Turn the Ship Around!

David Marquet asserts that good leadership means that your organization continues to function after you leave, and concludes we must adopt a leader-leader mindset instead of a leader-follower mindset. This means enabling all levels to make decisions. As control is divested, technical competence and organizational clarity must be strengthened. The book summarizes how to achieve this in the context of a naval submarine, with key notes on how to increase clarity and competence.

Some big takeways:

• Focus on communicating intent. Leaders give intent to their team, the team gives intent to the leader. Thinking out loud is a way of communicating intent. You can say, “I intend to X” prior to taking that action. This shows ownership, but the brief pause between statement and execution gives your teammates and your leader an opportunity to approve or interject as necessary.
• Achieve excellence, over avoidance of errors.
• Certify, don’t brief. Briefings are boring and passive.