Multiplying Capability Through Shared Expertise

The workforce shortage meant Nathan could not permanently assign an expert to every submarine. Instead, he organized skilled personnel to teach, assist, and transfer knowledge across the force. The model improved immediate compliance while increasing the number of people capable of solving future problems. It reinforced a central leadership belief: organizational capability grows fastest when expertise is deliberately shared.

From 2021 through 2024 at COMSUBRON 19, multiple submarine crews needed practical cybersecurity support while experienced personnel remained too limited to assign permanently to every operational unit.

Concentrating the available experts in one place could solve isolated problems, but it would not build readiness across the squadron. Nathan needed a model that addressed immediate deficiencies while expanding the number of people able to diagnose, remediate, and prevent future problems.

Nathan organized knowledgeable personnel to move between units, work alongside crews, explain the reasons behind requirements, demonstrate remediation methods, and deliberately transfer expertise rather than merely completing the work for them.

Expertise creates greater value when it is shared than when it is protected as an individual advantage. Leaders multiply capability by pairing immediate assistance with teaching, giving others both the understanding and confidence to handle the next problem.