Book Recommendation
By Captain Michael Abrashoff
If you’re looking for a case study situation that does a very good job of showing the balance between care and regard for people, combined with high expectations and accountability for results, “It’s Your Ship” is a great representation. The title of the book, you might imagine, comes from a common response of Abrashoff’s to the questions of his sailors, “What do YOU think? It’s Your Ship!”
I’m intrigued by Captain Abrashoff’s leadership style, given his career in the military. We’ve made progress as a society in moving away from Command and Control styles of leadership. In his book, Abrashoff demonstrates an effective and authentic leadership style for a ship populated by 100s of sailors, many of them very young and inexperienced, many who joined the Navy to escape less-than-ideal circumstances at home.
One of the things that Abrashoff shared: “One sailor told me that the crew thought I cared more about performance and them than about my next promotion.” This is what employees are looking for in leadership.
Principal and Co-Founder, Living As A Leader®
Aleta Norris is an expert leadership coach and trainer with 30 years of experience developing leaders. She is also a highly sought-after speaker for annual meetings, keynote engagements, panel discussions and networking groups.
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“If people like you, they’ll listen to you, but if they trust you, they’ll do business with you.” Zig Ziglar
I read this book in 1989, and it was a fantastic launch pad for my transition into a professional career. During my 30 years of working with leaders, I have referenced Covey’s seven habits many times over. While individuals may commonly be focused on their achievement of outward success, they are not necessarily doing the deep, introspective look at who they are, what they want in life, and what they want to stand for.