Something to add to the leadership summer reading list
Sometimes I'll miss something interesting on the first go-round and find out about it later, which is the case with my current read Surf While You Can, by retired US Navy captain Brett Crozier (which was recently released in paperback, which is when it crossed my path). Crozier came into some notoriety about five years ago by having the distinction of commanding one of the few US Navy vessels that experienced the "wonders" of the pandemic while at sea. He got into some hot water (small pun intended) by sending an email to Navy leaders asking for more support in managing the risks associated with the pandemic—an email that was subsequently leaked. There's a lot of coverage of Crozier's firing on YouTube, but, I think the book reads better without too much interaction with all the controversy from five years ago.
The subtitle of the book is "Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain" and while Crozier is not the type of maverick featured in Top Gun (though there are certainly some parallels in terms of experience), his take on "life, loyalty, and leadership" is both fascinating and grounded in a practical, common sense takes on how to manage (or command) literally boatloads of people (he was commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, which is quite a boatload, if you ask me). At any rate, I think the book is well-written and insightful without being over-the-top in terms of the presentation of the personal experiences of Crozier. Also, it's a relatively slim volume (240 pages), so it's pretty much ideal for a vacation read (or, if you happen to travel much by plane, a solid flight read). Certainly one of the common threads is employing empathy and kindness when interacting with folks; he sounds like he was a good boss.
Lots of practical, real-world examples of the challenges of leadership; while the military hierarchy has its own unique challenges, there are certain inescapable aspects of any hierarchy. I think you'll find we are all more alike than not. Happy reading!
About the Author: Steve MacArthur is a safety consultant with The Chartis Group. He brings more than 30 years of healthcare management and consulting experience to his work with hospitals, physician offices, and ambulatory care facilities across the country. He is the author of HCPro's Hospital Safety Director's Handbook and is an advisory board member for Accreditation and Quality Compliance Center. Contact Steve at stevemacsafetyspace@gmail.com.