To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

by James G. Stavridis

From one of the great naval leaders of our time, a master class in decision-making under pressure through the stories of nine famous acts of leadership in battle, drawn from the history of the United States Navy, with outcomes both glorious and notoriousAt the heart of Admiral James Stavridis’s training as a naval officer was the preparation to lead sailors in combat, to face the decisive moment in battle whenever it might arise. In To Risk it All, he offers up nine of the most useful and enthralling stories from the US Navy’s nearly 250-year history, and draws from them a set of insights that we can all put to use when confronted with fateful choices.     Conflict. Crisis. Risk. These words have a distinct meaning in a military context that we hope will never apply identically in our own lives. But at the same time, as Admiral Stavridis shows with great clarity, many lessons are universal.    To Risk it All is filled with thrilling and heroic exploits, but it is anything but a shallow exercise in myth burnishing. Every leader in this book has real flaws, as all humans do, and the stories of failure, or at least the decisions that have been defined as such, are as crucial as the stories of success. In the end, when this master class is concluded, we will be better armed for hard decisions both expected and not.

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Leadership, Nonfiction, Military History, Biography, Philosophy

351 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2022

About the author

A Florida native, Jim Stavridis attended the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, and spent 37 years in the Navy, rising to the rank of 4-star Admiral. Among his many commands were four years as the 16th Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, where he oversaw operations in Afghanistan, Libya, Syria, the Balkans, and counter piracy off the coast of Africa. He also commanded US Southern Command in Miami, charged with military operations through Latin America for nearly three years. He was the longest serving Combatant Commander in recent US history. Following his military career, he served for five years as the 12th Dean of The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

In the course of his career in the Navy, he served as senior military assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the Secretary of Defense. He led the Navy’s premier operational think tank for innovation, Deep Blue, immediately after the 9/11 attacks. Admiral Stavridis was promoted directly from 1-star rank to 3-star rank in 2004.
He won the Battenberg Cup for commanding the top ship in the Atlantic Fleet and the Navy League John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational leadership, along with more than 50 US and international medals and decorations, including 28 from foreign nations. He also commanded a Destroyer Squadron and a Carrier Strike Group, both in combat.

In 2016, he was vetted for Vice President by Secretary Hillary Clinton, and subsequently invited to Trump Tower to discuss a cabinet position with President Donald Trump.

He earned a PhD from The Fletcher School at Tufts, winning the Gullion prize as outstanding student in his class in 1983, as well as academic honors from the National and Naval War Colleges as a distinguished student. He speaks Spanish and French.
Admiral Stavridis has published ten books on leadership, the oceans, maritime affairs, and Latin America, as well as hundreds of articles in leading journals. An active user of social networks, he has tens of thousands of connections on the social networks. His TED talk on 21st century security in 2012 has close to one million views. He tweeted the end of combat operations in the Libyan NATO intervention. His two most recent books are “Sailing True North: Ten Admirals and the Voyage of Character” in 2019 and the novel “2034: A Novel of the Next World War” in 2021.

Admiral Stavridis is a monthly columnist for TIME Magazine and Chief International Security and Diplomacy Analyst for NBC News.

He is happily married to Laura, and they have two daughters – one working at Google and the other a Registered Nurse and former naval officer, both married to physicians.

Recent commentary: https://admiralstav.com/news/

Reviews

[Reynold Witmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find James Stavridis very readable. To Risk It All is a book about decision making, loosely. It's memoiresque, an easy narrative historical evaluation of men and women in the United States Navy, who faced hard decisions. Not all decisions "worked out" for those in the crucible, but all are teachable events.
Stavridis' methodical nature and careful decision abilities shows in this book. I found his storytelling ability easy and interesting; his decision analysis is thorough and fair. This is not a book of hero praise. Some of the individuals in this book made decisions that harmed or ended their popularity or career; Stavridis seeks to understand, and in some cases vindicate these people. Others in this book are long held, almost mythic naval heroes; John Paul Jones, David Farragut, Admiral Dewey. But these aren't simply lauded. Their strengths that allowed them to make great decisions is balanced by observations on their weaknesses, and the circumstances that negated or amplified both.
Stavridis writes like a very experienced, and very humble man. this is the second of his (maybe twelve) books I've read, and is fast becoming a scenario where I'm here for the author, not the book. I would probably read anything he wrote. either way, To Risk It All has earned a place on my shelf, and Admiral James Stavridis has become an author I would love to spend time with, absorbing anything he wishes to give.

