It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy (revised)
- Downloads：1172
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-06-10 09:54:15
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：D. Michael Abrashoff
- ISBN：145552302X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
The legendary New York Times bestselling 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， it was like a business that had 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 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。 How did Abrashoff do it？ Against the backdrop of today's United States Navy， Abrashoff shares his secrets of successful management including:
See the ship through the eyes of the crew: By soliciting a sailor's suggestions， Abrashoff drastically reduced tedious chores that provided little additional value。
Communicate， communicate， communicate: The more Abrashoff communicated the plan， the better the crew's performance。 His crew eventually started calling him "Megaphone Mike，" since they heard from him so often。
Create discipline by focusing on purpose: Discipline skyrocketed when Abrashoff's crew believed that what they were doing was important。
Listen aggressively: After learning that many sailors wanted to use the GI Bill， Abrashoff brought a test official aboard the ship-and held the SATs forty miles off the Iraqi coast。 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。
When Captain Abrashoff took over as commander of USS Benfold， it was like a business that had 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 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。 How did Abrashoff do it？ Against the backdrop of today's United States Navy， Abrashoff shares his secrets of successful management including:
See the ship through the eyes of the crew: By soliciting a sailor's suggestions， Abrashoff drastically reduced tedious chores that provided little additional value。
Communicate， communicate， communicate: The more Abrashoff communicated the plan， the better the crew's performance。 His crew eventually started calling him "Megaphone Mike，" since they heard from him so often。
Create discipline by focusing on purpose: Discipline skyrocketed when Abrashoff's crew believed that what they were doing was important。
Listen aggressively: After learning that many sailors wanted to use the GI Bill， Abrashoff brought a test official aboard the ship-and held the SATs forty miles off the Iraqi coast。 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。
Reviews
Sarah
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I would not have read this on my own， but it was assigned as part of a leadership course I was taking。 He really does have some good ideas and the book is easy to read。
Matt L。
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Amazing book on leadership
Steve Nabrotzky
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Great book about taking responsibility。
Chris Tyack
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Leadership stops at the point of your own noseI met the co-owner of the business created after this book was released which led me to its discovery。 I loved this book！ Found within its creases are over 200 pages of stories with the kinds of implemented changes you dream of from a leader。 Leaders do not achieve through micromanagement， but lead through empowerment。 It thrills me to learn that there are leaders （though uncommon） who actively pursue this understanding in coaching the human elements Leadership stops at the point of your own noseI met the co-owner of the business created after this book was released which led me to its discovery。 I loved this book！ Found within its creases are over 200 pages of stories with the kinds of implemented changes you dream of from a leader。 Leaders do not achieve through micromanagement， but lead through empowerment。 It thrills me to learn that there are leaders （though uncommon） who actively pursue this understanding in coaching the human elements of the workforce to excel and expand their potential。 Through rigorous study， training， and an open ear， your stars are earned。 They are not earned through uneducated single minded commands。 Thank you for this book！ 。。。more
Jack
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Very inspiring story on leadership using concrete examples from Benfold that can be applied to any role。 Found myself underlining many times to refer back to various pages。 Definitely recommend！
Maya
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This book is about people centered leadership， and how an organization thrives when management empower their workers to do their best under appropriate circumstances。 I really enjoyed reading the stories about how Abrashoff transformed his ship from a low performer to a top performer in the Navy。 I wish he had included more stories about when things went wrong， because there is a lot to be learned from mistakes。 But I learned a lot from the book and was a fun read。
Steven Haiser
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Enjoyable and educational readNit know much about the navy， this book provided enough information to appreciate the complexity and challenges of commanding a ship and developing a winning organization。 I really enjoyed this book。
Ashlea Higgins
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I could not recommend this book enough！ It is stuffed full of great advice and perspective for anyone in a leader ship position！ Whether you're a parent or a manager of an office。 Maybe you lead a team at a school etc。 This book was very easy for me to get through and I will probably read this again just because it was stuffed full of amazing leadership techniques！ I could not recommend this book enough！ It is stuffed full of great advice and perspective for anyone in a leader ship position！ Whether you're a parent or a manager of an office。 Maybe you lead a team at a school etc。 This book was very easy for me to get through and I will probably read this again just because it was stuffed full of amazing leadership techniques！ 。。。more
Bryan Amshoff
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Excellent book on leadership
Lindsey Watson
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Loved this book so much。 Fantastic wisdom from the captain of the “best damn ship” in the navy。 If he can value and care for his team in the military， then anyone can！
Jens
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Full disclaimer: I'm a sucker for these kind of books。 It reminded me a lot of Turn The Ship Around， yet this book precedeeds the latter by over 10years。 Crazy to realize none of this bottom-up leadership is a recent invention or phenomenon。 Recently having discussed the ramifications of each branch its core business on leadership， this book reinforced the idea that Navy is a world on its own。 No fifth star， only because the book is not unique in its premise， but it deserves to be read by all。 Full disclaimer: I'm a sucker for these kind of books。 It reminded me a lot of Turn The Ship Around， yet this book precedeeds the latter by over 10years。 Crazy to realize none of this bottom-up leadership is a recent invention or phenomenon。 Recently having discussed the ramifications of each branch its core business on leadership， this book reinforced the idea that Navy is a world on its own。 No fifth star， only because the book is not unique in its premise， but it deserves to be read by all。 。。。more
Oleksiy
