The coconut, on which JFK etched his SOS message, that took pride of place on JFK's Presidential desk in the White House. Credti: JFK Presidential Library & Museum
Join us in the final Part of our 3 Part series of essays on what modern day managers of volunteers can learn from JFK's heroism in WW2, and how to apply the lessons learned to our role as someone recruiting volunteers.
We look at the importance of accepting the help at hand; keeping your communications brief; recognising whose 'on your side'~ but being prepared to also go out on your own. We also explore the need to take personal responsibility for your processes, and the importance of follow through (even if you end up 'getting wet').
In Part 2 of this 3 part series of essays about what volunteer managers can learn from the example of JFK's heroism in World War, we saw that Kennedy displayed a number of key leadership attributes as he navigated his team's way to safety through the chain of islands JFK and his crew were stranded upon.
In this final essay, Part 3, we learn how JFK:
- Accepted the help at hand (message on the coconut)
- Kept the message brief (communicated what he could in the time and space he had)
- Recognised people on his side
- Informed his team, and then went out solo again (to co-ordinate the rescue with local HQ)
- Kept the message brief (communicated what he could in the time and space he had)
- Recognised people on his side
- Accepted he needed to be hidden in plain sight (hidden under palm fronds by the local)
- Insisted on personal involvement in the rescue (over his superiors)
- Prepared to look a complete amateur again (knocked overboard by rifle recoil)
- Rescued the mission & protected those in his care
So without further ado, let’s read from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum’s account of the final chapter of this story:
The next morning, August 6, Kennedy returned with Gasa and Kumana to Naru, intercepting Ross along the way as he was swimming back. The islanders showed the two Americans where a boat had been hidden on Naru. Kennedy was at a loss for a way to send a message, but Gasa showed him how to scratch a few words into the husk of a green coconut.
Gasa and Kumana left with the message—
NAURO ISL
COMMANDER . . . NATIVE KNOWS
POS'IT . . . HE CAN PILOT . . . 11 ALIVE
NEED SMALL BOAT . . . KENNEDY
As they waited for a rescue, Kennedy insisted on going out with Ross into Ferguson Passage in the two-man canoe. Heavy seas swamped the canoe and so battered the men that they barely made it back to Naru. But the next morning, August 7, eight islanders appeared at Naru shortly after Kennedy and Ross awoke. They brought food and instructions from the local Allied coastwatcher, Lt. A. Reginald Evans, who instructed Kennedy to come to Evans's post.
Stopping long enough at Olasana to feed the crew, the islanders hid Kennedy under a pile of palm fronds and paddled him to Gomu Island in Blackett Strait. Early in the evening of August 7, a little more than six days after PT-109's sinking, Kennedy stepped on to Gomu. There was still a rescue to be planned with Evans, no small thing in enemy-held waters, but the worst of the ordeal of PT 109 was over.
It’s easy to forget in our 21st Century age of social media mass communication, that it wasn’t always so easy to get your message across to your intended audience.
Did JFK have WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Email, or even a good old fashioned postcard?
No, sir.
All that Kennedy had to communicate with, was a coconut - yes, a coconut - presented to him by the locals.
The local Islander called Gasa showed him how to scratch a message on the husk of the coconut.
Tell me again.
You think that 140 characters is not enough to express yourself on Twitter?
Well, guess what?
All that JFK had was the husk of a coconut, along with a knife, with which to communicate a message to ensure the rescue of his men.
So, how many characters did JFK have to use?
90.
Yes, 90.
Sometimes, in situations that balance both an awareness of extreme danger and, at the same time, the possibility of rescue, you can find that, like JFK, you have an ability to articulate yourself clearly, and succinctly, in a way that surprises people (not least yourself).
In doing so, and in 90 letters, Kennedy communicated the following:
- he addressed his audience (“Nauro Island”)
- he built up trust (“Commander, Native knows posit…”)
- he endorsed his partner (“he can pilot…”)
- he kept it factual (“11 alive…”)
- he told them what he needed (“Need small boat…”)
- and he told them who he was (“Kennedy”)
So my question to you to read this essay is this.
- Is your organization's volunteer recruitment procedure in need of a rescue?
