THE ULTIMATE HOW-TO GUIDE FOR THE IT'S YOUR SHIP BOOK

Do you want to gain unprecedented access to the secrets behind Captain Mike Abrashoff's success in creating one of the greatest stories in transformational leadership?

Then welcome to the It's Your Ship Navigation Guide!

One of the toughest parts of our professional lives isn’t the numbers or the technical side – it is the leadership side. None of us are born leaders, and we all need to continuously look for new ways to become even better, especially during these extraordinary times.

Do you know the one thing Mike wished he had when he took command of USS Benfold? He hoped someone would have given him a playbook, so he knew what to say, what to do, and how to act to drive both his and his peoples’ performance. After leaving the ship, Mike wanted to build this type of playbook for others. It wasn’t until he met his partner, Stacey Cunningham, did that vision become a reality. Together, they analyzed the actions, attitudes, and behaviors that drove the transformation of USS Benfold and her crew. Stacey, an innovative and results-oriented leader in her own right then created the tools and resources that are the engine that fuels this Guide.

This "Nav Guide" is a self-guided leadership program based on Captain Mike Abrashoff’s Wall Street Journal bestselling book, It’s Your Ship. Through his book and bonus videos, Mike will share WHAT he did to turn USS Benfold into the best performing ship in the Pacific Fleet. Stacey will then show you HOW to apply the same principals, tools, and tactics every day...no matter your rank, title, or role.

Through this Navigation Guide, Mike and Stacey will help you take incremental steps toward change and make a lasting impact on your leadership, engagement, and performance.

The Nav Guide correlates directly with Mike's It's Your Ship book and provides a series of lectures and resources aligned with each chapter.

The Navigation Guide provides for each chapter:

• Below Deck - Never before heard stories and lessons that Mike shares for the first time highlighting experiences and take away’s from his time as the Commander of the USS Benfold.

• Take Action - Actionable assignments, exercises, and resources that Mike used to drive phenomenal results. These guides are clearly formatted and give specific instructions on how they can be applied on the job.

• Boost - Elevate your learning through partnering with others and working as a team. Drive conversation, deeper learning and sharing with your leader/manager, peers, and team.

• Make it Stick - Tips to help sustain learning with tools and tactics for use in your own everyday leadership. Use these activities as you embed key principles into your everyday leadership not just for today, but for life.

Who is Captain Mike Abrashoff?

At the age of 36, the Navy selected Mike to become Commander of USS Benfold. At the time, the ship was plagued by low morale, high turnover, and abysmal performance. Few thought that the ship could improve – yet 12 months later, the ship was ranked #1 in performance – using the same crew. People were amazed, and the lesson was clear – leadership matters and culture is everything.

Mike replaced the traditional command and control style rampant in the Navy with one emphasizing collaboration, commitment, and cohesion, ultimately engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of his crew.

In many ways, what Mike was able to do with his crew was an extreme example of the same problems facing many organizations today. That’s why dozens of publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company, have cited Mike’s story as an inspiring lesson for leadership in business. Leaders uniquely identify with Mike’s ability to drive results in an environment where he couldn’t make the rules.

Ultimately, Mike and his crew were able to achieve incredible results. Turnover decreased to an unprecedented 1%, the rate of promotions tripled, and the crew slashed operating expenses by 25%. Regarded as the finest ship in the Pacific Fleet, USS Benfold won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the highest degree of combat readiness.

Who is Stacey C Cunningham?

Stacey Cunningham is an execution-oriented leader, business consultant, strategist, executive, and health coach who works with leaders and organizations to show them HOW to drive transformation through people leading to tremendous results. Working with Fortune 500 organizations, Stacey has a knack for breaking down complex challenges and devising elegant and straightforward solutions to drive change.

Stacey brings a unique vantage point on what it takes to be a leader today with a degree in nutrition, a master's degree in educational psychology, and several coaching certifications. Whether it’s sharing Captain Mike Abrashoff's phenomenal story of transformational leadership or getting leaders to focus on how to engage their best and brightest, Stacey knows what it takes to sustain high-performance levels in the face of increasing pressure, diversified teams, generational expectations, and rapid change.

She works with cutting edge organizations who have discovered the link between engagement, development, wellness, and leadership as the key to productivity and overall achievement. She facilitates keynotes, breakouts, and workshops that are interactive and hands-on, so you leave her sessions not only energized but with a viable Take Action plan to ensure you have a practical plan ready to implement immediately.

As a result of her extensive work, Stacey’s has impacted the lives and careers of many professionals in leading organizations. Many of Stacey's clients have acknowledged her as a significant contributor to improving the levels of two-way communication, employee engagement/retention efforts, leadership effectiveness, and resiliency within their organizations, including The Home Depot, Merck, Lehigh Valley Health Network, Center For Creative Leadership, Cisco, Lockheed Martin, and Five Guys to name a few.

Stacey and Mike's partnership is a potent combination that will inspire engagement and drive change at every level of leadership.