“It’s your ship,” is Michael Abrashoff’s book, which tells the story of the author and his experiences in the Navy. Abrashoff was the captain of the USS Benfold that was associated with a business organization. The author in his book shares, the techniques, and the leadership skills he used to improve the efficiency of his ship and the members of his crew. “It’s Your Ship” is a book with twelve chapters whereby the author shares his experiences that entail his successes and failures.
The books become legendary in the Navy as well as in business management as it acts as a guide in both respects. In this context, the chapters four, five, and six will be the basis of the study. Chapter four talks about the communication of purpose and meaning, Chapter five entails the creation of a trust-based climate, and chapter six speaks of how a leader should metaphorically strive for success instead of salutes.
Communicate purpose and meaning
In chapter four, the book spells out the importance of coming up with a common objective or goal by the leader. The author provides that such a goal inspires groups of people from diverse backgrounds to work together under one vision. Before Abrashoff the thought of providing one’s crew with a vision that would depict the importance of their work was not the norm in the Navy. The author speaks of fostering an attitude that made the crew view themselves as capable of doing anything.
The author on his ship, created channels of communication such as newsletters, light shows, and music to express the ship’s high spirit and motivation. The captain used various techniques to communicate the purpose and meaning. Chapter four talks about opening up clogged channels, creating a brand as well as defending its identity, and providing the crew with the freedom to achieve discipline. The author expresses his frustration regarding how information channels halted in mid-level. In taking command, his aim was to ensure communication channels were clear. A clear channel facilitates the execution of a plan, a direct relationship exists between satisfactory plan execution and information dissemination. In terms of the brand, the author speaks about the importance of maintaining a reputation.
This was one of the reasons the USS Benfold became the most admired ship in the fifth fleet. The chapter also talks about the role freedom plays in terms of fostering discipline. By granting the crew freedom, the discipline improved and converted to high performance by the crewmembers.
Creating a trust-based climate
In the fifth chapter, the author recognizes the importance of trust in any social contract between a leader and his workers. The author considers trust as the ingredient that converts companies that are slow in growth to dynamic competitors. However, the author acknowledges that trust is an earned attribute. Chapter five talks about not pitting a dog against another dog, which means everyone, should be associated with the success of the organization.
No one should be a loser when the organization achieves success. The author acknowledges redemption in case of mistakes done. As a leader or a manager, it is not professional to give up on one of your followers or employees. In such a case, the others will feel that there is no room for redemption thus they will feel less secure and have a negative attitude to the organization. Another technique outlined in chapter five is the reaction towards a messenger with bad news. Leaders should not condemn the messengers who convey bad news. This is to ensure that the members of the organization are not afraid of delivering news regardless of the nature of the news.
Abrashoff in chapter five also acknowledges the need to protect the employees from their lunatic bosses. However, in such a delicate situation the leader or the manager should appear to support the boss to avoid the damage to the organization. In doing so he will protect the employees and at the same time preserve the loyalty of the boss.
Look for results rather than Salutes
In his book, Abrashoff expresses how he sidelined Navy rules and regulations that dated back 225 years when his crewmembers approached him with better ways of handling matters. The author allowed his crewmembers to speak freely to avoid disasters that come about when there is no consultation or questioning. Chapter six also talks about the importance of nurturing the freedom to fail. The author in empowering his crewmembers did not condemn them when they failed to solve a problem or meet a certain goal. Instead, a leader should set out guidelines in which the followers should follow. The author talks of not regarding rank when there is a need for innovation.
The author suggests that sidelining an idea because a person of insignificant rank made it is not appropriate. A leader should also direct challenges to his crew or employees that are beyond their reach so that they are motivated to work hard.