After leaving the navy, he wrote a bestseller about progressive leadership called its your ship. Michael abrashoff, legendary commander of the uss benfold, continues in the same vein of his bestselling book its your ship with the knowledge hes gained. Jim loehr and tony schwartz in their groundbreaking book. Pacific fleet presented the battle effectiveness battle e award to the crew of the guidedmissile destroyer uss benfold ddg 65 as part of a visit to local forward deployed naval force japan fdnfj ships and commands june. Naval academy in annapolis, md, and was a military assistant to the former secretary of defense, the honorable dr. By governing his ship with his unique management techniques, abrashoff turned the benfold into a model of naval efficiency, with amazing cost savings, the highest gunnery score in the pacific fleet, and a highly motivated and top performing crew. Michael abrashoff adventure speakerspeakers bureau speakinc. Achieving breakthrough performance michael abrashoff. The story of captain abrashoff and his command of uss benfold has become legendary inside and. Navy captain mike abrashoff, who took control of the uss benfold, one of the worst performing ships in the pacific fleet. If you are concerned about productivity, profitability and opportunities for growth, the book is a handbook for success. Michael abrashoff s leadership methods and his books. His latest, its our ship the no nonsense guide to leadership is the third in a series based on his command tour aboard uss benfold ddg65 and building on his experiences with leaders in the business world.
Abrashoff left the navy in 2001 and became the founder and ceo of grassroots leadership, inc. The ship was the uss benfold, and it ranked near the bottom of the performance rating in the fleet. The story of captain abrashoff and his command of uss benfold has become legendary inside and outside the navy. Michael abrashoff has 15 books on goodreads with 14119 ratings. Michael abrashoff and his command of uss benfold have become legendary inside and outside the navy. Michael abrashoff keynote speaker book for your event. Benfold is a guided missile destroyer staffed with 310 sailors.
Nov 01, 2012 michael abrashoff recounted the leadership lessons from the turnaround of uss benfold in its your ship, a new york times and wall street journal bestseller. Mike abrashoff former commander, uss benfold and author, its. Benfold is a multimission platform capable of aaw with the powerful aegis combat systems suite and antiaircraft missiles, asw, with towed sonar array, antisubmarine rockets, asuw with a harpoon missile launcher, and strategic land strike using tomahawk missiles. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own. Its your ship the legendary new york times bestselling tale of topdown change for anyone trying to navigate todays uncertain business seas. Its your leader ship as commander of the uss benfold, he initiated a leadership turnaround that rocked the navy. Thats the situation mike abrashoff, author of its your ship, faced when he became the youngest commander in the u. Mike abrashoff was the mostjunior officer in the pacific fleet when he took command of the nearworst performing ship. As commander of the highly acclaimed uss benfold, captain d. The rate of promotions tripled, and the crew slashed operating expenses by 25%. At the time he was the most junior commanding officer in the pacific fleet on a ship that was plagued by low morale, high turnover and abysmal performance evaluations. Book mike abrashoff for speaking, events and appearances. Mike abrashoff became commander of uss benfold at age 36, making him the most junior commanding officer in the pacific fleet on a ship that was plagued by low morale, high turnover and abysmal performance evaluations.
As was military tradition, the navy rolls out the red carpet for a departing. Uss benfold is an arleigh burkeclass destroyer in the united states navy. It became a new york times and wall street journal bestseller, with over 800,000 copies sold to date. Michael abrashoffs most popular book is its your ship. Other than the sobering fact that real lives are regularly at stake, running a navy ship is a lot like running a business. Despite her potency, the dysfunctional ship had a sullen crew that resented being there and could not wait to get out of the navy. Achieving breakthrough performance michael abrashoff youtube.
Mike abrashoff is at the center of one of the most remarkable modern day stories of organizational transformation. Michael abrashoff former navy commander bestselling author. Michael abrashoff book report by gary tomlinson introduction. Knowing that responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized. The lesson was clear leadership matters and culture is everything. Regarded as the finest ship in the pacific fleet, uss benfold won the prestigious spokane trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness. At the time he was the most junior commanding officer in the. Michael abrashoff here is a quick description and cover image of book its your ship.
