If you had a chance to speak with cadets and/or midshipmen before they commissioned, what wisdom, advice, and lessons would you offer them?

Always do your best. Do the right jobs and do them well. Find mentors (plural) and take their advice, but keep in mind the “age” of their advise. Remember always, that you are the one that has to live with the consequences of your decisions. Be mutually courteous and respectful at all times. Lastly, smile and do the things that make your bosses feel like they didn’t give as much effort, and let them pull you up with them.

Since you're coming from the goat locker, this might be a harder one for you to swallow. Not all of your brothers and sisters are the Chief that you were. Respect the mess, but remember that you are part of the wardroom now. Look back on your time as a Chief with pride, but remember that it was you who sought a commission. Push forward as you would with any other mission.

You bring knowledge and experience to the job that non-prior enlisted officers don't have and that will serve you well, but take care to not trip on it. Remember that you ARE an officer now, and try to avoid falling into enlisted member's habits of thought. Listen to what your enlisted members tell you, especially the chiefs, and work at making that fit into all of what you've learned about being an officer, and what you find of yourself in growing in to this new role. Especially, don't make the mistake of doing the Chief's job. Let the Chief be the Chief, and learn from the Cheif, in a way similar to (but NOT identical to) the way you'd learn if you were still in the Chief's mess. You will have more than enough to do trying to learn your own duties and earn your warfare qualification to take on someone else's job. I second the recommendation to listen and learn - maybe "sponge mode" is a good way to think of it. Congratulations, and good luck!

When you arrive at your first duty station remember one thing, Even though your rank is “higher” than someone else’s, they are a subject matter expert and you have a lot to learn from them. Be humble and listen and learn.

[~501415:CPO (Officer Candidate) George Martin Thank You So Very Kindly Chief Petty Officer (Officer Candidate) George Martin: for the Great Honor You Have Bestowed Upon Us; here on Rally Point; by Honoring us with Your Presence.

SFC O'Mally's reply is spot on. I will add: Remember that it really is all about servant leadership. Take care of your people. it is not primarily about being able to tell people what to do (i.e. "boss them around") because of your rank or position. Be firm, and do not accept slackness, but keep your cool. The "yell" tool should rarely, if ever, have to come out of your toolbox (and if it does, remember to reprimand in private--praise in public). Stay humble. There are others who know more than you do, irrespective of rank. Learn as much as you can from them. Take care of your folks and they will do their best for you-which fosters mission accomplishment.

I have answered this before, but I'm going to do it again. My step-dad joined the army in 1939. He fought two wars in the brown shoe army. (Did you know there is a difference in spit-shining brown boots and spit-shining black ones?) When he sent me to college and I wound up in ROTC, he was quick to point out to me that "That d*** gold bar on your uniform doesn't mean anything. All it does is make you an apprentice to a first-sergeant."
As I aged I came tp appreciate the wisdom of his words. He was a great first sergeant. One of my biggest regrets about my life is that he died before he could give me my first salute.

They should heed to advice of SNCO's and seek pout a mentor to guide them in their military life.

Be a good leader, not heavy handed. Led my example and never run down your troops or be disrepectable to them.Seek advice from your SNOC's and be the leader that men want to follow and not hated because of rank heavy attitude. Most of all take care of your men and they will take care of you.

Listen to your NCOs. You don’t always have to follow their advice, but listen to it. ASK QUESTIONS. Lots of them. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you have to appear to know everything. You don’t. Pick the brains of your NCOs, your lower enlisted, and your mid-career officers. Expand your knowledge outside of your area of expertise. If you have the opportunity to observe collective training for another unit, do it. You’ll pick up knowledge and ideas about how to do your own training. Don’t be afraid to say “I don’t understand.” Good leaders will explain things to you, and they’ll appreciate that you didn’t try to blow smoke up their asses.

You are going to get your ass chewed.

Learn from it, and never make the same mistake twice. Own your mistakes.

Let your NCOs do their jobs. Know what NCO business is, and stay out of it. But don’t let them snow you with the Jedi mind trick. Know what is happening with your guys.

If you don’t know what to do, take care of your people. That’s always the right answer, even if you have to take a shotgun blast to the face because of it.

Be careful which hill you choose to die on, but know that you may encounter a saber issue. By that I mean an issue for which you may have to fall on your saber. These can be career-ending, but it’s far better to do the right thing and leave with your head up than it is to save your own skin and betray your responsibility to your people.