- Would you recognize help when it appeared in front of you?
- Would you know how to trust that help?
- Would you know how to accept it?
- Could you communicate to those that matter in a succinct way to help your organization?
Presumably you don't have a canoe of islanders coming to your rescue.
But could you communicate to your board of directors all your executive committee about the peril of your organization?
And would they listen?
The JFK presidential library and Museum doesn’t go into detail on this point but I think it’s one worth exploring.
It's all well and good JFK sent his succinct message on the husk of coconut.
But it also took someone willing and able to interpret that message, in order for the message to have its desired impact.
The recipient of that message replied as follows:
On His Majesty's Service.
To the Senior Officer, Naru Island.
I have just learned of your presence on Nauru Is.
I am in command of a New Zealand infantry patrol operating in conjunction with U.S. Army troops on New Georgia.
I strongly advise that you come with these natives to me.
Meanwhile I shall be in radio communication with your authorities at Rendova, and we can finalize plans to collect balance of your party.
Now for a moment, let's not forget to give credit to the officer who received that message.
He didn't dismiss it as a prank. He ignored the rough and ready form of communication. He looked at the heart of the message, took it on board, and took immediate action.
Remember also the context. All of the sailors on board PT-109 were presumed to have died on 1 August 1943, to the extent that their senior officers had written to some of the parents of those sailors, informing them of their deaths while on active service.
So, yes, communication about the critical nature of the situation your voluntary organisation finds itself in is, indeed, important.
But it's also important that, on the receiving end of your communications, you have people willing and able and ready to listen to what you have to say.
Here’s the message as it was received by JFK on the island:
Credit: OrwellToday.com
Rescue
Evans already notified his commander of the discovery of PT-109's survivors, and the base commander proposed sending a rescue mission directly to Olasana. Kennedy insisted on being picked up first so that he could guide the rescue boats, PT 157 and PT 171, among the reefs and shallows of the island chain.
Late on the night of August 7, the boats met Kennedy at the rendezvous point, exchanging a prearranged signal of four shots. Kennedy's revolver was down to only three rounds, so he borrowed a rifle from Evans for the fourth. Standing up in the canoe to give the signal, Kennedy did not anticipate the rifle's recoil, which threw him off balance and dumped him in the water. A soaking wet and thoroughly exasperated Navy lieutenant climbed aboard PT 157.
The PT boats crossed Blackett Strait under Kennedy's direction and eased up to Olasana Island early in the morning of August 8. The exhausted men of PT 109 were all asleep. Kennedy began yelling for them, much to the chagrin of his rescuers, who were nervous about the proximity of the Japanese. But the rescue went forward without incident, and the men of PT 109 reached the US base at Rendova at 5:30 a.m. on August 8.
For his courage and leadership, Kennedy was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Medal, and injuries suffered during the incident also qualified him for a Purple Heart. Ensign Leonard Thom also received the Navy and Marine Corps Medal. But for John F. Kennedy, the consequences of the event were more far-reaching than simple decorations.
The story was picked up by the writer John Hersey, who told it to the readers ofThe New Yorker and Reader's Digest. It followed Kennedy into politics and provided a strong foundation for his appeal as a leader.
Let’s look back again at JFK’s actions and behavior, and what someone responsible for safely recruiting volunteers can learn from JFK’s example. He:
Accepted the help at hand (used the coconut to write his SOS on it)
JFK knew a good thing when he saw it. And if that meant communicating by scratching a message with a knife on a coconut, then so be it!
Sometimes as volunteer managers we do not get much choice as to how to communicate our message. Don’t worry. Embrace whatever medium you are given.
Kept the message brief (communicated what he could in the time and space he had)
90 characters. That’s brief!
JKF addressed his audience, he built up trust, he endorsed his partner, he kept it factual, he told his audience what they needed to know, and he told them who he was.
Do the same with your executive committee or Board of Directors to which you report.
Recognised the people on his side
JFK quickly recognized his friends. Stranded in the midst of enemy waters, JFK could easily recognize friend from foe.
What about you? Can you recognize people willing and able to help you in your role?
Informed his team, and then went out solo again (to co-ordinate the rescue with local HQ)
JFK knew that to rescue the team he had to the leave his crew and sail with the islanders to the local Allied naval base.
