It's Our Ship
The No-nonsense Guide to Leadership
By: Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Published: May 12, 2008
ISBN: 9780446199667
Format: Hardcover, 288pp
Publisher: Business Plus
A leader must define the organization's goals and spell out why they matter, writes best selling author Captain D. Michael Abrashoff in his important new book It's Our Ship: The No-nonsense Guide to Leadership. The book is a powerful study of management, staff motivation, and leadership. Perhaps, even more important, the book is an enlightening study in personal growth and learning from past successes and failures.
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, former Commander of USS Benfold (photo bottom left), understands leadership and organizational success begins with establishing core values and then conveying them to the entire staff. To achieve success in the Navy or in business, people must be motivated to do their personal best, and to understand their responsibility to the organization and its clients. It is the mission of the leader to ensure that the message gets through to everyone, and that feedback mechanisms are in place to gauge the depth of understanding and internalization. The goal of the company is to win, and the leader must establish the levels of risk necessary to achieve overall success.
Captain D. Michael Abrashoff (photo left) recognizes that a leader must earn the trust of the entire organization to achieve the desired goals. To gain that trust, a leader must be honest at all times, even if the truth is painful and potentially damaging to the leader's career. The members of the team watch the leader and if the words don't agree with the actions, that crucial trust factor is lost.
Great leaders encourage open and honest assessments of problems facing the company. Covering up mistakes and displaying lax ethical behavior can destroy the very fabric of the organization. A thirst for the truth creates opportunities for improvement and success, while hiding the facts leads to mediocrity and failure. Listening to bad news, without punishment for its bearer, will uncover problems with the system, that when corrected can lead to greater success in the future.
When a leader establishes trust, and creates an atmosphere where mistakes are acceptable as a learning process, people will excel at their jobs. They will take ownership of their roles, and of the overall goals of the organization. Giving people the opportunity to create and develop new ideas, and the opportunity to test their skills, uncovers hidden talent within the company. Helping people reach their personal best, while emphasizing cooperation between staff members, builds the overall strength of the business through a more dedicated team of employees.
USS Benfold (photo left)
For me, the power of the book is the understanding that leadership is about establishing trust in your staff, honesty with everyone within and outside of the company, and being true to your organizational goals. A leader must be an effective communicator of the company mission, and a good listener to the people who form the backbone of the organization. Strong ethical values, and personal responsibility are essential in a great leader, and the employees will internalize and practice those same values.
Mistakes are inevitable in any endeavor and are learning experiences for everyone involved. The author recognizes the importance of helping people achieve greatness, and in letting them spread their wings. Sometimes, they will fail, but over time, those same people will grow and exceed even the most optimistic expectations. I was especially impressed with how Captain Abrashoff described his own growth as a leader after his naval career ended, and how he grew to recognize there were even better ways of achieving his overall objectives.
I highly recommmend It's Our Ship: The No-nonsense Guide to Leadership by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff for anyone serious about improving their own leadership skills, and in helping to bring out the very best in their organizational personnel.
Read It's Our Ship: The No-nonsense Guide to Leadership by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, and apply the real world tested leadership techniques from aboard the USS Benfold, and from the best boardrooms beyond its decks.
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