Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders
By L. David Marquet
Introduction
Turn the Ship Around! recounts how L. David Marquet, a U.S. Navy captain, transformed one of the worst-performing submarines in the fleet — the USS Santa Fe — into one of the best by rejecting traditional command-and-control leadership. Instead of issuing orders, Marquet focused on creating leaders at every level.
This leadership approach, known as “leader-leader” rather than “leader-follower,” hinges on empowering people with control, competence, and clarity. It offers a blueprint for leaders in any industry to foster autonomy, accountability, and excellence.
Chapter 1: Control vs. Command
Marquet begins by challenging the traditional model of leadership, where authority flows from the top and compliance is expected below. On submarines, this culture often leads to passive obedience — which is dangerous in high-risk, complex environments.
He realized that the solution wasn’t better command — it was distributing control to those with the best information, regardless of rank.
Chapter 2: A Sudden Assignment
In a twist of fate, Marquet was reassigned to command the USS Santa Fe — a ship he hadn’t trained on. His lack of technical familiarity exposed the flaws in top-down leadership. He gave an order that didn’t make sense — and the crew tried to follow it anyway.
This taught him a vital lesson: when you give orders, people stop thinking.
Chapter 3: Giving Control
Instead of issuing commands, Marquet adopted an “I intend to…” structure, where crew members stated their intent and rationale before acting. His role shifted from giver of orders to questioner and coach.
This practice:
- Built confidence and competence
- Clarified ownership
- Encouraged initiative
Control flowed downward, but with guardrails.
Chapter 4: Technical Competence
Giving control only works if the team is capable. Marquet doubled down on training, cross-training, and qualification. Every sailor became an expert, often certified above their pay grade.
Empowerment without competence is chaos; competence without empowerment is stagnation.
Marquet’s mantra: Don’t move information to authority — move authority to the information.
Chapter 5: Clarity of Purpose
People need to understand not just what they’re doing, but why.
Marquet worked to align every action with the mission and intent of the submarine’s operations. This clarity ensured:
- Consistent decisions
- Alignment with priorities
- Intrinsic motivation
He discouraged checklist mentalities and encouraged thinking leaders, not just doers.
Chapter 6: Language and Culture
Language shapes reality. Marquet eliminated passive phrasing like “request permission to…” and replaced it with “I intend to…”
This small shift:
- Reinforced responsibility
- Elevated initiative
- Flattened hierarchy
By changing vocabulary, he began reshaping the culture itself.
Chapter 7: Resistance and Momentum
Initial resistance came from both officers and sailors — accustomed to being told what to do. But over time, they began:
- Taking ownership
- Making decisions
- Solving problems proactively
The Santa Fe became a case study in leadership transformation — performance skyrocketed, and its crew produced more future leaders than any other submarine.
Chapter 8: The Three Pillars of Leader-Leader
- Control — Push decision-making down the chain, with boundaries.
- Competence — Train relentlessly, certify readiness, build mastery.
- Clarity — Align every decision with overarching goals and purpose.
When these three are present, leaders emerge at every level — and the organization becomes resilient, adaptable, and high-performing.
Chapter 9: Mechanisms, Not Messages
Marquet stresses that change doesn’t come from motivational speeches but from systems and habits.
Examples:
- Deliberate turnover of control
- Encouraging questioning
- Daily briefings focused on purpose
He created leadership mechanisms — repeatable processes that embedded leader-leader behaviors into the culture.
Chapter 10: Application to Business
Marquet concludes with stories of business leaders who applied his methods:
- CEOs who eliminated unnecessary approvals
- Team leads who moved decision authority closer to the front line
- Organizations that built clarity through mission-based dialogue
His leadership style scales — because it isn’t about charisma, but about intentional systems of empowerment.
Key Takeaways
- Leadership is about creating more leaders, not attracting followers.
- Giving people control, competence, and clarity unlocks their full potential.
- Authority should live where the information is — not just at the top.
- Culture change begins with language, structure, and intent.
Turn the Ship Around! is a powerful blend of leadership memoir and operational manual. It proves that radical transformation is possible — not through tighter control, but by letting go and trusting people to rise.
