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unacceptably high turnover. Few thought that
this ship could improve. In many ways, the Benfold
was actually an extreme example of the same problems
facing many organizations today.
As the new head of his own command Mike only became
more resolved. "In my induction ceremony, my
predecessor left to cheers. The crew was actually
clapping as he and his family departed. I knew then
that command and control leadership was dead."
"A lot of people do whatever it takes to secure the next promotion. All I ever wanted to do in the navy was to command a ship. I did not care if I ever got promoted again. And that attitude enabled me to do the right things for my people instead of doing the right things for my career. Along the way, it was my people that created the results that ensured my next promotion." |
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The solution was to establish a system of beliefs that Mike calls GrassRoots Leadership - a process of replacing command and control with commitment and cohesion by engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of workers.
GrassRoots Leadership is a philosophy that empowers every individual to share the responsibility of achieving excellence. GrassRoots Leadership has as its core tenets:
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Lead by Example
- GrassRoots Leaders know they must first change their
own attitudes and behaviors before expecting their crew
to change.
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Listen Aggressively
- GrassRoots Leaders don't simply listen, they hear what
their people are telling them. They know that those on
the front lines are the most familiar with how
operations can be more effective.
-
Communicate Purpose and Meaning
- GrassRoots Leaders help their crew understand
(collectively and individually) how their work
contributes to the success of the overall mission, as
well as understand how that work supports the personal
goals they have for themselves.
-
Create a Climate of Trust
- GrassRoots Leaders trust and cultivate trust from
their crew. Without trust, the barriers that prevent
excellent performance will never be lowered.
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Look for Results, Not Salutes
- GrassRoots Leaders maximize performance by making
their people grow. They succeed only where their people
succeed.
-
Take Calculated Risks
- GrassRoots Leaders know that taking prudent,
calculated risks is instrumental in maximizing
performance.
-
Go Beyond Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
- GrassRoots Leaders look at standard operating
procedure as a guideline, because SOP doesn't change as
rapidly as the environment and competition. Therefore,
they foster a climate that encourages people to come up
with better and more innovative ways to accomplish their
mission.
-
Strengthen Others/Build Up Your People
- GrassRoots Leaders focus on making their people grow
and creating an environment where everyone can win,
thereby making the entire team stronger.
-
Generate Unity
- GrassRoots Leaders work to not only change undesirable
behaviors but to alter the underlying attitudes. By
working toward a mutual respect for everyone, they level
the playing field, permitting everyone to perform at
their highest level.
-
Cultivate Quality of Life - GrassRoots Leaders actively integrate fun into the work experience. They want their crew to have as much fun
from 9 to 5 as they do at home from 5 to 9, thereby gaining the passion, enthusiasm, and
creativity that they usually lock in their car in the parking lot each morning.
By every measure, these principles were able to achieve breakthrough results. Personnel turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%. The rate of military promotions tripled, and operating expenses were slashed by 25%. USS Benfold became regarded as the finest ship in the Pacific Fleet, winning the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness.
For more information on Mike, his book, and his philosophies, visit his website at
http://www.grassrootsleadership.com.
It's Your Ship - Learn from Everyone, Everywhere, Every Time
"I began with the idea that there is always a better way to do things, and that, contrary to tradition, the crew's insights might be more profound than even the captain's."
(Mike Abrashoff discussing his assignment as captain of the USS Benfold.)
What struck me immediately and throughout my work with Mike and Linkage on this project was the critical role learning and training played in the successful implementation of GrassRoots Leadership. Mike modeled behavior that encouraged learning and development. Through his actions and words, he acknowledged that everyone could contribute and make a difference, and that everyone - including the captain - could learn from others.
Get To Know Your People
In his book, It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from The Best Damn Ship in the
Navy, Mike states that, "The most important thing that a captain can do is to see the ship through the eyes of the crew."
To Mike, this meant interviewing every single person on his ship, from the most senior officer to the newest recruit - an experience that began to generate the most invaluable ideas, often from the most unexpected sources. For example, through one of these meetings Mike was able to address one of the most demoralizing roles of the crew: relentless chipping and painting had always been a standard task for a ship's youngest sailors, the individuals that Mike most wanted to connect with. One of these sailors simply suggested replacing the rusting hardware with stainless-steel nuts and bolts.
