December 14, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) What Happens When Confidence Outruns Judgement? Often the Road to Purpose Runs Straight Through Disappointment I was roaring down the Strand toward Imperial Beach at 120 miles an hour on my Harley—shorts, T-shirt, Teva sandals. Not exactly safety gear. I wasn’t thinking about safety. I wasn’t thinking … Read more

December 7, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) What Happens When Confidence Outruns Judgement? The night I nearly hit the USS Carl Vinson didn’t start as a crisis—it started as confidence. I was now the Captain of the USS Sacramento, the fast combat support ship for the Carl Vinson Strike Group. I had just … Read more

November 30, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Leadership Isn’t About You- It’s About How You Make Others Feel Authentic Inclusion USS Carl Vinson – At sea. I’d walk into the galley, grab a paper hat, tie on an apron, and shout, “Petty Officer Smith, may I serve food next to you?” Then we’d … Read more

November 23, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Delegation, Empathy, and Judgement: Three Tools That Kept a Carrier Moving Other Side of the Coin A Harley-Davidson Road King rumbles like distant thunder—annoying to some, music to others. I rolled through Bremerton’s morning haze onto the pier, eased into The Big XO spot by USS … Read more

November 16, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) When the Door of Opportunity Opens – Walk Through It Nuclear Power I had been selected for navy nuclear power school—and I declined. They pushed; I kept saying no. This went on for two days. Finally, I found myself standing at attention in front of my … Read more

November 9, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) How a Boss Who Valued Disagreement Made Me Better Push Back The first time I wondered if I’d ever measure up as a fighter pilot was watching Tom “Killer” Kilcline fly. Killer had the piercing gray eyes of the “steely-eyed fighter pilot,” and I caught myself … Read more

November 2, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) The Chance Conversation that Changed a Life- and Led to an Epic Duel The Cable Guy “I can’t shake him Muddy!” An F-15C Eagle was “swinging my wing line,” and my F-14D Tomcat was about to be in his gun sight. Full afterburner. High-G air hissing … Read more

October 27, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) The Quickest Way to Build Trust – and Performance Let Them Know You Care On a crisp Nevada morning at NAS Fallon, I was crossing the ramp to my F-14 when two troubleshooters headed toward the jet. I recognized one of them—Petty Officer Edwards. His wife … Read more

October 20, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Why a Simple “Thank You” Can Transform Results As I approached my first squadron command, one question kept nagging me: Why is morale important—beyond people being “happy”? In uniform, you can order tasks. But Title 10, U.S. Code, Chapter 511 §5947 makes it plain: a Commanding … Read more

October 12, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) How Accepting Risk Reshaped the Way I led- and How You Lead Today The Call from the Desert It was a cold, black December night in Fallon. As I walked toward my F-14 Tomcat, my friend Neil “Eddie” Jones leaned against a hangar wall and said, … Read more