Turning the Ship Around: Leadership Lessons from a Submarine Commander

How the Language of Leadership Shapes Culture, Builds Accountability, and Transforms Teams—Even in the Deepest Waters

Some years ago I read Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet, and it left me deeply inspired. His leadership approach completely transformed the way I think about leading teams and I want to share some insights with you:

What are some ideas that I read in this book and I want to share here with you:

💜 The power of words - one of the things that help followers become leaders is to mindfully use words:

🔑 Use "I intend to...." instead of "Request permission to..."
🔑 Use "I plan to..." instead of "I would like to..."
🔑 Use "I will..." instead of "What should I do about..."
🔑 Use "We will..." instead of "Could we..." and so on


💜 "I wanted to be able to have a heart attack and have the ship continue to effectively take the fight to the enemy." You want NOT to be missed after your depart.


💜 Thinking out loud - "When I, as a captain, would think out loud, I was in essence imparting important context and experience to my subordinates. Are you willing to let your staff see that your lack of certainty and certainty is arrogance?"

💜Take deliberate action - pause before doing something - think out loud what you are going to do before you do it; mindfully do steps instead of letting the automatic pilot take control.

Here are some drawings with additional ideas I have visualized:

Let me know in the comments which question is the most useful for you:

Bottom line:

By shifting from asking for permission to declaring intent, we help followers become leaders. Thinking out loud provides valuable context, while taking deliberate action ensures mindful decision-making. And ultimately, great leadership means building a team that thrives—even in your absence.

Resources:

• Book Turn The Ship Around by David Marquet