2024 the best destroyer in the world review

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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 the 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.

Reviewer: Alan L. Chase
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Ship Shape
Review: On several occasions in the past, I have written about Capt. D. Michael Abrashoff, USN (Ret.). Mike has made the transition from being a decorated and acclaimed naval officer to offering his leadership insights to business leaders. His newsletter - available on his Website at [...] - is one I look forward to reading each month.Capt. Abrashoff has authored two fascinating books that I have devoured and now look forward to sharing with you. I offer them as a one-two punch! In this posting I will review his first best seller: It's Your Ship - Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy. Later this week I will offer my thoughts on the sequel.By his own account, Mike Abrashoff was dragged reluctantly to the enlightened conning tower where he now stands and from which vantage point he offers advice to those who desire to grow as leaders. As a young officer, Abrashoff was like many newly-minted Annapolis graduates, passing along the command and control ethos that he had absorbed and that has been the hallmark of military "leadership" for generations. As XO aboard the Shiloh, he learned a signal and indelible lesson in command when he unthinkingly passed down the chain of command an order that eventuated in a sailor falling asleep while standing watch - an egregious offense aboard a warship."Well, this was an open-and-shut case - if you are asleep on watch, you are guilty. There was no need to bother about the facts. So, I sent the sailor to the captain for punishment, without any further investigation.To my utter surprise, the captain asked the sailor why he had fallen asleep on watch. The sailor said he had been up all night cleaning a dirty workspace. Why did he have to stay up to clean it? Because the chief told him it had to be done by 8:00 A.M."As the investigation continued and the chain of orders found it's way back to Abrashoff, the department head told the captain: "The XO told me to get it done by 8 A.M."Abrashoff shares the lessons he learned that memorable day:"How in the world could I have known that they were so short-handed that they would have to keep someone up all night to get it finished? But in fact I should have known or at least been approachable enough for the officers to feel safe explaining to me why it was a problematic order. I didn't get all the facts; I didn't realize that there were not enough resources to get the job done in the time I had allowed. The captain dismissed the case and I felt like a complete idiot. Never again, I promised myself, would I give an order without clearly articulating the goal, providing the time and resources to get it done, and ensuring that my crew had the proper training to do it right." (Pages 34-35)That watershed moment in Captain Abrashoff's career led him to make many adjustments in his view of leadership, his willingness to listen, his approach to the chain of command, and his commitment to champion the cause of his people so that they could be equipped for success. The pinnacle of his career as a naval officer was commanding the USS Benfold in the Persian Gulf and seeing his ship transformed from a dysfunctional amalgamation of misfits and malcontents into a proud vessel that was awarded the Spokane Trophy, emblematic of the best ship in the Pacific Fleet.In this book, Abrashoff recounts many of the lessons he learned along the way - lessons that are all immediately applicable to any business or organization. He manages to tell the story of his own development as a leader and the development of his shipmates without coming across as arrogant. Clearly, the unapproachable Abrashoff of page 35 somehow transformed himself into a very approachable and engaging leader who not only set a high standard for his own crew, but offers transferable lessons to business leaders willing to listen and read.Each chapter treats one leadership lesson or principle and fleshes out the abstract ideas with stories of the men and women who were the crew that brought about the transformation of the Benfold.Take CommandLead By ExampleListen AggressivelyCommunicate Purpose and MeaningCreate a Climate of TrustLook for Results, not SalutesTake Calculated RisksGo Beyond Standard ProcedureBuild Up Your PeopleGenerate UnityImprove Your People's Quality of LifeI had two over-arching reactions to the book. First, was a realization that all of these lessons can be boiled down into a simple dictum and recipe for success: Set high standards for yourself and your people, create an environment that challenges themto embrace those standards as their own, and then train, equip, encourage and communicate with your people in such a way that you empower their success.Second, this approach to excellence and leadership is very reminiscent of theprinciples of leadership I have heard articulated by my friends who have flown and taught at the Navy's Top Gun school.Abrashoff's style of writing is one that I enjoy. His use of colorful and apt metaphors raises the quality of the writing above the level of most leadership books I have encountered. By way of encouraging you to read this book, I share the closing paragraph:"In business, I have encountered many companies with the kind of bad habits and poor leadership that troubled Benfold when I first went aboard. Too many company departments appear blind to what they could accomplish together. Bereft of good leadership, they are trapped in needless bickering, politics and posturing, with predictable damage to the bottom line. And yet unity of purpose is quite achievable, even against heavy odds, and sometimes because of them. We created unity on Benfold. The U.S. military did it in Afghanistan. I am convinced that businesses everywhere can do the same. After all, it's our ship."Enjoy reading this book, and bon voyage!AL

Reviewer: Janis Dietz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: "It's Your Ship"
Review: This is an easy read with some very important life lessons.

Reviewer: Chuckiebatz
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Love this book
Review: For people who want to make a change in there lives.. this is a great book and I don't even read like that

Reviewer: A. Brue
Rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Good ideas, but the stories are getting a little dated
Review: My boss wanted this to be a selection in our leadership library for our agency and so I bought a copy for myself to read, I found the stories and ideas to be be good but as of 2024 the writing and the anecdotes are getting a little dated.Overall, this is a good solid choice for a leadership book, but I personally liked the newer book from Captain Crozier better, with current stories and more modern language. If this is what you are set on, go for it, but it’s just getting a bit tired.

