I have a passion for leadership and helping leaders grow their team. This blog is a forum where I can share leadership stories and ideas with other leaders, review leadership books and discuss leadership questions posted by members of the forum… and it’s free. You can opt out at any time. Subscribe to be a Manazir blog member.
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
October 5, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Why Trust and Care Can Unleash a Team’s Full Potential FrostyVice Admiral “Frosty” Frost pulled me aside one evening at the Fort Myers Officer’s Club near the Pentagon. Frosty knew I was headed for command, and he wanted to pass along one powerful lesson. It stuck … Read more
September 28, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) What the Pentagon Taught Me About Balance, Relationships, and Integrity The Puzzle PalaceJuly 1993 – The Pentagon “Do the right things for the right reasons and stand firm.” My first Pentagon assignment was unlike anything I had known in the operational Navy. Part of my job … Read more
September 21, 2025 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Leadership is Earned in the Moments No One Plans For Step Up and Take Charge—When Seconds Matter “Emergency pull forward… CAG Paddles to the platform.” I sprinted 1,000 feet down Abraham Lincoln’s flight deck as the ship heeled hard to starboard. An A-6 Intruder with a … Read more