The information task of a good admiral

What qualities make a good admiral, and how much can one change the balance between two forces?

A good admiral listens to specialists, synthesizes their partial views, decides, and accepts responsibility; against a poor opponent, that can have an outsized effect.

Each subordinate presents information shaped by a particular section, platform, or responsibility. An admiral must listen to those inputs without becoming trapped by any single perspective. The central skill is synthesizing them into a timely decision and accepting the consequences. Against a similarly equipped force under weak command, that judgment can materially shift the outcome. Service at sea is said to expose and punish serious incompetence, though admirals can still make poor or unusual decisions.