SpeechFinders

  • Post a Public Job
  • Sign In
  • Sign Up
Menu
  • Leadership – leadership speakers
  • Management – management speakers
  • Trending – Topics and Speakers
    • Tommy Spaulding
    • Steve Farber
    • Erik Wahl
    • Sandra Joseph
    • David Nour
    • Marshall Goldsmith
    • Chester Elton
    • Steve Young
    • Mike Abrashoff
    • Cancer
    • Religion
    • Sports & Broadcast Personalities
    • Sports/Athletics
    • Agriculture
    • Close
  • Speaker Marketplace! – Communicate Direct w/Speakers
  • Submit a Speaker – No entry fee

Search

SpeechFinder’s

Custom Speaker Search

Step 1 of 2

0%
  • Please select the state in which this event is likely to play
  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
    Please select the scheduled or estimated date in which this event is likely to take place
  • Best number to reach you?
  • By clicking "continue", you are authorizing SpeechFinders and its affiliates and partners to deliver information regarding keynote speakers that may be of interest to you.
  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Request More Information

Would you like to learn more? Check availability below to receive information from this speaker.

Mike Abrashoff
Speaking Topics: Branding, Business, Featured, Innovation, Inspiration, Leadership, Teamwork
Fee Range: $20,000 - $35,000

Check availability

Step 1 of 2

0%
  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY
Vince Poscente
Howard Putnam
Dave Rodney speaker profile photo
Paul Rose speaker profile photo
Jill Salzman
Tim Sanders speaker profile photo
Eric Saperston speaker profile photo
Dan Schlund speaker profile photo
Laura Schwartz speaker profile photo
Araceli Segarra speaker profile photo
Crane Stookey speaker profile photo
Luke Sullivan speaker profile photo
Sheryl Swoopes speaker profile photo
Mark Thompson speaker profile photo
Sibusiso Vilane speaker profile photo
Waldo Waldman
Garrison Wynn
KK (Dr.YKK) Yew
Steve Young speaker profile photo
Book cover for Steve Farber's book: "Love is Just Damn Good Business"

Recent Posts

  • Dealing With Stress In Our Everyday Lives With Wayne Kelly
  • How Your Authentic Self Can Change the World
  • Mark Gober: Understanding The Independent Force That Is Our Inner Consciousness
  • Lessons from Remote, Inc.
  • Giving Your Way To Becoming The Unstoppable Version Of Yourself With Cynthia Kersey – REPLAY
SpeechFinders Speakers Bureau Home » Speakers » Branding » Mike Abrashoff

Former Commander, USS Benfold and Author, It’s Your Ship

Mike Abrashoff

Mike Abrashoff was the officer at the Pacific Fleet when he took control of the ship. Twelve weeks later, the USS Benfold was the best ship in the entire Navy — with the exact same crew. Leadership matters the story of that transformation has lessons for every organization — and culture is everything. Mike’s written three novels — his first, It’s Your Ship, has sold over 1 million copies. His Leadership Roadmap delivers battle-tested clear, and measures. Mike shows people at each level of the business take and how to participate steps toward change that may make a difference at work. Mike is clear,”I didn’t turn the boat around — my crew did that. What I did was to create an environment where they empowered felt secure and supported. When you do that, anything is possible”

In a lot of ways, what Mike managed to do with the USS Benfold was an extreme example of the issues facing many businesses today. That’s why Mike’s story has been mentioned by dozens of publications including Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, and The Wall Street Journal as an inspiring lesson for company. Leaders especially identify with Mike’s being accountable for the outcomes within an environment where the rules couldn’t be made by him.

“When my crew came to me with a issue, I would say’It is your boat — how can you fix it?’ .” Mike concentrated on the one thing he could influence: his crew’s attitude, because civilization is the competitive weapon for any organization.

In the core of his leadership approach on Benfold was a process of engaging the hearts, minds, and loyalties of employees with certainty and humility, and replacing command and control with cohesion and commitment. “The main thing that a priest can do is to observe the boat through the eyes of the crew. The idea is to enable every person to split the responsibility of achieving excellence.”

By every measure, breakthrough results were achieved by these fundamentals: percentage decreased to an unprecedented 1 percent; promotions’ speed shrunk; as well as the crew slashed on operating expenses by 25%. Benfold won the prestigious Spokane Trophy for having the maximum degree of combat readiness. This turnaround was accomplished with the exact same crew that had performed so badly weeks earlier.

His first has a message: do not utilize forces which stand in your way control what results that are amazing will happen and you can affect. His books, It’s Our Ship and Get Your Ship showed how these principles are put into action by industry leaders in their organizations.

A popular keynote speaker for viewers looking to ramp up organizational performance, Mike has spoken from board retreats to front line personnel; from sales groups to universities — to kind and every industry of audience to startups. He tailors the message to focus on much more and engagement, implementation, change, safety, diversity, leadership, teamwork, innovation, accountability and motivates audiences to rethink their beliefs about organizational culture and leadership.
Mike Abrashoff is the founder of Aegis Performance Group, a consulting company which works with and encourages leaders as they address leadership, performance and talent challenges within their organizations. His staff and mike prompt leaders at all levels to re-imagine their leadership thinking and create new techniques to elevate individual, team and organizational performance.

