The Royal Navy Way of Leadership: Managing is Doing Things Right. Leadership is Doing the Right Thing

by Andrew St. George

Four years ago the Second Sea Lord of the Royal Navy asked Andrew St George to spend time with every level of the Navy staff, from junior sailors in the engine room of an aircraft carrier, to handlers of landing craft, through to Royal Marines, ships' commanders, and Royal Navy staff right up to Navy Board and Cabinet level, with the aim of creating a book which distils the leadership culture of perhaps the most highly respected and efficient organization in the world. This book charts that journey - representing the largest piece of research on Royal Navy leadership ever done - and it is the current state of the art leadership framework for the Navy. St George writes about how to plan and execute, how to exercise judgment and how to motivate people. Everything in the book is here because it works, tested over thousands of hours of hard training, rigorous assessment and absolute measurement. The book's messages are deceptively simple. In order to succeed we must have: the clarity of intent; the strategy; the resources; a contingency plan; an emotional investment. These tenets stand in all walks of business and personal life. The Royal Navy's way of getting things done depends on soft skills, high emotional intelligence and an understanding of how people work in small teams. This book (15,000 copies) will be issued to every Royal Navy officer and Senior Rate (middle manager) in the Service. The book's insights are profound and their applications are wide-ranging: for industry, for finance, for professional services, for commerce, for academia and for the public sector these methods of planning, executing and inspiring make a tried, tested and effective way of leadership.

Genres: Leadership

160 pages, Hardcover

First published October 25, 2011

Reviews

[Charlie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A succinct, clear, and comprehensive introduction into how leadership works in the naval services. Useful for both military and civilian contexts.

[Rahim Hussain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty straightforward, made very easy to understand and applicable across different contexts

[Parani Parani · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good collection of views from experienced and accomplished naval officers. Great insights.

[Cristopher Jenkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book communicates the importance of soft skills in learning how to lead. It goes over some key concepts and ideas behind what differentiates management from leadership. More critically they explore what is necessary to be an effective leader and provide some insight into how it’s applied in the day-to-day running of the Navy.

The testimonials from service men and women within the Royal Navy help to reinforce these concepts and ideas coupled with providing a glimpse of what leadership is like in the Royal Navy, throughout the different branches.

My biggest takeaway was understanding how the culture of the Navy’s CCDRIL connects with the conventional leadership, day to day, all throughout out the book, examples and lessons learned from service men and women seem to reflect that culture quite clearly.

My only piece of constructive criticism is the lack of a clear end point for the book (which is a bit of a missed opportunity) to summarise and conclude the themes that have already been discussed falls short of expectations. It ends rather abruptly which is a shame. Especially when, in the topic of leadership as a whole, the Navy (alongside all branches of the armed forces) are prime examples to find the best practices of leadership under duress, extreme pressure and in dealing with the unknown.

Overall, it’s worth a read and deserves a place on everyone’s shelf for leadership.

4/5 stars

[Pritam Nayak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Goleman

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's excellent. Concise and clear - simply a great explanation and introduction into the Navy way of life. A must have for any aspiring sailor.