Grassroots Leadership: How Little Things Make a BIG Difference

Pink News Editor | September 21, 2021

Former Naval Commander Michael Abrashoff is well known for turning the worst ship in the navy into the best one.

So, how did he do this?

At age 36, Abrashoff began serving as the most junior commanding officer in the Pacific fleet on the USS Benfold. He quickly realized he had to address some major challenges – in particular, the crew’s history of low morale and poor performance.

Abrashoff addressed this by applying grassroots leadership. This is defined as “a philosophy that empowers every individual to share the responsibility of achieving excellence.”

Like wise leaders (whether in business, IT, or as a commander of a naval vessel), Abrashoff determined he had to engage his crew so they would share accountability for the ship’s performance. To attain this, he first needed his crew to embrace the concept. Experience had taught him that the best way to achieve outstanding performance is to plan, enable, nurture, and focus on it.

His solution?

One of his most important initiatives was to build morale by giving attention to the little things that can make a big difference. Like any other relationship, whether it be with our friends, romantic partners, coworkers, etc., it’s always the little things we do that matter the most. People appreciate their leaders taking time to do this because, when these actions are missing, people can feel devalued and disengaged.

In his book, Get Your Ship Together: How Great Leaders Inspire Ownership from the Keel Up, Commander Abrashoff details the journey that enabled his crew to begin valuing themselves and their work, as they focused on not just achieving – but exceeding – their ship’s performance goals. He will elaborate on his leadership insights, lessons learned, and successful management techniques – that can be applied to any type of organization – during his keynote speech at Pink22.

Grassroots Tactics to Help Build Morale (and, in Some Cases, Save Money)

Abrashoff believes truly great results will only come when all workers believe not only that what they’re doing is important, but also understand that delivering great results every day serves their own best interests (as well as their leaders’). He found the more he did to give them positive encouragement and support, the harder they worked. Here are a few of the things he put in place:

  • Abrashoff sought to see the ship through the eyes of his crew. By interviewing each member of his crew, individually (something these crew members had never experienced before), he identified tedious chores that could be reduced or eliminated, many of which led to the implementation of many time- and cost-saving measures.
  • Commander Abrashoff ordered birthday cards, wrote a personal message on each, signed them, and mailed them to a crew member’s spouse in time for their birthday. He always added a line at the end: P.S. Your husband/wife is doing a great job (whether this was true or not). The pride that their spouse conveyed to the crew member resulted in their increased commitment and productivity. Abrashoff undertook a similarly successful initiative by mailing letters to the parents of his young crew members.
  • The ship’s officers would let him know about positive actions taken by individual crew members so Abrashoff could personally stop by and express his appreciation in person. This, too, encouraged the crew to work harder and more effectively.
  • When a crew member found a higher quality and more attractive foul-weather jacket for 60% of the cost of their inadequate navy jackets, Abrashoff listened. He ordered these new jackets for the entire crew – and had the name of the ship applied to the back of the jacket. In addition to the gratitude of his crew, the initiative grew when five other ships in the squadron followed suit.

What are you doing to show your “crew” respect and appreciation?

Abrashoff’s books are filled with numerous other little things that made a big difference and helped his vessel go from being an underachieving ship to being ranked number one in performance – in just twelve months. Over the years, the simplicity of his leadership approach has resonated with millions around the world. He is a much sought-after speaker and consultant, and his books are often included on must-read lists about leadership.

Want to Learn More?

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