[Leo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent book with some good stories which incorporated solid leadership traits. Not impressed with the political slant that he added in some of the later chapters. Would be interested to see what he would put in an addendum regarding the exit strategy of Afghanistan and how our military leaders risked it all at the expense of 13 American lives lost!

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stavridis gives 9 examples of leadership during pivotal moments in US Navy history.

Why I started this book: I've enjoyed Stavridis's other books, and I was eager to read his latest.

Why I finished it: Stavridis takes 9 moments from Navy history and talks the reader through the decisions and risks that the captain or commander faced. The first 6 are well known examples from Navy history, but this book shines on the last couple examples, including the rescue of Captain Phillips and the COVID infections sweeping through the aircraft carrier. This could be a great leadership book club selection, as there will be plenty to discuss.

[Jim Razinha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an uncorrected proof advance review copy of this from the publisher through Edelweiss. In it, ADM Stavridis has curated nine difficult Navy-centric decisions that made - or broke - careers. These are obviously not normal decisions. There are the legendary torpedo-damning types of Jones, Farragut, Decatur; the selfless in-the-heat-of-the-moment decision of Dorie Miller in Pearl Harbor; the brash and reckless, flawed, if tangentially successful decisions of “Bull” Halsey; the calculated risks of Dewey in the Philippines and RADM Howard’s captain Phillips rescue; and the tragic crew-saving but against “tradition” situations faced by Bucher off of North Korea, and Crozier with a raging pandemic on his ship. Stavridis says “…in today’s Navy, we ask our leaders to grapple with unimaginably difficult decisions, often in the crucible of battle.” And there are lessons throughout both in the decisions he’s addressing, and in his astute analyses. He speculates at what may or may not have been going through the heads of his examples. “None of the leaders I have mentioned were perfect decision-makers—no one ever is, of course—but I learned from each of them and some of their ideas have made their way into this book.”

In the Strait of Hormuz in the mid-1980s, Stavridis, in the crosshairs of Iran radar and weapons fire-control, knowing the rules of engagement, said

The decision-making was excruciating, and again, the mindset had to be one part steady on the trigger, and he other part ready to lunge for the firing key. How do you balance those things?
For me, it was something I learned from the senior captains I worked for - forcing time to slow down. The best military decision-makers have the ability to swiftly synthesize sensor data from radars, sonars, and communications nets; mentally check it against the intelligence from the vast US surveillance system; correlate the threat; discern the intentions of the enemy; and act decisively either in suppressing fire or release batteries

This is not limited to combat decisions. I know I’ve unnerved some when after quickly going around the table with my “What do you think?” question, I have enough information to make a decision. Not anywhere in the same realm as combat decisions, but the same skill set cultivated from my early training as a nuclear reactor operator where sometimes specific immediate actions must be taken following rapid assessment of multiple data streams. Stavridis follows, “Decision-making is hard to begin with at sea - it’s vastly harder if you become emotionally cluttered.” Further, “Learning how to telegraph success, using optimism as a force-multiplier in decision-making, and knowing when to ‘find the exit’ are all key themes that echo through these choices.”

And in his conclusion, he describes the key elements that help in the critical decision-making, which I will only list here:
Gather all the intelligence;
Understand the timeline;
Methodically consider the possible outcomes of your decision—both good and bad; Evaluate the resources;
Focus on your people—but don’t be paralyzed with fear over their well-being;
Don’t get emotionally involved in people who are roadblocks;
[okay, one editorial… this is important:] Be willing to change your mind;
Be determined; and
Be prepared to execute.

