Service to the Fleet, November 2014 7

“All In.” These two words alone could mean very different things. But together these words mean dedication, teamwork, and ready to face impossible odds. “All In” is the catchphrase for Norfolk Naval Shipyard’s (NNSY) USS Albany (SSN 753) project, the team’s booming chant heard round the waterfront. Dave Bittle, project superintendent, decided with his team early on in the planning process for the incoming project that this would be the motto used to align their forces and drive the efforts of the team to make the Albany a successful availability. “We brainstormed several different mottos from ‘753 begins with me’ to ‘All In’ and felt ‘All In’ was a better fit for our team because it represents everyone doing everything they can to get the job done,” said Bittle. The Albany project has been inspired by these two little words. “In everything they do, the project is asked to put in 100 percent and to look out for their teammates,” said Rodney Wilkins, the Albany Project performance coach. “The amount of synergy within Team Albany is infectious; their dedication to their job and to their team is outstanding. We as team leaders give our workers opportunities to increase morale and it’s been said that the standards and attitude with our team is so much higher than most.” The Albany team holds a book study every Wednesday afternoon, the group discussing All In: How the Best Managers Create a Culture of Belief and Drive Big Results by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton. “There’s a quote from the fourth chapter that really caught my eye in regards to our project team: ‘People want to believe that their work is important.’ Team Albany wants everyone, not just our team but everyone here at the shipyard, to know that their job is important,” said Mike Davenport, Nuclear PEPM and leader of the chapter four discussion. “We’re all a family here at NNSY and it’s our duty as a family to build each other up and respect one another as individuals. We all have to be all in ‘All In’ with everything we do, whether it is in our work or interactions with our teammates.” The catchphrase “All In” was inspired by the 2011 New York Giants football season and how two little words inspired them to come from being one of the bottom teams

in the NFL to soaring high and winning Super Bowl XLVI. The team was on a losing streak when they met the night before the Christmas Eve 2011 game against the New York Jets. The team chaplain called Gian-Paul Gonzalez, an inspirational speaker and teacher at Union City High School in New Jersey, to lead a service. With him, Gonzalez brought poker chips and delivered a powerful message. “Sometimes we’ve got to step up and be all in,” Gonzalez told the Giants. “You have to be willing to say, ‘I’m going to be all in and risk everything and bet everything.’” The next day, the Giants went on to defeat the Jets 29-14, the team speaking out and sharing the message to the world on how it inspired them to work as a unit. And from there, the Giants soared to becoming Super Bowl champions, all because of what impact those two little words had on them. “The New York Giants were able to reach the ultimate goal because of these two words. They were able to get to the Super Bowl,” said Glenn Ward, Albany deputy project superintendent. “Our ultimate goal is to return the Albany to the fleet so it can perform its mission in a safe manner.” Like the New York Giants, the Albany project is a team and a family, their efforts in working together leading to the success of the availability. As a team, any time a meeting or gathering is held by members of the project; they end with “Team Albany,” followed by two claps and the familiar chant, “All In.” “It is about each member of our project team,” said Bittle. “It’s all about ‘Team Albany’ giving everything they have to give, they are all in.” In addition, the Albany team members were all given replica poker chips as a symbol of their motto, the group throwing in their chips at meetings and gatherings to show their dedication to the project. These two little words are what the Albany project team lives by, putting all of themselves into their work in order to get the job done. “The chip is a chip, the chant is a chant and the motto is a motto,” said Wilkins. “The change comes from giving 100 perfect. If you’re giving 50 percent, 80 percent or 90 percent, you’re not all in. You must be giving 100 percent to be all in.” In everything they do, the Albany project is “All In.”

All In AlbanyBy Kristi Britt, Code 1160 Public Affairs Specialist