Retired US Navy Captain | Expert on Leadership and Organizational Design | Bestselling Author, Turn the Ship Around
Captain David Marquet imagines a workplace 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. His compelling presentations deliver the powerful message that in highly effective organizations, leadership is not for the select few at the top.
A 1981 US Naval Academy graduate, Marquet served in the US 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. It also created more subsequent leaders than any other submarine.
An expert on leadership and organizational design, Marquet is the bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around, which was named Fortune magazine’s #1 must-read business book of the year and has been listed as one of the top 12 business books of all time by USA Today. His second book, Leadership is Language, has been featured in the Wall Street Journal’s Top 10 bestselling business books list. It was also named “book of the month” by the Financial Times.
Marquet retired from the Navy in 2009, and now speaks to those who want to create empowering work environments that release the passion, initiative, and intellect of each person. His bold and highly effective framework is summarized as “give control, create leaders.” He was named one of the top 100 leadership speakers by Inc. magazine.
Marquet is a life member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and in 2015 was named to the American Management Association's "Leaders to Watch" list.