Selected observations and thoughts:
On Stephen Decatur, having been incredibly successful, daring, and receiving of high praise, and having once offered an oft-quoted, if likely paraphrased toast “Our country - in her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right, and always successful, right or wrong.”:

And yet, given his untimely and much-mourned end [a duel, under conditions that would have been foolhardy even in that day], it is also worth drawing a cautionary lesson from his character. No one has ever been always in the right and always successful, and points of pride have tripped up many talented and ambitious people, ending many glittering careers.

Stavridis concludes that despite the risks Decatur took, he was able to find a balance. Stavradis recalls touring Afghanistan at NATO commander and seeing again and again in the faces of the young soldiers, Marines, sailors and airmen there “the audacity of a young Decatur”, and thinking “my job, as a vastly superior officer, was to temper that keen sense of personal bravery, and focus the chain of command on the need for the balance of planning and the grounding in higher values of the institution that must be observed and enforced.”

On David Farragut’s post-Mobile Bay account praising his ships and crews (and demurring credit to himself)

No leader of people, no matter how brave, can truly go it alone, and Farragut’s reporting style makes clear he had earned the trust and eager followership of those who served with him. Highlighting his crews’ dedicated devotion rather than puffing up his own decisiveness was typical of Farragut and showed that he well understood the importance of organizational execution based on truest earned over time. Having skin in the game not only raises the acuity of a desk ion-maker, but also inspires his teammates.

Dorie Miller bravery:

When faced with a circumstance where he could have kept himself safe while still serving in his role, Miller instead made a tougher, nobler choice. He rose above the barriers that society had placed in front of him, and put himself in harm’s way for our country. We should give the highest honors to the people who make decisions like Dorie Miller. That is a legacy unfulfilled, and a worthy goal for our Navy to seek.

Stavridis says, “Of all the choices in this book, I think Pete Bucher drew the worst hand of cards, and for the rest of his life he had to constantly defend his decision. The traditions of the Navy never ceased to weigh on him, and after he retired (as a full commander, about where he probably would have ended his career even absent the Pueblo incident) he continued to feel unjustly accused and unfairly judged by many.” My grandmother had my grandfather’s copy of Bucher’s memoir on a shelf, and I remember starting to read it when I was a teen, but I didn’t get far. “Bucher’s decision-making throughout was constrained by decisions made long before the Pueblo ever got close to North Korea.” And

Choices need to be made on the merits of the moment, with an open and innovative mind. Pete Bucher did not make his choice out of cowardice; he made a painful cost-benefit calculation that resistance would waste lives and not protect the national secrets on his ship. Butcher’s decision protected his crew and ultimately served the interests of the nation by destroying as much classified material as possible before the Peublo was boarded - just as Bucher knew it would be when the North Koreans cut off all possible escape routes. After a great deal of thought, I’ve concluded that condemning eighty young men to die for the pride of the Navy would not have made him a hero; it would have made him a modern Ahab, obsessed with self-destruction.

Stavridis continues with an obvious, if unfortunately not always followed, observation

The lessons of Bucher’s decision echo in every category of human activity, military, or otherwise. Relying on established practice is a comfortable thing to do. It simplifies decision-making and establishes a sense of order in a chaotic universe. Indeed, large organizations need structure refined over time by learning best practices. But leaving those traditions unexamined for a long time leads to ossified thinking. Organizations need to be in a constant state of keeping what works and removing what does not. Failing to do so is worse than laziness; it is an abdication of leadership.

This is the essence - many organizations do make the attempt to see what new ideas can be applied, but that failing to remove what does not work? Less of an imperative.

RADM Howard and the Captain Phillips Maersk Alabama hostage rescue:

In order to do her job effectively, she had to let everyone else do theirs - doubly difficult in the complex, stressful, and high-stakes setting of a hostage crisis. Once the president authorized the use of lethal for e, responsibility fell to her as the senior commander on the scene to decide when and how to apply the force at her disposal.
By authorizing the SEALs to shoot, she was delegating that authority at least two levels down - to Commander Castellano [CO of the Bainbridge], who with eyes on the lifeboat, would judge the threat to the captain, and to the SEAL snipers, whose split-second execution would result in either a “perfect op” or the devastating loss of a hostage and deep public embarrassment.

