Grassroots Leadership Principles: A Review of It’s Your Ship
At the age of 36, Michael Abrashoff was selected to become Commander of the USS Benfold, at the time, the lowest-ranking commanding officer in the Pacific Fleet. The immediate challenges he faced were staggering: exceptionally low morale with unacceptably high staff turnover. Few thought this ship could get any better. In many ways, Benfold was actually an extreme example of the same problems facing many organizations today.
As the new head of his own command, Michael only became more determined. “At my induction ceremony, my predecessor left to applause. The crew was applauding as he and his family departed. I knew then that the command and control leadership was dead.”
“A lot of people do whatever it takes to secure the next promotion. All I ever wanted to do in the Navy was command a ship. I didn’t care if I ever got promoted again. And that attitude allowed me to do the right thing.” things for my people instead of doing the right things for my career. Along the way, it was my people who created the results that secured my next promotion.”
The solution was to establish a belief system that Michael calls GrassRoots Leadership, a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion by engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers.
In his book It’s Your Ship: Management Techniques from The Best Damn Ship in the Navy, Michael states that “the most important thing a captain can do is see the ship through the eyes of the crew.”
For Michael, this meant interviewing everyone on his ship, from the highest-ranking officer to the newest recruit, an experience that began to generate the most valuable insights, often from the most unexpected sources. For example, through one of these meetings, Michael was able to tackle one of the crew’s most demoralizing roles: incessant chipping and painting had always been a standard chore for a ship’s youngest sailors, the people with whom Michael most wanted to connect. One of these sailors simply suggested replacing the rusty hardware with stainless steel bolts and nuts.
“I took our credit card and bought the stainless steel hardware that day,” Michael commented. “Those guys didn’t pick up a brush the rest of the time I was on board.” Today, the entire navy uses that process, a solution that began with the efforts of GrassRoots.
GrassRoots Leadership is a philosophy that empowers each individual to share the responsibility for achieving excellence. GrassRoots Leadership has as basic principles:
o Lead by example: GrassRoots leaders know that they must first change their own attitudes and behaviors before they can expect their team to change.
o Listen aggressively: Grassroots leaders don’t just listen, they listen to what their people are telling them. They know that those on the front lines are the most familiar with how operations can be most effective.
o Communicate purpose and meaning: Grassroots leaders help their team understand (collectively and individually) how their work contributes to the success of the overall mission, as well as understand how that work supports the personal goals they have for themselves.
o Create a climate of trust: Grassroots leaders trust and increase the trust of their team. Without trust, the barriers to excellent performance will never be broken down.
o Look for results, not greetings: grassroots leaders maximize performance by growing their people. They are only successful where their people are successful.
o Take calculated risks: Grassroots leaders know that careful, calculated risk taking is critical to maximizing performance.
o Go beyond the standard operating procedure (SOP): Grassroots leaders see the standard operating procedure as a guide, because the SOP does not change as fast as the environment and the competition. Therefore, they foster a climate that encourages people to come up with better and more innovative ways to accomplish their mission.
o Empower Others/Build Your People: Grassroots leaders focus on growing their people and creating an environment where everyone can win, thereby strengthening the entire team.
o Build Unity: Grassroots leaders work not only to change undesirable behaviors, but also to alter underlying attitudes. By working towards mutual respect for everyone, they level the playing field and allow everyone to perform at the highest level.
o Cultivate quality of life: Grassroots leaders actively integrate fun into the work experience. They want their crew to have as much fun from 9 to 5 as they do at home from 5 to 9; thus gaining the passion, enthusiasm and creativity that they usually lock up in their car in the parking lot every morning.
By every measure, these principles were able to achieve revolutionary results. Staff turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%. The military promotion rate tripled and operating expenses were reduced by 25%. The USS Benfold became the best ship in the Pacific Fleet and won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness.
His first book, It’s Your Ship, has sold over millions of thousands of copies and is a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller. While receiving accolades from business-minded entities like the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, and others, perhaps the greatest testament to Michael’s leadership style is represented by one of his team, who posted the following review of It’s Your Ship on Amazon. com:
Reviewer: EW3 Holly (Davis) Simpson of Louisville, KY December 11, 2003
I own planks* from the Benfold and admire the captain. Abrashoff’s leadership. His superior leadership raised our ship’s morale from ordinary ship life to a ship many in the fleet wanted to be a part of. Our ship was a show piece and we were proud to do his bidding.
What could have been a horribly desolate six months on deployment, including vacations in the Gulf in ’97-98, turned into a memorable experience for all, thanks to Captain. Abrashoff who even made UnRep a great event! We learned from him that even though we had VERY important work to do, we were proudly rewarded for our accomplishments. Captain Abrashoff was a very approachable commanding officer, an experience he had never had in the military and has been rare while working in state government. He went out of his way to ensure that his crew not only did his job exceptionally well, but that we also enjoyed the festivities he provided for the ship while it was in port.
I have read your fantastic book, relived all the memories of my life at Benfold and used your leadership insights to become a successful professional in the “civilian” world. To the readers who feel Cap. Abrashoff is “arrogant” in his leadership style. I think if you had a ship as impressive as the Benfold to be a part of, you would be extremely proud of her and the leadership that made her such a great place to spend a few minutes. years of your life.
*a plank is a member of a ship’s crew when first commissioned
Michael Abrashoff is originally from Altoona, Pennsylvania and is a 1982 graduate of the Annapolis Naval Academy. He currently resides in Arlington, Virginia and recently published his second book, Get Your Ship Together.