Reviewer: Dr. Christi Hegstad
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Excellent tips for leaders in any industry!
Review: "We all feel satisfaction in a job well done, but the greatest satisfaction transcends personal achievement - it comes from helping others reach their potential." ~ Captain D. Michael AbrashoffWhat does leading a ship in the U.S. Navy have to do with your workplace? You might be surprised!It's Your Ship is not a book I would necessarily have picked up for myself but, on a friend's recommendation, I gave it a try. By the time I finished reading and obsessively highlighting the Introduction, I was hooked.Taking command of the Navy ship, USS Benfold, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff quickly discovered his leadership skills needed refining if he was to succeed in his new role. It's Your Ship summarizes his lessons learned, which eventually set Benfold apart as an extraordinary model of efficiency, teamwork, and multifaceted leadership. Right from the start, Abrashoff puts into practice one of the most important leadership principles: In order to successfully lead others, you must first lead yourself - be the leader in your own life.Abrashoff shares excellent tips highlighted by the context of his Navy experience. While you may think your organization differs vastly from the military, his stories and examples help you easily apply his suggestions to leadership roles in business, nonprofit, academia, and beyond. I have shared many of his tips with my coaching clients, with three in particular that stand out:1. Listen Aggressively.Abrashoff discovered early that his crew was talented, smart, and filled with good ideas - but they hadn't always felt they were heard. "I decided that my job was to listen aggressively," he writes, discussing how he conducted one-on-one interviews with each of his 300+ crew members. He learned about their families, their reasons for enlisting, what they liked and didn't like about Benfold, and more."Something happened in me as a result of those interviews," Abrashoff shares. "I came to respect my crew enormously."When you truly listen and act upon their suggestions, your team feels validated and important - like they matter. Nearly all of us crave this sense of mattering in our work experience. As a leader, you can uplift your team profoundly by simply asking questions and listening deeply.2. Never Fail The Washington Post Test.One of the first principles Abrashoff learned involved leading by example. As Gandhi famously said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."Winning is important, but not at the cost of one's ethics and integrity. Abrashoff kept himself in check by regularly asking himself: "If what I'm about to do appeared on the front page of the Washington Post tomorrow, would I be proud or embarrassed?"This simple question can do wonders as an accountability check, especially important since, as he later reminds us, "A leader's every action is always scrutinized." You could replace Washington Post with your most respected publication or person; in my family we often substitute "your grandparents."3. Communicate Meaning And Purpose.This lesson is twofold: First, your team must purposefully connect with the mission of your organization. When Abrashoff noticed low passion and enthusiasm among his crew, he realized what was missing: "No one had ever thought to give them a compelling vision of their work, a good reason to believe it was important." Burnout, loss of engagement, even turnover often result from a sense of disconnect between an employee's work and its importance to the organization, consumer, and world at large. As a leader, you need to help your employees connect these dots.Second, you must communicate well, effectively, and often. "No matter how fantastic your message is," Abrashoff learned, "if no one is receiving it, you aren't communicating." Define the vision, mission, and values of your organization, then communicate them clearly and often.I recently reviewed The Servant by James C. Hunter, in which the author outlines the qualities of servant leadership: Respect, dignity, and a focus on developing other leaders rather than building your own prestige, to name a few. Abrashoff's suggestions thoroughly align with this powerful leadership concept, while providing the unique perspective of its application in the military.Throughout It's Your Ship, Abrashoff exhibits his "winning leader's first principle: Optimism rules." He clearly understands that the leader sets the tone and focused his energy on creating an atmosphere of positivity, excellence, and trust, recognizing the win-win outcome. "Anything you can do to understand your people, support them in tough times, and nurture their gifts," he writes, "will pay benefits to your bottom line."Whether your "ship" is an actual Navy ship, a company, a department or a family, It's Your Ship offers insightful, practical strategies that will elevate your leadership and strengthen your team with meaning and purpose.

Reviewer: Sharman S.
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: Management
Review: Good book

Reviewer: Melissa's Honest Reviews
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I'm currently reading "It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy (revised)," and so far, so good. I love the style of writing; it really feels like I'm experiencing things from an employee's perspective in a corporation, learning how to move up the corporate ladder. It's an engaging and insightful read. Highly recommend for anyone looking to improve their management skills and climb the corporate ranks.

Reviewer: Cliente de Kindle
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Amazing book, exciting to read and with countless management and leadership lessons. Best book I have read in a long time. Thanks Captain for the inspiration and lessons!

Reviewer: Cliente de Amazon
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Recomiendo a cualquier persona que crea que el liderazgo es por nombramiento, el liderazgo es espontáneo y se aplica en cualquier lugar.

Reviewer: Hugo Eduardo
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Simply one of the best books I have ever read, more than a book about 'leadership' it's a book about having a meaningful life, treating people with respect, doing stuff seriously but finding also the way to have fun. I can't but think that the crew under the command of such leader sure had an amazing life experience.

Reviewer: K. Martinez
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Zuerst war ich skeptisch, ob sich die Erfahrungen aus der US Navy in die Businesswelt übertragen lassen. Nach dem Lesen kann ich nur sagen, dass die Navy im Grunde einem Großkonzerne gleicht. Hatte mir das wesentlich zentralisierter Vorgestellt. Sehr kurzweilig geschrieben mit einem sehr persönlichen und authentische Stil.