Admiral Howard knew she would be responsible, and as in all commands, responsible even for things she couldn’t directly control. All the more amazing considering she had been in command of the Combined Task Force only a week when this unfolded.

And CAPT Brett Crozier, who was caught in a political and pandemic nightmare: “He must have known his career would suffer terribly and probably fatally—and it did, resulting in his ‘relief for cause’ (the Navy’s version of firing someone in command.)
[…] Yet he chose to put the welfare of his crew above his own career ambitions, precisely what the Navy would want of our sea captains.” I served on two aircraft carriers - they’re huge, and yet, as Stavridis notes, the people spaces… are not: “being on a Navy ship is one of the worst places to combat a virus like COVID-19. These tightly packed conditions weighed on Crozier as he evaluated his options.” Stavridis knows Crozier personally and professionally; “Brett Crozier is a thoughtful, methodical planner who speaks in articulate and well-constructed paragraphs. He is a long way from an impulsive Halsey, and someone who thinks through his actions and comments. […] Brett Crozier held a very bad hand of cards as he made his choice. He knew his “red flare” would risk it all in the context of his career—but he chose the health of his crew over anything else.” He says

When I ask myself what I would have done differently, the short answer is not much. I, too, would have recognized the lack of information, the press of time, the glare of publicity, the poor job the Navy chain of command was doing, and that I was facing a clear career-ending moment. [And on the unfortunately political response…] But firing and publicly humiliating him is overkill, and hurts him, of course, but hurts the Navy as well. It sends a bad signal to other Commanding Officers. I think it was a mistake on the part of the Navy, on balance.

[D.J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book starts strong with some classic heroes but ends with unnecessary politicization that I think should be beneath the admiral. He has certainly earned the right to write an entire tome critiquing his political opponents, but it didn’t fit here. That said, I think Stavridis relates valuable lessons for leaders.

[Brian Thorson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Through nine distinct and interesting vignettes spanning cultures, time, and technology, the reader is introduced to decision making through the lens of risk assessment. Useful read that kept my interest easily.

[Philip S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on leadership and decision making based on nine naval conflicts throughout history. Should be a required read in an Org/ Behavior Course in Business School as much of it applies to corporate leadership and decision making.

[Brad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Very educational and I love how he ties a personal experience into each section. I wish this book has been longer.

[Greg Mcneilly · Rating 1 out of 5]

TO RISK IT ALL: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision Making | Admiral James Stavridis, Penguin Press, 352p.

To Risk is billed as a book about decision-making under pressure, ex-Admiral Stavridis outlines 9 US navel engagements from which he draws lessons or examples for insight.

The nine tales include John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, George Dewey, David Farragut, William “Bull” Halsey, Doris Miller, Michelle Howard, Lloyd Bucher, and Brett Crozier.

It is an informative survey of some well-known and obscure figures culled from the 250-year history of the U.S. Navy. The depth of historical context and decision analysis is, at best, light. It’s a survey course.

Nevertheless, it brings to life parts of America’s incredible defense history that many have forgotten or never learned. Take, for instance, the seizure of the U.S.S. Pueblo by the DPRK. The impossible situation its commander was placed in without any optimal outcomes available. Most of us will never face these types of consequential choices.

Stavridis draws the obvious lessons of: Gathering all Data, Understanding the timeline, Considering all outcomes, Evaluating resources, Focusing on People, Being open to changing your mind, etc. The author provides a Churchillian tool in the leader’s toolbox, but this one isn’t heavy-duty in either depth or breadth.

[Eric · Rating 2 out of 5]

This started out to be a three-star review, but on further reflection I just could not. And it is not because Stavridis paints a poor picture of the people he is sharing in these pages. The truly historical characters (John Paul Jones, Steven Decatur, Farragu) are all related fairly straightforwardly and have stories that support the author's thesis. A couple of the more recent entries smack of political correctness. Without detracting from their reactions in tight situations I have to wonder at; the first woman admiral who just happened to be in charge at the rescue of Captain Philips from pirates, Pete Bucher for yielding his ship to the North Korean, and Brett Crozier for his response to COVID-19 on the carrier Roosevelt.

