“Taking care of your people does not mean protecting them from the consequences of their own behaviour. It does mean giving them every available tool and advantage to achieve their own aims in life, beyond the specifics of the job.”
– Turn the Ship Around
I intend to …
…tell you about Opto’s first book club.
We piled onto couches and loveseats at the Long Beach, CA rental house during an engineering offsite. We could look out onto the beach while we had a discussion on Turn the Ship Around. The team was so small at this point, we fit into a single beach house - though one team member (who will remain anonymous), in true leader-leader fashion, slept outside to escape someone else’s snoring (the author’s).
The book covers the transformation of a lackluster crew into one of the best in the Navy, using the simple fact that leadership can come from anywhere. Nuclear submarines are complex, to be sure, but we add the challenge of constantly rebuilding our vessel while we’re diving the depths of financial data.
Little did those early engineers, cross-legged or sprawled out on couches and loveseats in the summer heat, realize that Turn the Ship Around would resonate so deeply. The book itself was not a catalyst for transformation so much as it provided the language that articulated the ethos that we’d already inculcated or were striving toward.
“The Submarine Book,” as we call it, encourages active engagement and high trust by Thinking Out Loud and using “I intend to…” statements, rather than waiting for others to make decisions for us. This philosophy works well for technical decisions, but it also applies neatly to other areas, such as career management. After all, we hire unique, diverse, and talented people; why would a manager or more senior colleague necessarily know what’s best for you (especially on your specific projects / areas of expertise)? We find it more fruitful to ask: What are you drawn to learning or building next? Where are the opportunities you see, and how can I - as your peer, manager, or colleague - help you validate those ideas or get you to where you want to be?
We recognize that a great team will celebrate your victories and together learn from your defeats. But only you, through individual hard work, can truly earn the legacy you leave at Opto.