January 4, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Fear Whispers. Leadership Answers The Indian Ocean in July is no joke. When the southwest monsoon flares up, it can turn a 1,000-foot aircraft carrier into a toy boat. We were steaming alone—no escort, no cruiser, no shotgun—because the Pacific Commander had given me a diplomatic … Read more

December 28, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Even the Captain Needs Coaching Sometimes I was coming back to the Nimitz alone in a Super Hornet tanker—the last jet airborne after giving fuel to a strike package. Gorgeous day; the ship carving a perfect white wake through a glassy blue sea. I slid back … Read more

December 23, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Leadership is Contagious. The Question is: What are People Catching? My call sign in the jet was Nasty. But on the bridge of the USS Nimitz, I was known as Old Salt—and I loved it. Every evening I’d grab the microphone for the shipwide announcing system … Read more

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