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

by D. Michael Abrashoff

I wish I could say that the need to improve listening skills and less-than-perfect coordination happened only in the past. But the tragic sinking of a Japanese fishing boat off Honolulu by the submarine USS Greeneville suggests otherwise. The moment I heard about it, I was reminded that, as is often the case with accidents, someone senses possible danger but doesn’t necessarily speak up. As the Greeneville investigation unfolded, I read in a New York Times article that the submarine’s crew “respected the commanding officer too much to question his judgment.” If that’s respect, then I want none of it. You need to have people in your organization that can tap you on your shoulder and say, “Is this the best way?” or “Slow down,” or “Think about this,” or “Is what we are doing worth killing or injuring somebody?”