Mr. Osama
Retention Through Redemption by D. Michael Abrashoff
Reprint r0102l
2
Copyright © 2001 by Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
D i f f e r e n t Vo i c e
Retention
Through
Redemption
Once, sailors couldn’t leave the USS Benfold fast enough. Today, the vessel is the pride of the Pacific fleet, and sailors from other ships are clamoring to join its crew. How did the captain of the ship, Mike Abrashoff, get the Benfold back on course? By breaking bad habits and jettisoning old attitudes – starting with his own.
by D. Michael Abrashoff
I
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY RINALDO
f employee retention is a headache for business, it’s a migraine for the U.S. Navy. Forty percent of the navy’s new recruits will wash out of the service before their four-year tours are up. That’s not just bad for the military’s effectiveness, it’s expensive: it costs taxpayers about $35,000 to recruit one sailor and send him through nine weeks of boot camp. Of those who make it through their first hitch, only 30% sign on for a second term. When I took command of the destroyer USS Benfold in June 1997, the navy’s retention problem, which I had observed all through my 16 years in the service, became mine to endure or to
solve. Although the Benfold is a technological wonder – for instance, its radar system can track a bird-sized object from 50 miles away – virtually all its 310 sailors were deeply demoralized. In fact, they were so unhappy with their lives on board, they literally cheered when my predecessor left the ship for the last time. Watching that scene in shock, I vowed that would never happen to me. I wanted sailors so engaged with their work, they would perform better than ever, willingly stick around for their entire tours, and possibly even respect me in the process. The only problem: I had no idea how to make that dream come true. 3
february 2001
D I F F E R E N T V O I C E • Re t e n t i o n T h ro u g h Re d e m p t i o n
Reprint r0102l
2
Copyright © 2001 by Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.
D i f f e r e n t Vo i c e
Retention
Through
Redemption
Once, sailors couldn’t leave the USS Benfold fast enough. Today, the vessel is the pride of the Pacific fleet, and sailors from other ships are clamoring to join its crew. How did the captain of the ship, Mike Abrashoff, get the Benfold back on course? By breaking bad habits and jettisoning old attitudes – starting with his own.
by D. Michael Abrashoff
I
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TONY RINALDO
f employee retention is a headache for business, it’s a migraine for the U.S. Navy. Forty percent of the navy’s new recruits will wash out of the service before their four-year tours are up. That’s not just bad for the military’s effectiveness, it’s expensive: it costs taxpayers about $35,000 to recruit one sailor and send him through nine weeks of boot camp. Of those who make it through their first hitch, only 30% sign on for a second term. When I took command of the destroyer USS Benfold in June 1997, the navy’s retention problem, which I had observed all through my 16 years in the service, became mine to endure or to
solve. Although the Benfold is a technological wonder – for instance, its radar system can track a bird-sized object from 50 miles away – virtually all its 310 sailors were deeply demoralized. In fact, they were so unhappy with their lives on board, they literally cheered when my predecessor left the ship for the last time. Watching that scene in shock, I vowed that would never happen to me. I wanted sailors so engaged with their work, they would perform better than ever, willingly stick around for their entire tours, and possibly even respect me in the process. The only problem: I had no idea how to make that dream come true. 3
february 2001
D I F F E R E N T V O I C E • Re t e n t i o n T h ro u g h Re d e m p t i o n