Wanted to like this book more. Was hoping to get more "submarine" detail. This book is written maybe a step, or half-step, above that level, and is maybe more of a management book than I was hoping for. With the emphasis on procedure, training, and the resources of a large bureaucracy, small businesses may have a hard time implementing the prescriptions outlined in the book. Well-written and thought-provoking nonetheless. ( )

Read this for work.

Strong leadership book ( )

I rarely read this kind of “professional career guide” type of book. They’re all too often fairly dry, are strongly dependant on the cultural and social environment they’re based upon (e. g. US/Europe) and, honestly, range from “difficult to apply” to “impossible to adapt”.

Luckily, this book is completely different! David Marquet tells us in plain words how he metaphorically “turned the ship around” from one of the worst to one of the top performers. I would never have believed that the military of all organisations was actually able to apply a culture of “thinking out loud”, (constructively) questioning orders and, generally, turn a culture of classic “command & control” into something much more open and productive.

Marquet doesn’t ever preach, though, but expertly demonstrates each of his already simple-to-grasp (but not necessarily easy-to-implement!) points by telling us about how he actually implemented them on a nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Not only does he display good general insights…

»You may be able to “buy” a person’s back with a paycheck, position, power, or fear, but 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.”«

… but turns those into useful ideas which he is able to communicate clearly:

»My definition of leadership is this: Leadership is communicating to people their worth and potential so clearly that they are inspired to see it in themselves.«

He also does away with some well-meaning but annoying misconceptions by some leadership approaches like “empowerment programs”:

»Additionally, it seemed inherently contradictory to have an empowerment program whereby I would empower my subordinates and my boss would empower me. I felt my power came from within, and attempts to empower me felt like manipulation.«

There are a whole lot of inherently simple ideas that Marquet drives home clearly and in a very well-structured manner while not forgetting about us, his readers, who usually appreciate a well-presented big picture. He writes clearly without frills and yet engagingly. I actually found his writing strangely attractive and pulled in.

To actually put some of the ideas presented to the test, I “sneakily” applied some of the easier ones at work and was pleasantly surprised how well that turned out.

When all is said and done, this is a really well-done book on leadership which I highly recommend for any kind of leader!

Five out of five stars.


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I'd heard about this book a few times from others in my field (education design), and finally got the time to track it down and read it. The subject matter was of high interest - it brings together three of my passions: leadership, training, and submarines.

David Marquet (USN, retired) tells the story of his rise to the rank of captain in the US Navy submarine fleet. From his early days of leadership the heavily ensconced leader-follower model troubles him and he experiments with other approaches. Some of these show promise, some fail dismally. But it's when he takes command of USS Santa Fe that he finds his stride. Through trial, error, experimentation, and determination he develops a new way of leading a submarine - the leader-leader model. This is about empowering all members of an organisation to take (appropriate) leadership and conduct themselves with personal accountability and responsibility. He and his team of department chiefs identified bottlenecks, waste, morale-drains, and irrelevant bureaucracy. They develop new ways of working and relating and their practices eventually spread through all the officers and crew.

Did he succeed? Well, if taking the worst-performing sub in the fleet (Santa Fe) and turning it into a consistently high-performing unit with incredible accomplishment statistics is anything to go by - then, yes! And their record of training and advancement is quite something. It's fantastic how he turns the organisation into a learning environment.

Frankly, I would have given his approach a thumbs-up but with a low probability of success - given centuries old maritime leadership traditions and tight USN hierarchies. But hats off to the author... he succeeded where many would not dare to tread.

This is a story of real leadership, and vision, and dogged determination. It's also about passion and giving a damn about people.

The book is a blend of story-telling and leadership advice. Personally I enjoyed the story-telling parts more (probably due to my submarine bias), but for someone looking to revitalise their team or organisation, the leadership advice, questions and exercises would be of interest.

Overall, a worthwhile read. And I learned some things!

Recommended (my rating is more like 4-1/2) ( )