The stories about Dorie Miller and Bull Halsey likely fall somewhere in between - the Navy was clearly NOT friendly to Miller, but overly friendly to Halsey - but that likely depend on your point of view.

[Espen Stølan Holten · Rating 4 out of 5]

En interessant, og tidvis personlig, bok av adm Stavridis.
Det personlige kommer frem ved at han byr på seg selv ved å si hvilke beslutninger han er enig og uenig i, og reflekterer rundt hvordan han hadde løst det hvis han selv sto i den samme situasjonen.
Savner en mer eksplisitt analyse-del i hvert kapittel, der admiralen kan hjelpe oss med å virkelig forstå den beslutningen som ble tatt.
Skal ikke kritisere boken for å være fore lite hær-orientert, men var tider hvor jeg ikke helt hang med på hvordan stridsmiljøet til en sjøoffiser faktisk ser ut.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent history lesson in leadership and how it is done in a crucible. The Admiral always presents his stories in a conversational manner. My only negative from this tome would benefit from a few less personal accounts and bragging would make this book much better and influential. Worth the time investment to read.

[Steve Moran · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent enough book and the first 7 events are well done. The author was definitely reaching on the last two. It felt like he was trying to increase diversity with the 8th one and the ninth one just didn't seem to fit at all. It felt like a gratuitous slap at an administration he doesn't like.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 rating rounded down for a couple of minor areas of weakness. All in all I learned a lot about history in this book and am glad I read it. I picked it up because I saw that it contained a chapter on one of my relatives, Admiral "Bull" Halsey. It confirmed my feelings about the man, he is not someone that I would ever want to have an acquaintance with. In fact, Dorie Miller is just about the only hero written about in the book that I would really relish the opportunity to have a conversation with. How ironic that the one man who never achieved leadership greatness is the one whose decisions and actions make me want to meet him over all the others. I learned where the term, "Damn the torpedos, full speed (steam) ahead" comes from. I learned that if one is speaking about military materials it is spelled materiel. But mostly I learned that one has to be prepared or decision making can be that much more difficult.

Here are the quotes I appreciated:

"The essence of ultimate decision remains impenetrable to the observer - often, indeed, to the decider himself...There will always be the dark and tangled stretches in the decision-making process - mysterious even to those who may be most intimately involved." -John F. Kennedy

"Sometimes you gotta know the difference between quitting and getting beat."

"It was the ceaseless routine of hard work and preparation in peacetime that won Manila." -Commodore George Dewey

"We need to ask ourselves relentlessly the question, 'What are we doing today that in thirty years or so will look oh so wrong?'"

"Who can know what it is really like to stand, bone-weary, on the bridge of a ship in action, responsible for hundreds if not thousands of lives, unsure of the enemy's strength and whereabouts, yet forced to make fatal decisions? In any culture, there are warriors who meet timeless and universal standards of courage and resolve, who do not seem to need to think or ponder or question - who know, instinctively, when to lay their lives and those of their men on the line. That is not to say their judgment is always correct, just that there bravery cannot be denied. Fleet Admiral Halsey was such a warrior" -Evan Thomas

"We are all entitled to our feelings, especially in the heat of the moment, but taking questions or criticism too personally always runs the risk of clouding one's judgment at a dangerous moment. As Halsey's reaction demonstrates, flying off the handle never helps, and continuing to make a mistake out of spite or indignation can badly compound the initial error."

"It is crucial for all leaders to plan. Inevitably all plans will change; in the military we often say that 'no plan survives first contact with the enemy'. But the act of planning is what counts. By thinking through contingencies in advance, it is possible to better predict crisis scenarios and thus provide greater decision-making flexibility for leaders in a moment of crisis. It engenders a mental discipline for peopel who go into difficult situations, forcing them to think through how to react in differen scenarios. It removes the most powerful constraint on those making hard choices: a lack of imagination."

