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    Unavailable
    It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
    Unavailable
    It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
    Unavailable
    It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy
    Audiobook (abridged)2 hours

    It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy

    Written by Michael Abrashoff

    Narrated by Michael Abrashoff and John Rubinstein

    4.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    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 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 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. How did Abrashoff do it? Against the backdrop of today's United States Navy-Benfold was a key player in our Persian Gulf fleet-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 would eventually call 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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateJan 4, 2006
    ISBN9781594834967
    Unavailable
    It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy

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    Reviews for It's Your Ship

    4.5/5

    187 ratings13 reviews

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    • 3/5
      If you've read numerous leadership/management books, this one will seem to be a repetition of several leadership 101 concepts. However, it is a strong first dive into leadership training for those with limited experience running a new team.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. If you can bring servant leadership to a U.S. Navy ship and be extremely successful than anyone can do it. It's a very inspirational read as you follow the ups and downs of the U.S.S. Benfold.
    • 4/5
      Inspiring and enjoyably readable stories. If unconventional (yet strangely common-sense) management techniques can succeed in a weighty bureaucracy like the Navy, then surely we can make improvements in our corporations.
    • 5/5
      I really enjoyed this book, both for its stories and lessons. Captain Abraschoff was a speaker at the ITIL conference in Orlando (Jan. 2003). He was the captain of the U.S.S. Benfold. When he took over command, morale was terrible, turnover high and readiness in the cellar. Within months, he turned everything around and won the Spokane award for the best ship in the Navy. How did he do it? First, he lead by example, listened to the crew and responded to the needs immediately. He made his ship indispensable to his boss and eagerly attacked the toughest missions. The crew responded and came to be so proud of their ship that nothing would deter them from accomplishing their goal -all while having a little fun. They had the loudest sound system in the navy and loved to blare rock music and show movies on the side of the ship during dangerous night refueling operations. This book is well written and very inspiring. Capt.. Abraschoff does a good job of identifying the lessons he learned and pointing out his mistakes along the way. He makes suggestions on how to apply the principles to corporate life. It is a very entertaining and educational book. Highly recommended. Jan. 28, 2004 Reread the book today. It isn't very long and is a very easy read. I enjoyed it as much if not more than the first time. I believe anyone who leads should read this. Not all the points may be directly applicable, but the concepts are worth experimenting with. I want to have a chance to use his ideas. I am going to put this book on a "to be read every six months" list.
    • 4/5
      Very good book on leading groups of people. Everyone overseeing a group should read this book.
    • 5/5
      love the principles shared inn this book. Thank you for the lessons.
    • 5/5
      This should be required reading for fire department officers prior to promoting.
    • 5/5
      Real leadership put into practice.Excellent book! A must read for aspiring, new and experienced leaders.
    • 5/5
      Short to the point and good tips on management. Enjoyed listening to his time in the Navy.
    • 5/5
      One of the best leadership books that I’ve ever read.
    • 5/5
      Good story and narration. Some of the concepts were well known and others were situational in nature
    • 5/5
      This is my favorite book on business management. One day a director of sales handed it to me, and I casually put it aside, as there were hundreds of books at home patiently waiting for their turn to be read. Danged if I didn't keep stealing glances at the cover. I knew it was watching me. So I thought, why not read it at work? The books at home would never know. Separation of church and state, so to speak.

      LOOK FOR RESULTS, NOT SALUTES
      Microsoft has been in a freefall since it focused on Salutes over Results. Once a company starts growing, the obsession with offices and cubicle height overtakes the focus on results and customer satisfaction.

      COMMUNICATE PURPOSE AND MEANING
      Yahoo might rise again if the CEO can get her point across, which is standardization and goal achievement. A leader must present a common goal for all to strive for, otherwise everyone is only thinking about their own workload.

      GO BEYOND STANDARD PROCEDURE
      I work in a company where those who think outside the box are castigated and ostracized. Steve Jobs would have been fired here. The author rightly points out that everyone must push the envelope, outside the rigidity of SOPs. Kaizen.

      Abrashoff makes some very basic points, such as being able to delegate, because you can't be on every ship at the same time. This isn't an intellectual exercise or a fable about cheese-obsessed mice, just a terrific take on the difference between being a manager and being a leader.

      Managers do the thing right. Leaders do the right thing.

      Book Season = Year Round
    • 3/5
      A continuation of my readings on leadership. Picked up this book when it was recommended by the great Brian Seppala, who said that it was a highly regarded book by Bill Belichick. I did enjoy this book, but for some unknown reason, I had difficulty finishing it. Every time I sat down to read it, I enjoyed it, but had little draw to return to it. Basically it took considerably long to get through. The lessons offered in the book by Abrashoff are timely and meaningful, but are stated in such a way that you either want to have more (and don't get it) or want to hear another perspective.Perhaps the greatest lesson to take from this book is to be a pain in the ass to superiors, and have little embarrassment for doing so. Readers looking for quality leadership material would be better off looking into works of Bennis and Lencioni.

      1 person found this helpful