The story of Captain D. Michael Abrashoff and his command of USS Benfold has become legendary inside and outside the Navy. Now Abrashoff offers this fascinating tale of top-down change for anyone trying to navigate today’s uncertain business seas.
When Captain Abrashoff took over as commander of USS Benfold, a ship armed with every cutting-edge system available, it was like a business that has all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve his ship. Within months he created a crew of confident and inspired problem-solvers eager to take the initiative and take responsibility for their actions. The slogan on board became “It’s your ship,” and Benfold was soon recognized far and wide as a model of naval efficiency. From achieving amazing cost savings to winning the highest gunnery score in the Pacific Fleet, Captain Abrashoff’s extraordinary campaign sent shock waves through the U.S. Navy. It can help you change the course of your ship, no matter where your business battles are fought.
We continue to invest in the latest technologies and systems, but, as we all know, technology is only a facilitator. The people operating the equipment are what give us the fighting edge, and we seemed to have lost our way when it comes to helping them grow. Like the Navy, the business community has to figure out how to help people grow. A recent Gallup study found that when people leave their companies, 65 percent of them are actually leaving their managers. Leaders are failing and the costs are astounding.
What all leaders have in common is the challenge of getting most out of our crews, which depends on three variables: the leader’s needs, the organization’s atmosphere, and the crew’s potential competence. Leadership is earned, not designated. My experience has shown that helping people realize their full potential can lead to attaining goals that would be impossible to reach under command-and-control.
In my book, I will detail the ideas and techniques that I used to win my sailors’ trust and, eventually their enthusiastic commitment to our joint goal of making our ship the best in the fleet. The book narrates episodes in Benfold’s two-year voyage through uncharted waters of leadership, and is organized around the lessons I learned. A chapter is given to each one: Lead by example; listen aggressively; communicate purpose and meaning; create a climate of trust; look for results, not salutes; take calculated risks; go beyond standard procedure; build up your people’s confidence; generate unity; and improve your people’s quality of life as much as possible.