"The key is the phrase 'means to resist'. If there is still a sufficient possibility of turning the situation to advantage, or delaying until reinforcements can arrive, or bluffing an opponent into pausing, I would say: take the chance. But where there is literally nothing left in the locker of resistance tools - such as Bucher's case where his crew-served weapons were frozen under tarps, for example - then it is time to live to fight another day."

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second book I’ve ready by ADM(R) Stavridis, and I like his style and intellect; no question why he made 4 stars. While I’m a long-time Army guy, I really enjoyed this book even though it was entirely about the exploits of nine Navy leaders. Leadership is leadership! Thought the facts behind some of the John Paul Jones legend was interesting as was the reminder of Decatur’s exploits as I’d read about him before this book. The section on ADM(R) “Bull” Halsey was also interesting; similar to Patton in terms of aggressiveness, not sure he could survive in today’s world. There was also a section on ADM(R) Howard. While I know of her due to her serving as the Vice Chief of Naval Operations in the Pentagon, I was not aware that she led the task force during the Maersk Alabama hostage rescue operation. Amazing as the events took place during her first week on the job! Lastly, the most interesting sections were of non Admirals. Learning more about Doris Miller during WWII, and the USS Pueblo incident was very enlightening as well as the decisions surrounding the aircraft carrier that had a large COVID outbreak in the early days of the pandemic. All these examples of leaders in action were well chosen and analyzed. In the end, I took away that leaders need to remain very calm when the stakes are high; leaders need to remain non-emotional about their decisions and subordinates when taking decisive action; and leaders need to be able to rest their minds and withdraw at times to ensure they are ready and able to respond when a crisis hits.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my usual kind of read, but wanted to see if it would be useful for our high school’s NJROTC students and faculty.

In his introduction, Admiral Stavridis describes his book as “a historical meditation on the nature of decision-making under stress, an examination off the US Navy over the course of its 250-year voyage, and a resource for any reader who must make hard decisions in his or her work and life. It is also a chance for you to come to know nine extraordinary sailors, each of whom was placed in the crucible of decision.”

That’s a good recap of what to expect. I enjoyed learning more about the nine figures he chose. They were presented in chronological order, from John Paul Jones’s 1779 Battle of Flamborough Head to Captain Brett Crozier’s handling of the COVID outbreak aboard the Roosevelt in early 2020. Unsurprisingly, most of the profiles in decision-making under pressure focus on white males. I appreciate that two Black Americans are included: Cook Third Class “Doris” Miller and his bravery aboard the USS West Virginia during the attack on Pearl Harbor, and Rear Admiral Michelle Howard’s leadership during the rescue of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009.

Stavridis is a conversational and engaging writer, and this will be a solid addition for any of our students and staff interested in naval history or in general leadership.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admiral Stavridis selected nine naval leaders and explored how they made one or more key decision under great pressure, often in the heat of battle.

This book is NOT a hagiography of any of the nine. Mistakes are often made in the heat of battle and each chapter (which explore the history on one of the nine people) takes a hard look at what each did along with what worked and what didn't.

The story told about Dorie Miller was exceptionally moving to me. A black sailor, Cook Third Class Miller, enlisted in 1939. Blacks had very limited job options in the US Navy at that time. Dorie initially served as a "mess attendant." While stationed on the USS West Virginia, Miller became the ship boxing champion and was aboard when the Japanese attacked on the morning of Dec 7, 1941.

Despite having no training on handling any of the ship's armament, Miller made heroic decisions that saved many lives that day.

Read the book to learn more about Dorie Miller, I will say, however, that in 1973, the Knox-class frigate USS Miller was named in his honor. In 1942, Miller was awarded the Navy Cross, the Navy's highest honor for valor.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To Risk it All" by retired Adm. James Stavridis is a series of nine case studies in leadership. All nine cases involve events in the U.S. Navy. It's an interesting book. Stavridis is well qualified to write such a book and his insights into leadership and decision making are (in my opinion) valid. A lot of his observations and advice is simple common sense. I do not buy everything he says and I question why a couple of the cases were selected. He also writes in that slightly stilted form so common with career military writers. Having said that, however, I'm glad I bought and listened to to audiobook version and don't want to discourage folks wondering if they should invest their time in the book.

