L. David Marquet

Turn the Ship Around!

1. IDEA 1

   A captain made his crew leaders

   Marquet describes taking command of the USS Santa Fe, a poorly performing American nuclear submarine. Instead of giving all the orders, he gave crew members more control, and the submarine became one of the best in the fleet.

2. IDEA 2

   Leader-follower models limit people

   Marquet argues that traditional leader-follower models make people wait for orders. This wastes their intelligence. In Marquet's view, when people only wait for instructions, their own knowledge goes unused and the organisation loses its good ideas.

3. IDEA 3

   Leader-leader models empower everyone

   Marquet describes a leader-leader model, where people at every level make decisions. Everyone becomes a leader. In Marquet's view, when everyone feels responsible for results, they pay more attention and take care of the work.

All 8 ideas from Turn the Ship Around! →