49 pages • 1 hour read
It's Your Ship
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Chapter 10-EpilogueChapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary: “Build Up Your People”
Content Warning: This section contains discussions of anti-Black racial slurs found in the source text, which the guide obscures.
Abrashoff begins the chapter with more explication on the way he approaches leadership. Instead of the old-fashioned drill-sergeant model, Abrashoff prefers to find ways to build-up his crew and help them perform to the best of their abilities. He does not believe that punishment first is an effective leadership strategy. He delves into the ways the Benfold placed a high degree of emphasis on smaller details, including sending out birthday cards to spouses of crew members. He recognized that many of his crew came from difficult circumstances, so when it was warranted, he sent letters home to family members letting them know how well the sailor had been performing their duties. In one such case, this had a profound effect on a sailor who never was congratulated by his father until he received Abrashoff’s letter of praise. Even though the letters and cards were effective, Abrashoff also insists that whenever possible, praise should be delivered in-person rather than electronically. He sees the latter as an unfortunate trend in the digital age. He discusses the Navy’s ombudsman position and that it serves as a link between the ship and the family members of the crew. Abrashoff points out that generally speaking, the business world does not have an equivalent program, and it should.
Abrashoff pivots to an anecdote he uses to illustrate the value of delegating responsibilities in order to empower crew members. During the annual inspection of the Benfold, Abrashoff delegated a duty to an enlisted sailor of lower rank, who saw this as a huge vote of confidence. This empowered the sailor to go above and beyond the minimum effort required. In turn, this contributed to the Benfold receiving a rare 4-star rating for the inspection.
Abrashoff continues the chapter with a section in which he discusses the need to treat newcomers to the organization well. He concedes that the Navy was notorious for treating new sailors in a way that left them feeling intimidated and isolated. To rectify this, Abrashoff and his immediate subordinates developed a plan to welcome new sailors to the ship. As part of the plan, they instituted a “running mate” system, something akin to the buddy system, in which newcomers would be assigned a current crew member who would show them the ropes and try to make them feel at home. Abrashoff also tells a story about a discretionary purchase he made to lift the crew’s morale. Rather than Navy-issued rain jackets that were of poor quality, Abrashoff, at the suggestion of a crew member, purchased higher quality jackets that looked better and made the crew stand out. When another ship in port saw the jackets, the captain of that ship ordered Abrashoff to have his crew stop wearing the jackets. Abrashoff refused, and even offered the other captain to bring it up to the supervising admiral. The captain backed down.
A final brief section explores the benefits to overall team morale by making life easier on one’s bosses. Generally, Abrashoff contends that when he made decisions aboard the Benfold, he would filter the decision through the lens of his superiors. If the decision would make the boss look good or ultimately increase combat readiness, then it was a justified decision. He then pivots to a suggestion that leaders should expect the best from their crew, as this is the best way to ensure the best result. When leaders think poorly of their crew, they usually do not have a great deal of trust in that crew. The consequence is that the crew will not be presented with opportunities to grow because the leader will likely micromanage them. Abrashoff discusses ways that he tried to push his crew to better themselves, not just regarding their skills on the ship, but in life generally. He discovered that many of his crew came to the Navy because their families could not afford college and the Navy was a way to reduce tuition costs. He learned that much of his crew had never taken the SAT, so he initiated a program for the test to be administered onboard the ship. One student scored a rather high score of 1490, which Abrashoff points out was a higher score than he received when he took the exam. The anecdote supports Abrashoff’s point that leaders too often overlook the talents of those who they manage. These talents could be useful to the organization, but assumptions get in the way. Lastly, Abrashoff describes the Navy’s annual assessment protocols and argues that rather than wait for annual reviews, effective leaders should conduct formal and informal review throughout the year. In this way, a crew member always has a sense of where they stand. A poor review should never come as a surprise to the person receiving it.
Chapter 11 Summary: “Generate Unity”
Abrashoff opens the chapter briefly discussing the challenge that leaders face when it comes to fostering an effective sense of teamwork within an organization. It can be difficult for leaders to encourage people to set aside their differences and find ways to build unity instead. This includes differences in race and gender. Abrashoff contends that the US Military has a serious problem with racial and gender discrimination. When he assumed command of the Benfold, there was a real problem with discrimination, which in no small measure contributed to the overall low morale on the ship prior to his arrival. Abrashoff argues that leaders need to abandon policies that highlight differences between people, including diversity initiatives, and replace them with policies that strengthen unity and focus on finding common ground: “I could have been fired for that, but in my view it was common sense that any program that produced such awful results was clearly ineffective” (183). He discusses some of the ways he went about establishing a culture on the ship in which people were equally respected and in which all of the crew could be unified as a team.
