Who Is CDR Alfonso?

Commander (CDR) Alfonso exuded some of the fear-driven indicators of a leader. The first indicator was sideline criticalness, which was demonstrated almost immediately when he publicly reprimanded and relieved a Chief Petty Officer. This indicator was troubling since the Chief Petty Officer was a senior non-commissioned officer. In attaining this rank, it is generally understood that a Chief Petty Officer is an expert at their job and experienced at management. CDR Alfonso should have used someone in the Chief’s position to enhance his leadership team. However, CDR Alfonso publicly belittled him and set a precedent in how he would interact with his crew. To make matters worse, this type of leadership went against the Navy’s adage, “praise in
They were afraid to bring issues to him as their Captain. This led to the crew-hiding issues from him. As the leader of any organization, it is important to know issues under your leadership. His behavior may have kept him in the dark on important issues. Luckily for CDR Alfonso, this was not a deadly mistake. In a position where he was responsible for the life and safety of the crew, his mistakes could have led to a much harsher
It can be said that he did not have a firm grasp of the four components of emotional intelligence. Of the four components, self-awareness may have been his strongest, even though it may have been weak compared to many successful leaders. He had a great deal of self-confidence, probably too much, and he trusted his gut in difficult situations, like relieving the Chief Petty Officer from his duties. His abundance of self-confidence could have been the downfall of his social awareness. In an effort to raise performance, he was comfortable pushing his crew beyond their comfort zone, but he never showed any signs of empathy, compassion, or concern for the emotional well-being of others. He lacked the ability to put himself in his crew member’s shoes in order to see how his leadership style was taking a toll on them. CDR Alfonso had mediocre self-management skills. He was very achievement-oriented, showed initiative, and was optimistic in how his crew would perform, however, these are not the only aspects of self-management. He lacked emotional self-control, adaptability, and conscientiousness. His weakest component of emotional intelligence was relationship management. CDR Alfonso was unable to connect with his crew. During his tenure as the Trident Submarine’s Captain, not only did he fail to create a bond with those under his authority, but he managed to tear down the few healthy relationships that he had already.