Ep. 15: David Marquet Turn The Ship Around

Send us Fan MailAs the Captain of a nuclear submarine, David Marquet created Intent-based Leadership. He is a nationally recognized speaker and authored the Amazon bestseller Turn the Ship Around. Overcoming the obstacle that restricts leaders from admitting that they don’t know something can be very difficult. David attributes this to leaders often thinking that leadership is a theoretical skill and provides a comparison that simplifies the type of skill that it really is.  People learn more from failure than they do from success. David shares some of the failures that have shaped him into who he is today and reflects on what he learned from them. We also hear about the two types of ego that are competing inside of us whenever we are put under pressure. BIO:  David Marquet (MAR-KAY) was assigned to command the nuclear powered submarine USS Santa Fe, then ranked last in retention and operational standing. He “turned his ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This revolutionary approach not only took the Santa Fe from “worst to first” in the rankings, but also created more subsequent leaders than any other submarine. Stephen R. Covey called the Santa Fe “the most empowering organization [he’d] ever seen” and wrote about Captain Marquet’s leadership practices in his book, The 8th Habit.  Captain Marquet is the author of Turn the Ship Around! A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders. Fortune magazine named it the #1 must-read business book of the year, and USA Today listed it as one of the top 12 business books of all time.  David Marquet is here today to deliver the powerful message that in highly effective organizations, leadership is not for the select few at the top; he will tell you how he and the crew of Santa Fe developed a way to create leaders at every level.  More about guest can be found here: Website: https://www.davidmarquet.com YouTube: Leadership Nudges-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM6PvFiH_weNCMCnFynTNdg Even More about the guest:  Student of leadership and organizational design, former nuclear submarine commander, Author of Amazon #1 Best Seller: Turn the Ship Around! And The Turn the Ship Around! Workbook, and one of Inc. Magazine’s Top 100 Leadership Speakers for 2018.  David Marquet imagines a work place where everyone engages and contributes their full intellectual capacity, a place where people are healthier and happier because they have more control over their work–a place where everyone is a leader.  A 1981 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, Captain Marquet served in the U.S. submarine force for 28 years. After being assigned to command the nuclear powered submarine USS Santa Fe–then ranked last in retention and operational standing–he realized the traditional leadership approach of “take control, give orders,” wouldn’t work. He “turned the ship around” by treating the crew as leaders, not followers, and giving control, not taking control. This approach took the Santa Fe from “worst to first,” achieving the highest retention and operational standings in the navy.  After Captain Marquet’s departure, the Santa Fe continued to win awards and promoted a disproportionate number of officers anSupport the showConnect with Passing The Torch: Facebook and IG: @torchmartinMore Amazing Stories:Episode 41: Lee Ellis – Freeing You From Bond That Make You InsecureEpisode 81: Kurt Warner – Perseverance, Humility, and Lighting the Way Episode 90: Michelle 'MACE' Curran – How to Turn Fear into Fuel------------© 2026 TORCH LEAP®, LLC. All rights reserved.