Abrashoff details an incident that involved a fight between crew members. Two of the young men were Black, and one was white. The incident began with a white sailor taking exception to the Black sailors singing a rap song that included the N-word. Abrashoff uses the actual word here. The white sailor became antagonistic toward the Black sailors and used the word himself in a pejorative manner. This led to a fight. Abrashoff describes the way he went about sorting out the case. He mentions that a captain of a ship is essentially judge, jury, and executioner, and that the responsibility for determining punishment was solely his. Rather than choosing to have all three men discharged from the Navy, he took a different approach. He learned that both had a prior record of similar incidents while in the Navy. However, he looked into the backgrounds of the Black sailors and discovered that both came from homes where their fathers were absent. He took this information into account before meting out punishment for the fight. Abrashoff describes the way he questioned all participants. He called out the white sailor as a “punk,” which startled those present, and warned him that any similar acts in the future would get him kicked off the ship. He levied the maximum punishment at all three of the men, but stopped short of recommending discharge. As part of the punishment, the men were provided mentors, officers on the ship who would help them learn from this mistake. After the 45-day punishment had been served, Abrashoff and the Master Chief challenged the Black sailors to a card game, which they held on deck for the entire crew to see. He summarizes his approach to the situation, stating that “I wanted people who screwed up on my ship to know two things: First, they will be appropriately punished; second, they will get another chance” (192).
The next section delves into the way women aboard the ship were treated prior to Abrashoff’s arrival and outlines the way he went about rectifying the discrimination they faced. The Benfold was a gender-integrated ship, unlike many others in the Navy, including its sister ship, USS Stethem. Abrashoff’s leadership approach regarding women was the same as for everyone else, which afforded all crew members dignity and respect. Abrashoff contends that part of why the Benfold was such a high-performing ship was that the women on board the ship were treated in such a way that they were enabled to develop their talents and skills the same way men were. Generally, unlike other ships in the Navy and other branches of the military in general, the men of the Benfold did not view women as a threat to their jobs. Instead, women were treated as equals and respected for their abilities and what strengths they brought to the crew.
Chapter 12 Summary: “Improve Your People’s Quality of Life”
In this chapter, Abrashoff details the ways he infused some fun into the daily operation of the Benfold. He sought the suggestions of his crew, and in the chapter, he outlines a few of their ideas. For example, every Thursday, the crew would listen to jazz music, smoke cigars, and watch the sunset. As another example, every Friday, the crew would hold an alcohol-free happy hour that included karaoke. Abrashoff also discusses the importance of providing good food to the crew. When he first assumed command, the ship would often eat poor quality food, which was also the cheapest food available for bulk purchase. Abrashoff sat in on a food review meeting, and advocated for better quality food. Eventually, he succeeded, and the Benfold had a menu that consisted of real food rather than processed food. Abrashoff then describes other ways the crew was encouraged to have fun, even while stationed in very intense circumstances during the Persian Gulf crisis of 1997. Additionally, he encouraged his crew to bring visitors aboard the ship while in port. He recounts a particular stay in Australia as an example. His contention is that this helped foster pride in the workplace. Rather than a workplace being a very serious and stern place, Abrashoff wanted his crew to be proud to show it off. Finally, Abrashoff discusses the ways the crew of the Benfold tried to infuse fun into their work as much as possible. Even though the ship developed somewhat of an off-beat, eccentric reputation, the crew generally had much more fun performing mundane, routine tasks than the crews of other ships.
Chapter 13 Summary: “Life After Benfold”
As the chapter’s title suggests, Abrashoff details his exit from the Benfold. When his tour concluded, he handed over the leadership reins. Rather than a ceremony in which his commanding officer attended in-port, Abrashoff insisted that the transfer of leadership happen while at sea. He arranged for a final dinner with his crew, and that was it. Prior to this final dinner, he had a long conversation with his successor, a man who had learned leadership from those who still relied on a top-down leadership strategy. Abrashoff gave him the so-called “playbook” for his own leadership approach, which he points out corresponds with all of the chapter titles in the book. Abrashoff’s successor assumed command and followed the playbook, and within no time, the Benfold was performing even at higher levels than it had previously. The successor was eventually awarded the Legion of Merit award, a higher award than Abrashoff himself received. Abrashoff at first was a bit jealous of his successor; however, that was soon replaced by a sense of pride at having left behind such a successful legacy. Abrashoff turns reflective toward the end of this chapter, discussing the need for a more horizontal approach to leadership, especially in the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks. He praises the general American spirit that was on display that day, when everyday people sacrificed their lives to help save others. He sees this as a character strength that is in the best interest of organizations to tap into, whether in the business world or in the military.
