Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Umbri Zayne (Weapons Officer) in Side SIM: The Night Shift (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Commander T’Aria (XO / Navigation Officer) in Side SIM: The Night Shift (Tag XO)

Posted by Lieutenant Junior Grade Umbri Zayne (Weapons Officer) in Side SIM: The Night Shift (Tag XO)
Posted by… suppressed (2) by the Post Ghost! 👻

snip!

Umbri sighed. “Simply put, I’m not sure if I’m cut out to be the Weapons Officer. I’ve never held a leadership position before, and it’s honestly quite daunting. I’m literally the person in charge of keeping this crew safe and I’m second-guessing myself, I don’t really have an authoritative presence, and I feel so nervous all the time. It’s really stressing me out, and I don’t know what to do. I could use some advice right now,” they said.

Lieutenant (j.g.) Umbri Zayne, Weapons Officer

T’Aria grappled with the instinct to bestow upon Umbri the same ‘advice’ she received as a new department head. “Give it time.” She recalled how helpless she felt when Doctor Obi offered those words as they sat on a biobed, watching as the vitals jumped and plunged in their struggle to distinguish between Human and Vulcan. He spoke as though her work – the time and effort she put into growth – had no bearing on her skill. “Give it time,” for T’Aria, meant losing a piece of her autonomy to an invisible and finicky source. And she could not bring herself to suggest to Umbri what she refused to do herself.

“I struggled for months after being thrust into the CMO role when Captain Taggart was promoted to Executive Officer,” she admitted. “I had no concept of leadership nor assertiveness beyond what was required of me as a surgeon. Naturally, I fell on Vulcan discipline and adopted a rigid, logic-bound management style. Note the word: management. I was not engaging my team nor leaning into them for the support we needed. Instead, I required them to work in ways that fit a paradigm sooner than it did their needs and abilities. We naturally struggled with burnout, particularly among our medical technicians, and fell into a routine of regulation efficiency. It was not sustainable, but I persisted because I believed that was how I honoured the responsibility Taggart gave me.”

Her expression stiffened with thought but softened the moment she caught Umbri in her periphery.

“I did not realise the flaw in my thinking until it threatened the safety of my patients and my team. Though my system fit the rubric – organised, efficient and stable – it neglected an element essential to medicine: people. I was not empowering nor supporting my team. Consequently, I took on more than I could handle and overlooked their ability to handle more. There was a lack of trust, and it started with me.”

T’Aria pursed her lips, “I understand this is a rather long and perhaps unnecessary way to tell you something deceivingly mundane, but I feel you deserve more than hollow words. Leadership begins with trust. Take the time to get to know your team to build comraderie and trust that extends beyond duty. Many of your officers have served on the Chernov – and some in Starfleet – longer than us. Lean into their wisdom, and seek out their support because leadership is a collaborative effort. You are learning and, though there will be some who challenge you, most are willing to share their experience and learn with you… if you only ask.”

— T’Aria, XO

bump 11.06.2022

Umbri felt a little better. They were glad they asked T’Aria for advice. “So in summary, get to know my team, learn to trust my team, trust myself, and ask for help whenever I need it?” they asked.

Lieutenant (j.g.) Umbri Zayne, Weapons Officer

“Precisely…” T’Aria lifted her gaze to the corridor when laughter touched her ears. A pair of Ensigns that she recognised from their late-night stints on the Bridge bimbled past. The navigator had his nose buried in a PaDD, his antennae writhing to disguise the fond smile tugging at his lips, as the engineer pestered him with what sounded a dreadful attempt at comedy. Puns, she believed humans called them. T’Aria didn’t invest enough attention to grasp what they were saying, but the encounter gave her an idea. “What worries you most about leadership, Umbri?”

— T’Aria, XO

Umbri shrugged. “I’m worried about a lot of things, but the main thing is that I’m worried I’ll make the wrong call and possibly put the lives of the crew in danger. I really don’t want that to happen. I’m also worried that people won’t take me seriously as a DH, considering it’s my first leadership position ever on my first ship ever,” they said.

Lieutenant (j.g.) Umbri Zayne, Weapons Officer

Bump