In Page Speaker Search



Topics

IT’S YOUR SHIP – ACHIEVING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

When Mike Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, morale was low, turnover was high and the ship’s performance ranked near the bottom of the Pacific Fleet. Just twelve months later the Benfold was ranked #1 – using the very same crew. The lesson was clear – leadership matters and culture is everything. This inspiring talk is for every individual and organization looking for practical and usable ways to take organizational performance to new heights. In Mike’s case, he realized that before the ship’s performance could change, he had to change his leadership style. Mike worked to create a culture of trust and empower his crew to take charge and use ingenuity and initiative to improve every aspect of the way things were done. Top down leadership is dead, so when the crew would present a problem, Mike became famous for responding “What would YOU do? It’s YOUR ship!” Mike’s presentation leaves audiences with the tools and inspiration to accomplish big goals.

 

NO LIMITS – UNLEASHING BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE

Sometimes in our professional lives we believe we are in a battle to beat an adversary or a competitor when in actuality, we are in competition with ourselves but just haven’t figured it out yet. When battling the competition, you want to come out on top, if only by one more sale or maybe a few percentage points. Sometimes, someone at a higher level gives you a goal based on some median expectation set for others. When Mike Abrashoff took command of a well below-average ship in the U.S. Navy, his goal was to get to average. He initially set average goals and expectations for himself and his crew until one day it struck him: his ship could be better than average. Mike’s eureka moment was realizing they weren’t in competition with anyone but themselves to be their best. They had to stop putting limits on what they believed was possible. That realization changed Mike Abrashoff’s approach to leadership and led the same crew to accomplish one of the most remarkable turnarounds that was chronicled in the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company magazine and his New York Times’ and Wall Street Journal bestselling book, IT’S YOUR SHIP. Many of Mike’s former crew members have gone on to accomplish great things in their careers. They write to tell him their stories. One of Mike’s sailors just ran for city council of one of the largest cities in the U.S. and he wrote Mike to say, “you gave us the inspiration and confidence to know that there are no limits.” This presentation will challenge you to think differently on how to set expectations while realizing the only limits that you have are self-imposed.

 

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 Mike’s Leadership Roadmap in action. Mike reveals 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, safety 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. Mike 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.

 

GO DEEPER WITH HALF- AND FULL-DAY PROGRAMS

Dive deep into the Leadership Roadmap with a half or full-day program. The 2-hour Take Action session most often used as a follow-on to Mike’s keynote to create a half-day program that provides attendees with powerful tools and strategies to apply in their work environment. Typically facilitated by a senior strategist from Mike’s firm, Aegis Performance Group, Take Action sessions create an exciting interactive atmosphere that examines the key components of high performing leaders, teams and organizations. Full-day sessions with Aegis senior strategists provide an even deeper dive into the practical application of the Leadership Roadmap for the participants and their organizations. Inquire for more details and program descriptions.

 

Testimonials

“We got fantastic feedback from everyone. I really appreciate the genuine sincerity you exude. Especially when you jumped into the mindsets of our people, suggesting for us to all stand and clap for Jeff Kish. That was a WOW moment that just highlighted how much of a good guy you are to so many people. Your real-time leadership shined through at that very moment. It’s one of the reasons you have been so successful in helping others throughout your life. It must give you a good feeling knowing that you can continue helping others to help themselves since you left the Benfold. And, I’m sure you had those personal attributes long before you assumed command of that ship.”

– -Chief Operating Officer, Bartlett Tree Experts

Misc.

  • VIDEO    Mike Abrashoff: Becoming The Best Ship in the U.S. Navy
  • VIDEO    Mike Abrashoff: It’s Your Ship
  • VIDEO    Mike Abrashoff – Focusing on What’s Important
  • VIDEO    Mike Abrashoff – Staying Safe in Tough Times
  • VIDEO    Top Leadership Speaker MIKE ABRASHOFF: Don’t Impose Limits on Yourself
  • VIDEO    Learning Leadership Skills: MIKE ABRASHOFF – Pentagon Training
  • VIDEO    Small Business Leadership: MIKE ABRASHOFF – Applying It’s Your Ship id
  • PHOTO    Mike Abrashoff Promo Photo
  • PHOTO    Mike Abrashoff Action Shot
  • JACKET    It’s Your Ship Book Cover
  • JACKET    Get Your Ship Together Book Cover
  • JACKET    It’s Our Ship Book Cover
  • DOC    Mike Abrashoff Bio – Bureau Friendly
  • DOC    Mike Abrashoff Introduction – Bureau Friendly
  • DOC    Mike Abrashoff Sampling of Past Speaking Clients by Category – Bureau Friendly
  • DOC    Mike Abrashoff Testimonials by Category – Bureau Friendly

http://youtu.be:/w1TPWO8mkIc?#

Initiate SpeechFinding

Step 1 of 9

11%


  • Date Format: MM slash DD slash YYYY

  • Submit for speakers








    By clicking “continue”, you are authorizing SpeechFinders and its affiliates and partners to deliver information regarding keynote speakers that may be of interest to you.







 

Speaking Topics: Branding, Business, Featured, Innovation, Inspiration, Leadership, Teamwork
Fee Range: $20,000 - $35,000

Company Overview

SpeechFinders helps meeting planners and conference planners connect with leading keynote speakers from a variety of industries, backgrounds, and accomplishments.

SpeechFinders

hello@speechfinders.com

Copyright © 2021 · SpeechFinders, Inc.

This website uses cookies to improve your experience. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. Cookie settingsACCEPT
Privacy & Cookies Policy

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may have an effect on your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled

Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.

Non-necessary

Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.

SAVE & ACCEPT