Epilogue Summary
Abrashoff picks up where the previous chapter leaves off. He discusses a letter that he wrote to a three-star admiral who was in charge of the entire Pacific Fleet in which he laid out his leadership philosophy. He encouraged the admiral to consider some of the methods as a means of increasing retention rates in the Navy. The admiral acted on the advice and retention rates improved. In the time since his leadership on the Benfold, Abrashoff mentions that he has seen a more intentional focus placed on leadership strategies within the US military in general, and has been impressed and pleased with the results.
Chapter 10-Epilogue Analysis
Chapters 10 and 11 are the longest chapters in the book, and in these chapters, Abrashoff continues to delve into how his people-centered approach to leadership was effective during his command of the Benfold. He reflects further on the top-down leadership strategy that he saw all around him but that he did not adopt. He says, “I left drill-sergeant bullying to other leaders with other goals. Running Benfold demanded brains and initiative, not brawn” (152). He sees the drill-sergeant model as the wrong kind of leadership for such technically demanding positions as those on Benfold required. For the first time, Abrashoff points out why the drill-sergeant model is ill-equipped to handle an evolving military in which the demand for technical skill is ever-increasing. It is a kind of bullying tactic that uses fear as a primary motivational tool. He believes that a people-centered, personal approach to leadership is far more effective at creating a successful operation. This contrast highlights the theme of Organizational Change. He asserts that fear of punishment does not motivate people to achieve the same efficacy as does tapping into the person’s own intrinsic motivation to grow and develop.
Abrashoff anticipates reader speculation when speaking about his leadership approach versus the drill-sergeant method. He understands that readers may be skeptical, especially those whose own leadership approach has been informed by punitive parents, teachers, or other authority figures from their youth. He even discusses the punishment style of his own mother. He understands the skepticism, and tries to get out in front of it. Because a leader is focused on developing interpersonal relationships does not mean that there are no rules or enforcement. Abrashoff maintains that he clearly identifies what he expects from his crew; however, he does not threaten them and make them feel as though a mistake will lead to an automatic reprimand. Instead, Abrashoff allows his crew to make mistakes, as he believes this is how people best learn. Any punishment that Abrashoff hands out usually is due to a flagrant violation of rules or decorum. In this way, punishment is not the go-to means of motivating his crew. It is a last resort.
Abrashoff discusses race relations in Chapter 11 and maintains that when he assumed command on the Benfold, there had been problems between white sailors and sailors of different racial backgrounds. Abrashoff also contends that gender discrimination was also a problem on the Benfold. Both of these problems are extensively examined in Chapter 11 and Abrashoff has a very strong opinion on how leaders should handle them. To begin with, Abrashoff feels that leaders set the tone for an entire organization: “In my interviews with the crew, I also asked if there was any sexual harassment or racial prejudice being expressed on board. And when I heard about an occurrence, I acted immediately” (185). He understood that racism and discrimination can cause real problems to team morale and wanted to quell it clearly and decisively. Additionally, when a leader sees the actual person rather than how that person exists in a particular hierarchy and treats that person with the respect and dignity they deserve, the leader sends the proper message to the rest of the organization. He attributes this kind of empathetic mindset to solving much of the racial discrimination and gender discrimination that existed on the ship prior to his arrival. He reiterates his belief that when people are empowered and operate with a unified purpose, such as striving toward achieving the ship’s goal as a team, they are much less likely to concentrate on differences with other shipmates. Cancelling all diversity meetings and seminars was, in his view, a way to prioritize unity and focus on what unified people. He saw diversity seminars as emphasizing people’s differences and producing poor results as a solution to discrimination. Though Abrashoff anticipates criticism for this measure, he notes that creating a leadership culture in which everyone is treated with dignity and respect produced far better results than seminars aimed at teaching these values.
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