“Surf When You Can”
by Captain Brett Crozier, U.S. Navy (retired) with Michael Vlessides
2023/Atria
$28/240 pages
ozier ever wanted to do. First, he was a helicopter pilot; later, he worked his way up to captain of “one of the largest, most powerful, and most celebrated [aircraft carriers] in the US Navy.”
You don’t get to do that without learning a few things about leadership. One of the most enjoyable lessons Crozier tells, perhaps, is the one about relationships and their importance in team building. On that note, remember that strength in a team comes through working together. To be a leader, teach, but be open to being taught; and don’t let discipline problems overshadow a team member’s humanity or yours. Stand up for your team members, as Crozier did during a COVID crisis aboard his ship, by keeping “Soldiers first, mission always” in the forefront. Then, give your people the tools and support they need to do the work, and trust them to do it.
Nobody likes a lecture. Nobody likes being talked at. And that’s why you want to read “Surf When You Can” because this book speaks to the intelligence of its readers.
Loaded with action-packed learning that doesn’t feel classroom-like, author and Captain Brett Crozier lets readers feel like they’re in the know, whether they are or not.
Another thing to appreciate is that Crozier is candid about his own career and why a situation unfolded as it did when COVID broke out on a ship he commanded. Using that experience, and others, to illustrate the points he makes lends a warm trustworthiness to this memoir-cum-business-book, and you’ll enjoy that.