"I took our credit card and bought the stainless steel hardware that day," Mike commented. "Those guys didn't pick up a paintbrush the rest of the time I was on board." Today, the entire navy uses that process - a solution that began from GrassRoots efforts.
When Things Don't Go As Planned
"Whenever I could not get the results I wanted, … I asked myself three questions:
1. Did I clearly articulate the goals?
2. Did I give enough time and resources to accomplish the task?
3. Did I give enough training?"
A key message is that Mike, as leader, took the responsibility to ensure that his crew had what they needed to perform. He later states that most of the time, the lack of performance was due to unclear goals, lack of time or resources, or lack of adequate training.
Your Effect On People
Morale on the USS Benfold was abysmal and turnover among the highest of any ship in the Fleet. Mike vowed to turn that around by making everyone feel important. He states, "Treat every encounter with every person on the ship as the most important thing at that moment." He further admonishes to, "Never forget your effect on people." If you're having a bad day, your colleagues and staff will feel the effects.
Implement Ideas Quickly
Don't sit on a good idea. "Whenever I got a good suggestion, I hit the button [on the public-address system] and told the whole ship about it. The turnaround time for launching a good idea was about five minutes."
While you may not be able to launch a good idea in five minutes, work to launch it as quickly as possible. Think small. Implement the idea on a local level. Just as Mike was captain of his ship and could make decisions for his "world", you are captain of YOUR ship and can implement good ideas quickly in YOUR world.
Trust
"Trust: You have to earn it, and you earn trust only by giving it." Mike has a management philosophy of delegating at the highest possible level. This means that crewmembers who, up to this point, had never made significant decisions were being asked to assume responsibility for fairly significant actions. Mike believed - correctly - that his crew had the capability and potential to make significant decisions and assume additional responsibilities. He believed that by trusting people to do the right thing, they would. Mike states, "If all you give are orders, then all you will get are order-takers."
Of course, Mike had clear boundaries on the decision-making: The action could not endanger lives nor could it waste taxpayers' money nor could it affect operational readiness. Mike states, "I took only the risks that I thought my boss would want me to take, risks I could defend within my job description and authority."
Be Flexible
"In today's fast-paced world, rules should be treated as guidelines, not immutable laws, unless they truly are critical." Mike states, "As captain, I was charged with enforcing 225 years of accumulated Navy regulations, policies, and procedures. But every last one of those rules was up for negotiation whenever my people came up with a better way of doing things."
Mike tells us, "If a rule doesn't make sense, break it. If a rule does make sense, break it carefully."
Look and Listen
"Good ideas are where you find them. Every leader needs big ears." Perhaps Mike's greatest leadership strength comes from his ability to listen. Listening does many things. It builds morale and inspires the speaker. As importantly, listening enables leaders to identify great ideas.
Mike tells us to not overlook the simple. "Sometimes a solution is so simple and so apparent that we ignore it. That's a big mistake." Replacing the iron bolts and nuts with stainless steel fasteners is a simple idea, yet no one had thought of it - or acted on it.
Strengthen Others/Build Up Your People
"Show me a manager who ignores the power of praise and I will show you a lousy manager." In Entelechy's
Coaching for Performance, we base our entire training on this single belief. Employees will perform better, develop more, and contribute more significantly through positive coaching and feedback than through reprimands and punishment.
Mike goes on to say, "Positive, personal reinforcement is the essence of effective leadership."
In summary, GrassRoots Leadership requires that the leader model a style of continuous learning. The leader must listen for what's working and what's not. Leaders must trust their employees to make appropriate decisions and to occasionally fail; the leader must assume the responsibility of ensuring that the failure results in key learning so the failure will not happen again. Leaders must coach and develop their employees. Only when the leader exemplifies these behaviors will colleagues and staff begin to demonstrate their full potential.
Word® Tip:
SELECTING TEXT
We all know some of the common ways to select text (so you can delete the text or modify the attributes of the text):
SHIFT +-> will select a letter/space at a time
SHIFT+CTRL+-> will select a word at a time
However, did you know that double-clicking a word will select the word? Or triple-clicking will select the paragraph?
Or that holding down the CTRL key and clicking anywhere in the sentence will select the sentence? Word uses terminal punctuation (!, ?, and .) to determine where the sentence begins and ends.
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