In the latest HCI Webinar, Dr. Jonathan H. Westover talks with Mark Fava about his book, Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom And Sea Stories For Leaders. Below is a summary of the main points from their conversation! Check out the full episode and let us know what you think!
Watch the episode here:
Quick Recap
Jonathan and Mark discussed the release of a podcast and Mark's book, "Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders", which shares Mark's experiences as a young admiral's aide and the lessons he learned from his demanding yet empathetic boss. They also discussed the importance of effective leadership styles, contrasting authoritarian approaches with more effective methods, and the value of learning from mistakes and experiences. The conversation ended with Mark encouraging the audience to visit his website and purchase his book, which was an Amazon bestseller before its release.
Podcast Release and Boeing Discussion
Jonathan and Mark discussed the release of a podcast scheduled for the 31st. Mark mentioned that he had listened to a couple of the podcasts and appreciated the opportunity to be involved. Jonathan confirmed that the podcast would be released next Friday and would be edited and turned around quickly. Mark also mentioned his limitations in discussing his current employer, Boeing, due to an ethics ruling. The conversation concluded with Jonathan hitting the record button to start the discussion.
Mark's Book: Naval Wisdom and Leadership
Jonathan and Mark discussed Mark's book, "Lessons from the Admiral: Naval Wisdom and Sea Stories for Leaders". Mark, a retired naval flight officer and lawyer, shared his background and the origin of the book, which was a labor of love that took over 30 years to complete. The book is structured around 19 chapters, each ending with a "what I learned" segment, detailing both successes and failures. The book is not about Mark's time as an admiral, but rather his experiences as a young admiral's aide, learning from his demanding yet empathetic boss. The conversation ended with Jonathan expressing his appreciation for the book's structure and Mark's ability to share both his successes and failures.
Effective Leadership Styles and Communication
Jonathan and Mark discussed the importance of effective leadership styles, contrasting the authoritarian approach with more effective methods. They shared personal experiences and observations from their respective roles as a university professor and a former military officer. They agreed that screaming and yelling are not effective leadership strategies and that a more subtle approach, such as the example of Admiral Mark's former boss, is more effective. They also touched on the importance of being on time and knowing the background of people in a professional setting. Mark mentioned that he has a section in his book about not being a screamer, emphasizing the importance of effective communication in leadership.
Time Difference and Leadership Lessons
Mark shared a story about a trip where he failed to account for the time difference between New Orleans and Jacksonville, Florida, causing a slight delay in their arrival. Despite this mistake, his superior, who was also on the trip, did not reprimand him but instead used the opportunity to teach him a lesson. Mark learned from this experience and incorporated it into his leadership style, encouraging his team to come to him quickly if they made a mistake, and promising to help them learn from it. Jonathan agreed with Mark's approach, emphasizing the importance of learning from mistakes and not repeating them.
Mark's Memorable Speech Mishap
Mark shared a memorable experience from his past where he was responsible for ensuring the speech of a high-ranking officer was correctly placed in the podium's binder. Despite his efforts, the speech was missing a page, causing the officer to go off message during his speech. The officer, known as "The Loop," later expressed his dissatisfaction with the situation, emphasizing the importance of double-checking documents. This experience taught Mark a valuable lesson, which he applied to his future work as a lawyer, ensuring all documents were thoroughly checked for accuracy.
Leadership Skills and Experiences Discussed
Jonathan and Mark discussed the importance of leadership skills and experiences. Mark shared his experiences from his military career and how they were transferable to his civilian job, emphasizing the importance of redundancy and gratitude. He stressed the importance of taking care of one's team and ensuring their success, rather than focusing on personal achievements. Jonathan agreed, emphasizing the value of servant leadership and the importance of building up the people around you. They also discussed the lessons learned from both good and bad leaders, with Mark suggesting that one can learn from bad leaders by understanding what not to do.
Mark's Book Release and Website
Jonathan and Mark discussed their recent meeting and the release of Mark's book. Mark encouraged the audience to visit his website, markcfava.com, to learn more about his work and to purchase his book, which is available on major retailers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Mark also mentioned that his book was an Amazon bestseller before its release.
Listen to the webinar here:
