It's Your Ship

Abrashoff again references his time spent as an assistant to Defense Secretary William Perry and claims that Perry was so highly regarded because when people spoke with him, he had a way of making them feel truly heard. Abrashoff, who views Perry as a role model, sought to turn himself into a great listener as well, though this did not initially come naturally for Abrashoff, as he realized that he was not naturally a good listener. Here, he introduces the first subtopic of the chapter, “See the Ship through the Crew’s Eyes.” He advises that in order to become an effective and respected leader, one should learn to take an accurate measure of how the crew views the job. In order to do this, a leader needs to make a concerted effort to really get to know those they supervise. Abrashoff details the ways he engaged his crew, beginning with personally interviewing all 310 members. The goal with these interviews was to get to know his crew on a personal level, which eventually led to an important realization for Abrashoff: He came to develop a deep respect for his crew. After hearing their stories, many involving some measure of real hardship, Abrashoff saw them in a human light.