investigate  any breakdown in communication and try to correct the problem  immediately. EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION Without  proper  external  communication,  you  will not  be  able  to  coordinate  complex  jobs  involving  a number of work centers and divisions. You must develop good  lines  and  methods  of  communication  external  to the shop. Running systems tests may involve several work centers aboard ship and, in some cases, other ships or activities. Unless you can effectively communicate your requirements to each work center, you will be unable to successfully complete the systems tests. Much of your external communication is in the form of  correspondence.  The  correspondence  will  be  of  little value unless you have an effective way of keeping track of  the  information  and  ensuring  that  it  gets  to  the ultimate  users.  You  should  develop  controls  to  ensure that  information  gets  to  and  from  the  people  who  will benefit the most from it. If you do this, you, the shop supervisor, will be the winner. Methods of control were discussed  in  chapter  2. ASSET USAGE Effective shop supervisors make the best use of their assets.  (These  assets  can  be  either  personnel  or material.) To do this you must thoroughly understand the  limitations  and  capabilities  of  your  personnel  and know if there are any major deficiencies in your material assets. PERSONNEL ASSETS Personnel assets are the most complex to manage, as well as the most flexible to use. Electronics personnel are  responsible  for  maintaining  a  variety  of  electronic and digital equipment and systems. Because the various pieces  of  equipment  and  systems  maintained  by electronics  personnel  are  very  complex,  long  periods  of training  are  required  to  qualify  personnel  for  the maintenance role. Personnel graduating from formal schools are assigned Navy enlisted classification codes (NECs). There are many different NECs assigned to the 3-12