One of my regular reads is the 800-ceo-read blog, which does great news and reviews on business books. Yesterday they were pleased to point out that a discussion ensued during Monday Night Football about a business book. (I missed it but it must not have been a very exciting game.)
But this wasn’t just any old business book; it was about Mike Abrashoff’s It’s Your Ship.
Here’s a reprint of the transcript from 800-ceo-read.com:
[ESPN Monday Night Football
Baltimore Ravens vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Transcript starting at 9:10 Central Time]
Mike Tirico: Here’s Michelle Tafoya.
Michelle Tafoya: Well, let’s talk about captains for a minute.
During the offseason, Carson Palmer’s dad gave him a copy of this book. It’s called It’s Your Ship and it’s by a naval captain who turned a mediocre ship into one of the best crews and best ships in the Navy. Now Carson read it cover to cover and he told me he took away two lessons from this.
Number One: If the people around you believe you care about them, they will follow you into battle.
and
Number Two: The leader must be above the group but of the group.
And his teammates must believe in him. They voted him offensive team captain for the season, Mike. He said that was the single greatest honor of his career.Mike Tirico: More important than the Heisman Trophy, he said. Kind of surprised us all when he said it.
You’ve seen that all kick-off weekend, those Captain C’s, permanent captains, season-long captains by Roger Godell [NFL Commissioner], as part of the edict to increase the leadership and leadership awareness within each locker room. And the teams have voted for two captains. And we have seen alot of the familiar, big name players wearing those this week.
Tony Kornheiser: That was an Isman Brothers’ song- It’s Your Ship, Do What You Wanna Do.[laughing]
Ron Jaworski: Where is your mind sometimes?Kornheiser: Stuck in the 60’s, pal; stuck in the 60’s
It’s great to see a book about leadership featured on Monday Night Football and it’s a bonus that it’s a maritime book as well. I enjoyed it as well as Mike’s other book, Get Your Ship Together. Check them out and let’s keep an eye on Carson Palmer’s leadership skills this season. (“More important than the Heisman Trophy?”)
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Technorati tags: Monday Night Football, leadership, books, 800-ceo-read, Michael Abrashoff, Carson Palmer
Sea-Fever blog 
Another good book on leadership skills a la the sea is Command at Home”. It’s a study on the progress of naval command and how Nelson’s approach, much like the one you describe is most successful at sea and at home.