Sometimes, as someone in charge of safely recruiting new adult volunteers into your voluntary organization, you have to leave the safety of the status quo quote of the position of your organization, and recommend to that organization changes which leave you isolated and alone, Don’t be afraid. Follow JFK’s example.
Accepted he needed to be hidden in plain sight (hidden under palm fronds by the local islanders)
JFK was rowed by the islanders in their canoe, through the open seas and under the constant threat of overhead Japanese planes. JFK was hidden, in plain sight.
On occasions, as someone responsible in an organization for recruiting volunteers, to get the job done you have to sail forward without drawing enormous attention to yourself. Don’t worry, JFK did this too, so you can as well.
Insisted on personal involvement in the rescue (over his superiors)
After he had successfully delivered his message JFK insisted on personally leading the rescue team to the island where his crewmates were stranded.
There are some things in a voluntary organization that you can delegate.
But there are other things, like the safe recruitment of volunteers, that you may just have to accept responsibility for yourself.
Kennedy knew that he had to finish and follow through with the rescue. I guess that you, too, will have to do likewise with the set up, implementation, and follow-through of a best practice volunteer recruitment process.
Prepared to look a complete amateur again (knocked overboard by rifle recoil)
JKF had agreed to give a signal to his crewmates to indicate the rescue team had arrived. The signal was to be four shots fired from JFK’s revolver.
As the rescue boat neared the survivors’ island, JFK fired three bullets, but running out of revolver bullets was compelled to fire the final signal shot using one the of the rescue team’s rifle. Unused to the rifle’s shoulder recoil, JFK was thrown back into the sea! Can you imagine what JFK felt?
Guess what? He didn’t give a damn at this stage.
Rescued the mission & protected those in his care
Ultimately, Kennedy rescued the entire team that left with him after the destruction of their vessel, kept them safe, and returned them to base.
Kennedy was awarded some of the highest naval bravery awards. A reporter picked up his story, giving him nationwide recognition, and the tale entered the annals of WW2 heroic folklore (as well as JFK's own personal story). In the time, the telling of his heroic story paved the way for his path into politics.
So, to recap:
In Part 1, what we learned as volunteer managers from JFK:
- He took stock.
- He took charge.
- He took the lead.
- He innovated.
- He took care of those in his charge.
In Part 2, what we learned as volunteer managers from JFK:
- Situational awareness (the chance of discovery by the enemy)
- Didn’t wait, took action (knew he had to find help, and went)
- Risked looking foolish (knew he risked failure)
- Had no map (he had to work by his gut instinct of what was right)
- Endured lonely, hard work (but was trained to do so)
- Was out of control (a victim of the strong rip tide currents)
- Exhausted (even JFK was just like us)
- Failed (yes, even JFK failed)
- Dedicated (wasn’t going to give up)
- Leading (took his men back into the water, knowing the risks)
- Shared the leadership load (knew that he had better chance with Ross at his side)
- Lucky (chancing on the Japanese shipwreck, supplies, canoe, and locals)
- Balanced risk-reward (took the tough decision to leave Ross on the island where they’d found the canoe, to let Ross recover)
- Made the most of his opportunity (canoed back to his crewmates)
In Part 3, what we learned as volunteer managers from JFK:
- Accepted the help at hand (message on the coconut)
- Kept the message brief (communicated what he could in the time and space he had)
- Recognised people on his side
- Returned to rescue Ross
- Informed his team, and then went out solo again (to co-ordinate the rescue with local HQ)
- Accepted he needed to be hidden in plain sight (hidden under palm fronds by the local)
- Insisted on personal involvement in the rescue (over his superiors)
- Prepared to look a complete amateur again (knocked overboard by rifle recoil)
- Rescued the mission & protected those in his care
Kennedy didn't have a map or plan to rescue his team when disaster struck. But he did have his instinct and his training.
Guess what?
So do you.
As a volunteer manager today, we could all do well to learn from JFK’s example, to see how he dealt with the situation he faced, and to use his example to give us courage in addressing our own organisation’s challenges and dangers in failing to implement safe volunteer recruitment processes and procedures.
Let's not waste that opportunity.
