“Turn the Ship Around!” - Intent-based leadership for achieving excellence!

From 1999 to 2001, the former top US Naval Academy graduate, L. David Marquet became the Commanding Officer (CO) of the nuclear-powered, fast attack submarine USS Santa Fe, the crew affectionately called a “boomer.” Ten years later he published the book “Turn the Ship Around,” coined by USA Today as “one of the 12 best business books of all time.” The guiding leadership principles of “Control - Competence - Clarity” stand for a “leader-leader” instead of a “leader-follower” model, for a shift from “control” to “release.” As Marquet describes in the introduction part of his book: “We went from worst to first in most measures of performance, including the one I valued most - our ability to retain our sailors and officers. The steps were evolutionary. The result was revolutionary (LDM, p.xxix).”

Captain Marquet experiences the prevailing top-down, command-and-control leadership model during a drill exercise, shortly after taking charge. Not yet familiar with the equipment on board the USS Santa Fe, Marquet demands the Officer on Deck (OOD), the responsible department head, to shift the backup electric propulsion motor from “ahead one third” to “ahead two thirds” during the drill. The OOD immediately commands: “Ahead two thirds!” However, nothing happens. Surprised by the fact, Captain Marquet finds out that there is no “two thirds” technically available on the USS Santa Fe. When questioned why the order was nonetheless given, the OOD, fully aware of the impossibility to perform, replies: “because you told me to (LDM, p.80f).” An eye-opening event for the newly appointed Captain and a tremendous call to action. He recognizes that command and blind obedience lead to nothing more than an “induced numbness” on board (LDM, p.15), to an overwhelming attitude of avoiding mistakes (LDM, p.33). 

Driven by his keen curiosity to question, challenge and change these existing command structures, he starts establishing an open dialogue with the crew (“early conversations make efficient work”, LDM, p.50). From now on, they “cherish the discussion” (LDM, p.93), “create a space for open decision” (LDM, p.92), and “freely express their uncertainties and fears as well as their innovative ideas and hopes” (LDM, p.107). Step by step, the need to change by shifting the focus from avoiding errors to achieving excellence is shared among all levels of the ship (LDM, p.43). The Officers on Board become “intimately involved” in the daily operations, Marquet calling this “eyeball accountability” (LDM, p.56). The Chiefs on Board (COB), the most senior and experienced middle level crew members, are given full accountability managing their men – they essentially become “Chiefs in Charge” (LDM, p.57).  By doing so, Marquet is “tuning the level of control” (TaG) and initiating leadership at every level (LDM, p.181). “With this type of “emancipation”, “we are recognizing the inherent genius, energy, and creativity in all people, and allowing those talents to emerge” (LDM, p.213).           

Central to the new genetic code on board is an intent-based leadership approach. Instead of giving orders and telling crew members what to do, men start sharing their intentions explaining the why of their planned actions, permeating across the entire crew. This mechanism of “taking deliberate action” (LDM, p.121) is an essential part of developing competence on board of USS Santa Fe. Instead of passive training, crew members are actively engaged in learning and communicating “in a mutually trusting and non-judgmental way” (LDM, p.136).  Studying, debriefing and reciprocal hour-long mentoring sessions among and between the teams increase the cooperation within the ship, following a mantra of: “There is no ‘they’ on Santa Fe!” (LDM, p.187). Regular inspections by external naval specialists are seen as an opportunity for continuous improvement. Being open to outside sources of information and solutions creates an atmosphere of curiosity among the crew, “a hunger for learning” (LDM, p.112).   

The third pillar, besides passing on control and building up competence, is establishing a “culture of mutual understanding and clarity.” Taking care and building trust among the crew members at all levels, recognizing and reinforcing the desired behaviour by immediate recognition, encouraging a questioning attitude to speak one’s mind, and a relentless repetition of this message (LDM, p.149) create psychological safety. By reducing the sense-respond delay inherent in traditional organizational structures, understanding and clarity lead to an increased speed of deliberate action, an improved adaptability to change (LDM, p.211).  

The results of “Turning the Ship Around!” are remarkable. The USS Santa Fe is awarded the fleet trophy for achieving the greatest improvement in battle efficiency during one calendar year. More important, the implemented leadership principles of “Control – Competence – Clarity” lead to the development of an extensive pool of talent, “additional leaders in numbers widely disproportionate to the statistical probabilities (LDM, p.215).” Thus, “the leader-leader model not only achieves great improvements in effectiveness and morale but also makes the organization stronger…, improvements are enduring…, leader-leader structures are significantly more resilient” (LDM, p.xxvii). As Captain Marquet concludes in his book: “It is the art of releasing talent and potential…, a human being’s genius, passion, loyalty, and tenacious creativity are volunteered only. The world’s greatest problems will be solved by passionate, unleashed “volunteers” (LDM, p.xxi).”    

References:

L. David Marquet (LDM): Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders, New York 2012

Talks at Google (TaG): Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet, 08.05.2017