Leadership Lessons from Captain Michael Abrashoff
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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

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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.

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