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One of the best books on leadership and has lots of great navy stories
Ross Oliveira
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Good practical leadership advice with examples。 Author has impressive track record
Amie
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Enjoyed this book very much。 Offered a new perspective and approach to leadership。 Will definitely read it over and over again。
Cherry Jung
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Every SWO/Division Officer needs to read this book。 Every manager/or someone abruptly thrown into a managerial position with uncertain feelings of how to run a business， a division， a team， a mission-driven group needs to read this book。
Mred
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One of the best books （and speakers） I've heard over the years。 the story is inspiring and very relatable。 One of the best books （and speakers） I've heard over the years。 the story is inspiring and very relatable。 。。。more
Zac Mollett
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I usually have a hard time reading leadership books。 The author typically talks about themselves and their greatness so much that it can be overwhelming and seem farfetched。Although this book had those moments， there are solid principles and tactics discussed in leadership that I took to heart。 Definitely worth a read。
Fredrik
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Good book on managerial techniques。
Mark Duddridge
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An excellent book that I discovered towards the end of my first， short tenure in a leadership role。 A fairly quick read that I would say is an essential for any sevant-leader's bookshelf。 An excellent book that I discovered towards the end of my first， short tenure in a leadership role。 A fairly quick read that I would say is an essential for any sevant-leader's bookshelf。 。。。more
Patrick
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Excellent book！ Very clearly written with wit， wisdom， and experiences easily translatable from Mike's military experience to corporate or public endeavors。 If you have a passion for leadership and selfless service， this is the book for you。 Excellent book！ Very clearly written with wit， wisdom， and experiences easily translatable from Mike's military experience to corporate or public endeavors。 If you have a passion for leadership and selfless service， this is the book for you。 。。。more
Sean Fitzsimons
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One of the best leadership books I have ever read。
Kristin Russell
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Some really unique ways to look at teambuilding and morale that I found helpful as a guide to tackling challenging problems and framing solutions （you're going to hear combat readiness 10000 times） in a way that gets acceptance from above。 If half of this is true， CAPT Abrashoff should be very proud of his time on the USS Benfold。 Some really unique ways to look at teambuilding and morale that I found helpful as a guide to tackling challenging problems and framing solutions （you're going to hear combat readiness 10000 times） in a way that gets acceptance from above。 If half of this is true， CAPT Abrashoff should be very proud of his time on the USS Benfold。 。。。more
Lisa
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One of the best leadership books out there！Captain Abrashoff demonstrates servant leadership with clear stories tied to leadership lessons。 He also shows what life is like on a Navy ship。
Guillermo
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Good overview of navy life and insightful advice on leadership and magnament。
Joseph Stewart
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I'm a bit torn on this one， it was very readable unliked some business books。 The author has a breezy conversational style to his writing that I really enjoyed， in fact if this had been a memoir of life in the navy then I would have given it 4 stars maybe even 5。 That said it's a business book and that's why I read it。。。I work for one of the world's largest ferry companies and recently started to do some relief managment work and was looking for some resources that might be particularly applicab I'm a bit torn on this one， it was very readable unliked some business books。 The author has a breezy conversational style to his writing that I really enjoyed， in fact if this had been a memoir of life in the navy then I would have given it 4 stars maybe even 5。 That said it's a business book and that's why I read it。。。I work for one of the world's largest ferry companies and recently started to do some relief managment work and was looking for some resources that might be particularly applicable to my line of work （my company actually stocks this book in it's resource libraries which is how I found it）。 Although his career was in in the navy， the author tries to make this a more general book that will appeal to leaders in any industry and to a certain extent he does succceed。 Abrashoff's message in a nutshell is that having fun at work can be productive and that we shouldn't depend on the status quo and assume that what's been done in the past is the best way forward。 I"m simplifying it a bit but that's about it in a nutshell。 As others have mentioned， the author is very fond of himself and his accomplishments。 And some of his stories really don't make sense from a ethical or business sense: for instance he talks of burning tens of thousands of extra fuel just to get his ship someplace a few days sooner to take advantage of a loophole that will give his crew members a little extra pay。 I did enjoy the read and there's some decent advice to be gleened but really， I wouldn't say I gleened any really practical advice from the book。 。。。more
Ruth
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While his leadership ideas aren’t unique， I liked the stories and the way his ideas are categorized。 It was an easy read， kept my attention， and reminded me of leadership skills I can improve on at work。
Bradley Anderson
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Great pricing laid out by the admiral on empowering your people and allowing them to take ownership of their “ship。” One of the biggest themes is to listen aggressively to your people which is drastically lacking in our current culture。
Aaron
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I thought this was a fantastic book。 As an officer in the Navy， it is slightly discouraging to me that the problems he describes from 20 years ago still exist and， in fact， seem to have gotten worse。 I have definitely been given a lot to think about in the role of a Junior Officer to find a way to apply what he did on a command level on a smaller， divisional， level。
Tab Williams
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I've hear this described as the best leadership book out there， but I disagree。 It is very good， but not the best。 At times it was a little mundane， but the lessons are timeless and really hit home。 Also easy to take those lessons from the military over to the private sector。 In all， a very good read。 I've hear this described as the best leadership book out there， but I disagree。 It is very good， but not the best。 At times it was a little mundane， but the lessons are timeless and really hit home。 Also easy to take those lessons from the military over to the private sector。 In all， a very good read。 。。。more
Ilyong Jung
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