Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders

Turn the Ship Around! is L. David Marquet's account of his experience commanding the Santa Fe, a nuclear-powered submarine. When Marquet took command, the submarine had poor morale, poor performance, and the worst retention rate in the fleet. Trained in traditional "know all–tell all" leadership, Marquet initially gave orders his crew attempted to follow without question—even when an order was impossible. He realized this approach was problematic and fundamentally changed his leadership model. Instead of maintaining hierarchical control, Marquet pushed for leadership at every level, giving control to his subordinates rather than concentrating it in himself. He worked to develop each crew member into a leader who took responsibility for their actions, from routine tasks to critical decisions. The Santa Fe's performance transformed dramatically, setting records for performance, morale, and retention. Over the following decade, a disproportionately high number of Santa Fe officers were selected for submarine command. Marquet presents his methods as applicable to organizations seeking significant change or incremental improvement in their leadership approach.