The legendary tale of topdown change for anyone trying to navigate todays uncertain business seas. At the time he was the most junior commanding officer in the pacific fleet on a ship that was plagued by low morale, high turnover, and abysmal performance evaluations. This article is excerpted with permission from the book its your ship. Build up your people article by mike abrashoff from its. Michael abrashoff was in his midthirties when he took command of the uss benfold, a guided missile destroyer and one of the worst performing ships in the navy. Mike abrashoff becoming the best ship in the u s navy youtube. Mike abrashoff is the ny times best selling author of its your ship former naval. At the age of 36, the navy selected mike to become commander of uss benfold. When captain abrashoff took over as commander of uss benfold, it was like a. This was abrashoffs first sea command, so he was undoubtedly anxious as he walked onto the ship. Michael abrashoff, legendary commander of the uss benfold, continues in the same vein of his bestselling book its your ship with the knowledge hes gained from his speaking to and advising some of the top business minds in the world. After just 12 months, abrashoff transformed the ship using the same crew and won the navys spokane trophy for bestperforming ship in the pacific fleet.
Management techniques from the best damn ship in the navy written by d. Michael abrashoff former commander of the uss benfold, write in an engaging, easy to read style. Mike abrashoff is at the center of one of the most remarkable modernday stories of organizational transformation. Michael abrashoff recounted the leadership lessons from the turnaround of uss benfold in its your ship, a new york times and wall street journal bestseller. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite. When he took over the ship it was armed with every cuttingedge system available, it was like a. This was abrashoff s first sea command, so he was undoubtedly anxious as he walked onto the ship.
Michael abrashoff was in his midthirties when he took command of the uss benfold, a guided missile destroyer and one of the worst performing ships in the. Twelve months later, the uss benfold was the best ship in the entire navy using the same crew. When captain abrashoff took over as commander of uss benfold. New york times bestseller when captain abrashoff took over as commander of uss benfold, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Now in this updated 10th anniversary edition of his classic bestseller, abrashoff presents his fascinating tale of topdown change for anyone trying to navigate todays uncertain business seas. Michael abrashoff and his command of uss benfold has become legendary inside and outside the navy.
The most important thing that a captain can do is to see the ship. Uss benfold ddg65 is an arleigh burkeclass destroyer in the united states navy benfold is a multimission platform capable of aaw antiaircraft warfare with the powerful aegis combat systems suite and antiaircraft missiles, asw antisubmarine warfare, with towed sonar array, antisubmarine rockets, asuw antisurface warfare with a harpoon missile launcher, and strategic land. Abrashoff recounted the leadership lessons from the turnaround of uss benfold in its your ship, a new york times and wall street journal bestseller, with over 800,000 copies sold to date. Describing the ideas and techniques that i used to win my. Michael abrashoff, former captain of the uss benfold, is founder and coowner of aegis performance group. Michael abrashoff served for almost twenty years in the u. Michael abrashoff irrefutably demonstrated how progressive management can succeed at sea.
Mike abrashoff, author of its your ship, led the legendary turnaround of the nearworst ship in the navy. At 36, he was selected to be commander of uss benfold and was the most junior commanding officer in the pacific fleet. When he took over the ship it was armed with every cuttingedge system available, it was like a business that had all the latest technology, but only some of the productivity. This extraordinary interest in abrashoffs leadership journey and benfolds organizational lessons led to two followup books get your ship. Build up your people article by mike abrashoff from its your ship. Speaker mike abrashoff organizational change book a. The challenges of this underachieving destroyer were staggering, with low morale and the highest turnover rate. Management techniques from the best damn ship in the navy by d. Michael abrashoffs leadership methods and his books.
By governing his ship through his unique management techniques, abrashoff turned the benfold into a model of naval efficiency, with amazing cost savings, the highest gunnery score in the pacific fleet, and a highly motivated and top performing crew. 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. Management techniques from the best damn ship in the navy, by captain d. This remarkable change was accomplished by the same crew. When mike abrashoff took command of the uss benfold, morale was low, turnover was high, and the ships performance ranked near the bottom of the pacific fleet. Captain michael abrashoff took command of the worstperforming navy ship and crew in the pacific fleet andwithin just one yearmade it the best in the fleet. The story of that stunning transformation has lessons for every organization. The legendary new york times bestselling tale of topdown change for anyone trying to navigate todays uncertain business seas. Michael abrashoff and his command of uss benfold has become legendary. At the core of his leadership approach on uss benfold was a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion, and engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers with conviction and humility.
Mike abrashoff former commander, uss benfold and author. Abrashoff left the navy in 2001 and became the founder of grassroots leadership, inc. Under his leadership, within 12 months the ship was ranked first in. When captain abrashoff took over as commander of uss benfold, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity. Now abrashoff offers this fascinating tale of topdown change for anyone trying to navigate todays uncertain business seas. Keynote speaker mike abrashoff recounted the leadership lessons learnt from the turnaround of uss benfold in his book, its your ship. Michael abrashoff wants to help your company chart a better course. Mikes solution was to establish a set of management principles that he calls the leadership roadmap. Its safety record was abysmal, morale was worse, and its reenlistment rate ranked at an.
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