# Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders - Hardcover

by **L. David Marquet** (Author), **Stephen R. Covey** (Foreword by)

**"One of the 12 best business books of all time.... Timeless principles of empowering leadership." - _USA Today_**

"The best how-to manual anywhere for managers on delegating, training, and driving flawless execution." _\--FORTUNE_

Since _Turn the Ship Around!_ was published in 2013, hundreds of thousands of readers have been inspired by former Navy captain David Marquet's true story. Many have applied his insights to their own organizations, creating workplaces where everyone takes responsibility for his or her actions, where followers grow to become leaders, and where happier teams drive dramatically better results.

Marquet was a Naval Academy graduate and an experienced officer when selected for submarine command. Trained to give orders in the traditional model of "know all-tell all" leadership, he faced a new wrinkle when he was shifted to the _Santa Fe_, a nuclear-powered submarine. Facing the high-stress environment of a sub where there's little margin for error, he was determined to reverse the trends he found on the _Santa Fe_ poor morale, poor performance, and the worst retention rate in the fleet.

Almost immediately, Marquet ran into trouble when he unknowingly gave an impossible order, and his crew tried to follow it anyway. When he asked why, the answer was: "Because you told me to." Marquet realized that while he had been trained for a different submarine, his crew had been trained to do what they were told--a deadly combination.

That's when Marquet flipped the leadership model on its head and pushed for leadership at every level. _Turn the Ship Around!_ reveals how the _Santa Fe_ skyrocketed from worst to first in the fleet by challenging the U.S. Navy's traditional leader-follower approach. Struggling against his own instincts to take control, he instead achieved the vastly more powerful model of giving control to his subordinates, and creating leaders.

Before long, each member of Marquet's crew became a leader and assumed responsibility for everything he did, from clerical tasks to crucial combat decisions. The crew became completely engaged, contributing their full intellectual capacity every day. The _Santa Fe_ set records for performance, morale, and retention. And over the next decade, a highly disproportionate number of the officers of the _Santa Fe_ were selected to become submarine commanders.

Whether you need a major change of course or just a tweak of the rudder, you can apply Marquet's methods to turn your own ship around.

### Author Biography

**L. David Marquet**, a top graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, commanded the nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine USS _Santa Fe_ from 1999 to 2001. Since retiring from the Navy he has worked with businesses nationwide as a leadership consultant. He gives presentations around the world and has also written a companion workbook called _Turn Your Ship Around_. He lives in Florida with his wife, Jane.

**Number of Pages:** 272

**Dimensions:** 1 x 8.3 x 5.8 IN

**Publication Date:** May 16, 2013

## Details

- **Price:** 33.0 USD
- **Vendor:** Books by splitShops
- **Type:** Books
- **Tags:** Books by splitShops, Shopify Collective

## Variants

| Variant | Price | Available |
|---------|-------|-----------|
| Default Title | 33.00 USD | In stock |

## Images

- Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders - Hardcover
- Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders - Hardcover

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