[Dr. Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book I received for Father's Day. The author is a retired USN Admiral and former CIC NATO.
His books on naval matters and leadership are authoritative and his writing style is compelling and fluid.

The nine vignettes/chapters in the book feature specific US naval personnel through the ages and discuss the command decision making process that each individual faced at a time of crisis and how they reached their decision for good or ill.

He is currently or recently the chair of the Carlyle Group.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6...

[Terry Slaven · Rating 4 out of 5]

With an informed discernment born of his forty-years experience making and following command decisions, Adm. Stavridis discusses nine situations in American naval history that exemplify the factors involved in making choices that can have significant consequences. The situations are described with historical accuracy and attention to detail, but the telling is never dry: the author ties the situations to events in his own career, with self-effacing modesty and relaxed humor. A final conclusory chapter summarizes the lessons to be learned in convincing fashion.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

B: Not his best, but still worth the read. Having just read Sec. Esper’s book I was interested in his take my old shipmate, Tom Madly, relief of CAPT Crozier. Admiral Stavridis did a good job. Many during the Trump administration walked a fine line between professional duties and a fraught political environment with a President still downplaying the growing COVID threat so as not to appear “weak”.

[Jeff Bobin · Rating 5 out of 5]

While weaving his own Navy career into the story he tells the story of nine other Naval leaders that had to make life altering decisions and how they made them.

This is an excellent look at leadership, doing what's right in the face of personal cost and the training that prepares a leader to make those decisions in critical times. Not everyone makes the right decision and there is a high cost even when you do sometimes.

[Bill Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although distractingly Navy intensive, the points were mostly clear. The changing historical perspective of moments of exceptional bravery & sacrifice vs disciplined strategic planning; what brings leaders and decision makers to choose in critical moments; and how we judge those decisions seem to have changed since the founding of the US. Admiral Stavridis brings great nuance to these and other considerations. Remarkably easy and quick.

[Garrett Haas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked that the author chose to profile people from different eras highlighting how we've changed some of the metrics by which we gauge successful leadership. I didn't necessarily need the intro of each person to include the author's personal connection to them and the occasional interdictions within the narrative comparing their careers to his own. I suppose it may have been to give us context but it came across as egotistical.

[Andrew House · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as interesting or compelling as I expected. Essentially just 9 short stories about naval characters and their decisions. It’s well written and light but the stories are so brief that they just aren’t interesting, they are also mostly well represented in major films that only a couple were new information to me. This would likely be much more interesting to those interested in Naval history specifically which isn’t really one of my interests.

[Mark Luongo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting narrative that spans the sea service from the Revolution to modern day. "Decision makers" include John Paul Jones, Stephen Decatur, David Glasgow Farragut, George Dewey, "Bull" Halsey, Dorie Miller, Lloyd Bucher, Michelle Howard and Brett Crozier. All placed in situations requiring extensive reasoning in order to reach a decisive outcome. And not always the one that was required or wanted.
OODA -Observe - orient - decide -act.

[Gayle Turner]

This is the second of Admiral Stavridis' books I've read. I appreciate his wisdom and the easy, graceful way he shares it.

Learning decision-making and discerning the values upon which we base our decisions are foundational to leadership development.

His books, along with his encouragement that we can learn from fiction as well as non- fiction, offer food for thought for anyone aspiring to be a better leader.

[PWQ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nine vignettes on leadership drawn from Naval history. The thing that makes is very readable- it moves pretty quickly from one chapter to the next- also probably blunts the impact that a more thorough study of each would provide. But overall I learned a lot that I didn’t know before, and it read quickly.

[Jeff Dow · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly recommend this book on decision making - the Admiral draws on both successes and failures to further this discussion. He quotes Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the conclusion. "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing." Absolutely spot on.

[Kyle Federo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sorry Mississippi he thinks you’re stupid.

What the author learned most in his military career was what an elitist he is. I guess being politically correct is the way he got to be an admiral-because the author’s political correctness oozes through this book.

When studies of history are tinged with the politics of the present-it becomes a waste of time.