Book Review: IT’S YOUR SHIP

Book Review Title:  IT’S YOUR SHIP Author:  Captain D. Michael Abrashoff Reviewed By: Robert Bowen Captain Abrashoff took over the USS Benfold.  The ship was in total disarray.  He took the ship from being the worst ship in the US Navy to being the “Best Damn Ship in the Navy”.  He did it by developing his own leadership skills to bring the entire crew to a level of excellence.    Before he took over the Benfold, retention of seamen at the end of their tour of duty was 2%.  After his tour on the Benfold, seaman retention was 98%.  The Navy now uses crew retention as a measure of command effectiveness. Of all of the management training books I have read, this is the best.  It was an absolute page turner.  Each successive chapter was filled with exciting events that took the reader right into the situation.  You felt like you were right there and walking in the shoes of Captain Abrashoff. A copy of the book has been given to every project manager, project engineer and superintendent in our company.  We use the material in our in-house leadership training program.  I also plan to include it in any future programs I do for AGC. We are all trying to grow our companies.  The lessons demonstrated on the USS Benfold relate very well in the construction industry.  Captain Abrashoff has raised the bar.  He said, “If you show me a company whose employees take ownership, I will show you one that beats the competition.”  He went on to explain that for us to develop effective teams, the most important things we can do are:       • Treating our people with respect and dignity       • Providing opportunities for them to impact the organization       • Listening to them       • Increasing their responsibility He went on to say when employees leave a company, 65% of the time they leave because of the manager. One of the extraordinary things he did was to send birthday cards to family members of his crew.  When his crew did a great job on board, he often sent cards of praise to family members.  On one occasion, he sent a card to the dad of a marginal crew member who had been part of a successful shipboard operation.  As it turns out, the boy had never received a compliment from his dad.  When the dad received the letter from the captain of the Benfold, he praised the boy for the first time in the kid’s life.  Naturally he thanked the Captain, but what a moving story. A leader’s optimism and pessimism are equally infectious.  An enthusiastic leader will beget an enthusiastic crew.  Tell your people how important they are. He talked about problem solving.  When a leader has performance issues, the problem is often “You.”  A leader has to ask the following questions:       • Did I articulate the goals?       • Did I provide adequate time and resources?       • Did I provide training? The story of the USS Benfold will be part of my management training for a long time to come.  We can all learn from Captain Abrashoff. Robert Bowen is the founder and owner of Bowen Engineering Corporation, a multi-market company specializing in water and wastewater treatment plants and energy utility construction. He is considered an authority on preplanning and leadership practices in construction.  Bowen Engineering has received four AGC Build America awards. Robert received his B.S. in Civil Engineering from Purdue University and was later bestowed an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from his alma mater.  In 1994 he completed the Harvard Business School OPM Program. He and his wife, Terry, established the Bowen Foundation 13 years ago to provide scholarships to minority students in Indianapolis to help them pursue an education past high school.  About 300 students have received more than $750,000 in scholarships through this foundation. Due to his strong leadership skills and successes both in the industry and in his community, Mr. Bowen is a frequent instructor at AGC’s Leadership in Construction Workshop, Construction Project Manager Course, and Advanced Management Programs.