Mike Abrashoff

Mike Abrashoff

Expertise In:
- Leadership
- Motivation
- Peak Performance
- Teamwork
- Change Management
Audience & Industry
- Associations
- Colleges and Universities
- Corporations
- Lecture Series
- Board Meetings and Executive Briefings
An inspiring story of innovative leadership and organizational transformation, Mike Abrashoff took command of the worst-performing ship in the fleet and made it #1 by changing his leadership style and the culture—not the crew.
When Mike Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, the ship’s performance ranked at rock-bottom. Worse—the crew didn’t feel safe should they be called into action. Determined to improve performance, but without the power to hire, fire or promote personnel, Abrashoff focused on what he could change: the ship’s culture. His innovative approach broke from the traditional command-and-control leadership style and sought to see the ship from the eyes of his crew—creating a guiding set of principles he calls Grassroots Leadership. When crew members asked Abrashoff to solve a problem, his response became, “It’s your ship—what would you do?” The result was an empowered and engaged team that turned the ship into the Navy’s top performer. People at every level in business relate to Abrashoff’s dilemma: being held accountable for results without having the ability to make the rules. His results-oriented approach equips organizations with the strategies, tactics and tools necessary to unleash innovation, lead significant change and increase operational performance. Publications from Fast Company to The Harvard Business Review have heralded this remarkable story—and Abrashoff’s first book, It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy, is a best seller with nearly 1 million copies in print. In 2012, the much anticipated 10th anniversary edition of It’s Your Ship was released with updated content and a new chapter.
Featured Experiences
It's Your Ship
Organizations—whether a corporation, salesforce or association of any size—perform at their best when people feel safe and confident about their ability to navigate troubled times. In Navy terms, combat readiness is a matter of life and death—every crewmember’s contribution matters. Mike Abrashoff tells the inspiring story of how the USS Benfold was transformed into the best ship in the Navy by empowering the crew to take ownership and improve every aspect of the way things were done. As Abrashoff shares the methods he used to create successful change within the confines of strict military regulations, audiences come away with dozens of practical and actionable ideas to make a difference in their own team. This first-hand account of the journey to organizational excellence is as invaluable as it will be memorable.
It's Our Ship
For organizations that want a deeper understanding of grassroots leadership and want to take those principles to the next level, Mike Abrashoff addresses the challenges most on the minds of leaders in these challenging times. Collaboration, commitment, cohesion, accountability, engagement, rapid and continual innovation, engaging employees and dealing with generational differences in that workforce—these crucial issues are the ones that that successful leaders need to master. It's Our Ship is about creating a high performance culture where everyone takes ownership and responsibility using real lessons from the business world and focus on innovation, accountability and engagement.
The Innovation Road Map: Transforming Your Organization and Achieving Sustainable Growth
Works
Mike Abrashoff
It's Your Ship (opens in a new tab)
Mike Abrashoff