Creating Leadership and Competence at All Levels

[Reviewer’s note: I have been an active Audible listener since 2018 with 671 titles in my library. I have rarely written a review, yet I have purchased a good many books based upon reviews and an equal number I passed on and did not purchase based on reviews. This review is my way of saying thanks to many reviewers for sharing their perspectives.]

L. David Marquet’s experience as a submarine officer is well documented in Turn the Ship Around! – his experience as the Commanding Officer of the USS Santa Fe (SSN-763), a Los Angeles class attack submarine, homeported in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

As a career Naval Officer and Naval Aviator, myself, flying in eight squadrons, it didn’t take long into the book for me to discover that Marquet was an officer of tremendous self-awareness, high technical competence, and a keen appreciation for the needs of both the ship’s mission and her crew.

Yet he bucked tradition by transforming a leader-follower approach to leadership and management to a leader-leader model, instilling competence, confidence, and courage throughout all levels of his command. His approach was not a fluffy empowerment approach, lacking attention to the details and the potential dangers of operating a nuclear-powered submarine with deadly weapons. Rather, through each evolution of both preparing to go to sea, and executing operational tasking, he brought out the best in his crew (individually and collectively) by stressing a learning approach, honest dialogue, and a continuous review of organizational competence.

In his honest words, he shares with the reader the risks and challenges he was facing (and his own mistakes) as he radically changed an old leadership paradigm, enhancing crew alignment, job satisfaction, and taking organizational performance to new heights. He called it Intent-Based Leadership.

Yet, how applicable are the lessons he teaches to other organizations and businesses outside of the United States Navy? In each chapter he begins with questions as well as ending the chapter with questions. Having served myself in the Navy, in Fortune 500 companies, and at several major universities, he very clearly brings back the ongoing lessons aboard Santa Fe for leaders and organizations of all sizes and missions. The questions he asks are alone worth much more than the price of the book. And his approach is not some “leadership fad of the moment.” We can all learn a lot from David Marquet. But I will add a cautionary note: don’t read or listen to this book unless you sense that things truly need to change for the better for the organization, company, or mission you serve. Yet, if you do, and if you can rally support around Marquet’s practical and inspirational approach to true cultural change and organizational competence, then you will have truly turned things around.

(Marquet’s voicing of his own book is excellent).

Commander/United States Navy (ret.)

4 personnes ont trouvé cela utile

Great principles, Difficult in Application

Like many leadership books, the benefit of this is the shared vernacular and ideal presented. However, unless buy-in occurs at higher levels of the organization this might be more difficult to implement from the ground up.

Overall a good read.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Should be in every leader's library

Highly engaging and enlightening from beginning to end. I cannot recommend this book enough to anyone looking to be a stronger leader.

1 personne a trouvé cela utile

Intent to Emancipate!

Hire yourself out of your job by giving full control and power to the people who are doing the work! When you do it, you'll emancipate yourself and your teammates (workers) in a manner that give them responsibility and ownership over their job. They will never depend on you and you'll be able to focus on synergizing the efforts of each work center rather than worrying about monitoring and controling their actions. This is the leader-leader model that David has implemented on his submarine and that brought him and his team success for years after his departure. Are there risks, you might think? Yes, you could loose the trust of your boss if your team does not perform. In the end, you can do the job like it always was done - orders and control - or you can aim high! Your choice.

Insightful

Enjoyed the narration. Information and stories are very useful. Learnings and recommendations have real-life applications. Clear, precise, and on-point book on leadership. Got me thinking for days and inspired me to develop myself as a leader in my area and challenge the type of manager I am today.

Exceptional leadership style/advice

As a Major In the Air Force, this book revolutionized how I look at leadership. His TED talks give you 80% of the story, the book fills in the details. I have written multiple graduate papers on his leadership philosophies. Highly recommend.

Anchors aweigh!

The type of leadership described here will make sailors proud to serve in the U.S. Navy. The principles should be applied to business, sports, education, youth development, church, and every other leadership environment.

Excellent book

I especially enjoyed the Leader-Leader distinction and the shift from empowerment to emancipation of all members of a team. Brilliant

if you could take only one book...

if you could only take one book on leadership with you to understand anything about the right kind of leadership... this would be it. amazing. wish my managers read and absorbed it.

great book

should be paired with captains talks at Google and other places. it will provide a more balanced view with his insights since this book was published. real life