Mike Abrashoff

Mike Abrashoff is a former U.S. Navy captain, bestselling author of It’s Your Ship, and one of the most sought-after leadership speakers in America. His legendary transformation of the USS Benfold from one of the worst-performing ships in the Pacific Fleet to the best — using the same crew — has become one of the most studied leadership case studies in modern business.

The Turnaround That Changed How America Thinks About Leadership

When Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, a guided missile destroyer, morale was low, performance was poor, and turnover was rampant. Rather than relying on top-down authority, he developed a radically different approach: he listened to his crew, removed bureaucratic obstacles, and empowered every sailor to take ownership of their work. The results were extraordinary. The Benfold achieved the highest combat readiness rating in the Pacific Fleet, won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the best combat-ready ship, and reduced pre-deployment training costs significantly.

Empowering Organizations to Get Results

Abrashoff’s bestselling books It’s Your Ship, It’s Our Ship, and Get Your Ship Together have sold over one million copies and have become essential reading in leadership programs worldwide. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and former military assistant to Secretary of Defense William Perry, Abrashoff brings both gravitas and accessibility to his keynotes. He shows leaders how to create cultures of trust where every team member feels ownership, demonstrating that the most powerful leadership tool is not authority but the ability to inspire people to want to do their best work.

“It’s Your Ship – Achieving Breakthrough Performance”

When Mike Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, morale was low, turnover was high and performance ranked at the bottom of the Pacific Fleet. Twelve months later the ship was the benchmark for performance – the shining star … using the very same crew. This inspiring talk is based on the vital leadership lessons Abrashoff learned as he led the remarkable turnaround of the ship. The first lesson was Abrashoff’s realization that before the ship’s performance could improve, his own leadership style had to change from the traditional command and control model. When the crew would present a problem, Abrashoff became known for responding “What would YOU do? It’s YOUR ship!” His Leadership Roadmap principles created a high performance culture and empowered his crew to take charge and use ingenuity and initiative to improve every aspect of the way things were done. Abrashoff’s presentation leaves audiences with the tools and inspiration to lead differently and elevate organizational performance to new levels.

“It’s Our Ship – Putting the Leadership Roadmap To Work”

For organizations that want to get serious about improving performance, this presentation delivers examples of the Leadership Roadmap in action. Abrashoff brings to life stories of how the principles that led the transformation of the USS Benfold have been put into action at companies and organizations looking to harness the power of their most important asset – their people. He shows real leaders achieving dramatic results as they work to address their most pressing people challenges: collaboration, commitment, cohesion, accountability, engagement, rapid and continual innovation and diversity in the workforce. In example after example, the lessons from the Benfold clearly translate across all kinds of organizations – corporations, small business, non-profits and government. Abrashoff shows audiences, by example, how to use their new leadership toolkit. “It’s Our Ship” goes deep into the how-tos of creating a culture where everyone takes ownership and responsibility for taking performance to the next level.

“Take Action” Breakout Session

Meant to deepen the learning from Mike Abrashoff’s keynote talk, Take Action sessions provide attendees with additional powerful tools and strategies to apply in their work environment. Facilitated by a senior strategist from Abrashoff’s firm, GLS Worldwide, and taking place immediately following the keynote, Take Action sessions create an exciting atmosphere that examines the key components of high performing leaders, teams and organizations. Participants will experience innovative, fast-paced individual and group exercises tailored to the leadership and cultural issues most relevant to the organization. They’ll learn practical application of principles outlined in the keynote and build a roadmap to achieve the personal and organizational goals they’ve outlined. Take Action sessions are customizable to meet time and resource-sensitive needs and require a minimum of 2 hours.