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

by D. Michael Abrashoff

Articulating the feelings that your people are afraid to speak is a large part of what leaders, including ship captains, do for a living.

DEAL OUT PUNISHMENT STRICTLY BUT FAIRLY.

WHAT’S BAD FOR WOMEN IS BAD FOR YOUR SHIP.

FUN WITH YOUR FRIENDS MAKES A HAPPY SHIP.

THE FIRST PRIORITY: GOOD FOOD.

ADD TO YOUR CREW’S BOTTOM LINE.

IN HEAVY TIMES, LIGHTEN UP.

LET THE CREW SHOW OFF THE SHIP.

They clearly felt enormous pride in Benfold. I often mused how wonderful it would be if corporations inspired such pride, so that employees viewed their workplaces not as hostile territory but as showplaces they wanted their friends to see.

THE SECRET OF GOOD WORK? GOOD PLAY.

The true measure of how well you did on your watch is the legacy you hand your successors.

We all feel satisfaction in a job well done, but the greatest satisfaction transcends personal achievement—it comes from helping others reach their potential.

the most effective managers work hard at showing people how to find their own solutions, and then get out of their way.