Leadership Lessons from Captain Michael Abrashoff
46 Questions
100 Views

Leadership Lessons from Captain Michael Abrashoff

Created by
@GlisteningRadon

Questions and Answers

How long did Michael Abrashoff command the Benfold?

20 months

How much did the USS Benfold weigh?

8,300 tons

How far away can Benfold's radar track a birdsize object?

50 miles

How many crew members were on the Benfold?

<p>310</p> Signup and view all the answers

What were the Benfold's engines and capabilities?

<p>4 gas turbine engines capable of 31 knots (35 mph)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of people in the military don't complete their enlistment contract?

<p>40% (80,000 of 200,000)</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much does it cost to recruit a trainee?

<p>$35,000</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the national defense budget?

<p>$325 billion a year</p> Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of people leave their companies due to their managers?

<p>65%</p> Signup and view all the answers

How much does it cost to lose a trained worker?

<p>One and a half times the annual salary of the outgoing employee</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Captain Abrashoff learn in his years in the navy?

<p>The art of leadership lies in simple things: common sense actions that ensure high morale and increase the odds of winning</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the three variables that leaders need to consider?

<p>Leaders' needs, organization's atmosphere, and crew's potential competence</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long had Captain Abrashoff been on his leadership journey when he came to the Benfold?

<p>16 years</p> Signup and view all the answers

Can leaders be made or are they born?

<p>Made</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is earned, not designated?

<p>Leadership</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Captain Abrashoff do to demonstrate his commitment?

<p>Question and challenge rules to his bosses</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where did Captain Abrashoff give his first speech?

<p>Fast Company conference</p> Signup and view all the answers

What happens to great ideas in major companies?

<p>They are stillborn</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who did Captain Abrashoff meet at the Fast Company conference?

<p>Dee Hock and Tom Peters</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is required to create a superb organization?

<p>Understanding yourself and using that to create a superb organization</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the foundation of leadership?

<p>High morale, common sense</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is the law of life?

<p>Evolve or die</p> Signup and view all the answers

How do you define the right thing?

<p>You know it when you see it, it feels right</p> Signup and view all the answers

What is a CO and XO?

<p>Chief Officer and Executive Officer</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long does it take to change command of a navy ship?

<p>2 weeks</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are the key qualities of a ship captain?

<p>Respected, Trusted, Effective</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do you need to help less talented people do?

<p>Transcend their limitations</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why do people leave the military?

<p>Top 5 reasons: 1) Respect, 2) Impact, 3) Listening, 4) Responsibility, 5) Pay</p> Signup and view all the answers

What do you need to see the ship through?

<p>The eyes of the crew</p> Signup and view all the answers

What are officers not supposed to say?

<p>I don't know</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who was Edward C. Benfold?

<p>Navy hospital corpsman who died saving 2 marines in the Korean war</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many Medal of Honor winners are from Audubon, New Jersey?

<p>3 (highest per capita)</p> Signup and view all the answers

What kind of food did Captain Abrashoff feed his crew?

<p>Quality, cheaper civilian brands</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Captain Abrashoff do with the money saved on food?

<p>Sent cooks to culinary school</p> Signup and view all the answers

How long is the Benfold and does it have stealth technology?

<p>505', yes</p> Signup and view all the answers

What unusual cargo did they acquire during a long period at sea?

<p>Pumpkins</p> Signup and view all the answers

How did the Benfold crew make refueling more enjoyable?

<p>By projecting music videos on the ship</p> Signup and view all the answers

Why did the army stop Captain Abrashoff's father's pay?

<p>They thought he died in action</p> Signup and view all the answers

What did Captain Abrashoff's mother do during the war?

<p>Taught and worked at a switching station</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where did Captain Abrashoff's grandparents come from?

<p>Macedonia in 1906</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where did Captain Abrashoff's grandparents settle?

<p>Mount Union, Pennsylvania</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many children did Captain Abrashoff's father have?

<p>11</p> Signup and view all the answers

How many brothers served with Captain Abrashoff's father in WWII?

<p>3</p> Signup and view all the answers

What was Uncle Butch's experience during the Battle of the Bulge?

<p>Took 7 bullets to the head, laid on the ground for 3 days, died at 88 in 2000</p> Signup and view all the answers

Where was Captain Abrashoff's father supposed to be during the Iraqi crisis of 1997?

<p>North Atlantic</p> Signup and view all the answers

Who were Captain Abrashoff's role models growing up?

<p>Father, Mother, Uncles</p> Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Captain Michael Abrashoff's Leadership Journey

  • Commanded the USS Benfold for 20 months
  • Weight of the USS Benfold: 8,300 tons
  • Benfold's radar can track a bird-sized object from 50 miles away
  • Crew size: 310 people

Leadership Lessons

  • Exceptional leaders are made as well as born
  • Leadership is earned, not designated
  • Leaders need to understand themselves first, then create a superb organization
  • The art of leadership lies in simple, common sense actions that ensure high morale and increase the odds of winning
  • Getting the most out of the crew depends on three variables: leaders' needs, organization's atmosphere, and crew's potential competence

Military Statistics

  • 40% of people in the military won't complete their enlistment contract (80,000 out of 200,000)
  • Cost of recruiting a trainee: $35,000
  • National defense budget: $325 billion per year
  • Cost of losing a trained worker: one and a half times the annual salary of the outgoing employee

Gallup Study

  • 65% of people who leave their companies are actually leaving their managers

Leadership Style

  • Abrashoff's leadership style: empowering, creating a superb organization, and understanding himself first
  • He believed in treating people with respect and dignity, and not just paying lip service
  • He encouraged his crew to question and challenge rules and find better ways to do their jobs

USS Benfold's Achievements

  • Operated on 75% of the budget in fiscal year 1998
  • Reduced mission-degrading equipment failure from 75 in 1997 to 24 in 1998
  • Returned $600,000 of the $2.4 million maintenance budget and $800,000 of the $3 million repair budget
  • Retention rate increased from 28% to 100%
  • Set a new record for pre-deployment training cycle, completing it in 19 days instead of 52 days

Awards and Recognition

  • Won the Spokane Trophy, established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt
  • Scored 104.4 out of a possible 105 in the gunnery competition

Leadership Principles

  • Real leadership is about understanding yourself first, then creating a superb organization
  • Empowering means defining the parameters in which people are allowed to operate, and then setting them free
  • Leaders must be willing to take responsibility and be accountable for their actions
  • Leaders must lead by example, not by precept
  • The most important thing is to show people that they are important to you

Studying That Suits You

Use AI to generate personalized quizzes and flashcards to suit your learning preferences.

Quiz Team

Description

Learn about Captain Michael Abrashoff's leadership journey and key leadership lessons, including the importance of understanding oneself and creating a superb organization. Explore military statistics and the cost of losing trained workers.

More Quizzes Like This

The Dichotomy of leadership Chap.1-6
86 questions
Liderazgo Militar Capítulo VII
88 questions
USMC - 11 Leadership Principles
12 questions
USMC Leadership Principles Quiz
12 questions

USMC Leadership Principles Quiz

SolicitousPelican7010 avatar
SolicitousPelican7010
Use Quizgecko on...
Browser
Browser