Here’s what other leaders and authors are saying about
Learn How to Lead to Win:
“Sit down, strap in and get ready for the ride of your life. Mike provides a masterful narrative that weaves insightful leadership lessons with fascinating life stories. Mike’s leadership ability grows as his story unfolds and he learns to delegate. Great leaders do five things well: they walk their talk, clearly outline expectations, give guidance, remove barriers, and, ultimately, help others succeed. Whether you’re a politician, parent, preacher, executive, or coach, Mike’s book will help you enjoy leadership and life as a thrilling ride and help you be the best you can be”
Dr. Donna Genett, PhD and Author, If You Want It Done Right, You Don’t Have to Do It Yourself!: The Power of Effective Delegation and Help Your Kids Get It Done Right at Home and School! Building Responsibility and Self-Esteem in Children
“Reading Learn How to Lead to Win is like jumping into the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat—it seizes you by the throat and doesn’t let go. Full of deeply personal stories of leadership, mentorship, and practical suggestions for succeeding at all, Lead to Win fits neatly into the top shelf of both life and naval memoirs. It is direct, honest, and treats both triumph and disaster as two sides of the coin of life. This is a book that is both hard to put down and can make anyone a better person as well as an accomplished leader and mentor!”
James Stavridis, PhD, Admiral, US Navy and Supreme Commander of NATO (Retired), Vice Chair, Global Affairs, The Carlyle Group—Chair of the Board of Trustees, the Rockefeller Foundation—and Author, To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts in the Crucible of Decision and 2034: A Novel of the Next World War
“Admiral Manazir’s Learn How to Lead to Win is a masterpiece in the art and power of storytelling. He captivates our attention and imagination through real life events in the chaotic and risky business of operating off the decks of aircraft carriers. Selfless passion for developing people is at its core, a must-read for leaders at all levels.”
Admiral Bill Moran, US Navy (Retired)
“What a fabulous book which I wish I had read at age 36 but which at 66 is still so valuable, maybe even more compelling for me and anyone else looking ahead and seeing the last decade of their active leadership in the business world and wanting to maximize the return on those years. I don’t read much, much less recommend many books on leadership, but Learn How To Lead To Win is full of practical wisdom and management theory. Come for the stories of Top Gun school, stay for the lessons learned by commanding a fighter squadron, being captain of a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier and a senior executive in the nation’s defense industry. Most of all, read about the “OOD” who fell asleep when the officer had command. “Nasty” Manazir was not nasty —he used that moment to change a career’s trajectory. There are dozens of such lessons in this book. Buy it. Read it. Pass it around. Send one to your own least capable manager not out of spite but so they get the tools by which to change their own leadership style.”
Hugh Hewitt, Attorney, Academic, and Author, In, But Not Of; BLOG; Searching for God In America; The Happiest Life; and more, is an American radio talk show host with the Salem Radio Network. Hugh writes about law, society, politics, and media bias in the United States.
“Mike Manazir is a leader whose ability to influence and inspire has been tested under the most harrowing of circumstances. From mach-speed training exercises at Top Gun to leading thousands of sailors aboard US Navy carrier ships in the War on Terror, Mike has learned what it takes to lead teams through an uncertain world. Mike’s practical guidance in Learn How to Lead to Win and 33 takeaways for leadership combine with a page-turning military memoir that’s worth the read. Whether you’re a leadership geek, a military mind, or somewhere in between, you’ll appreciate Mike’s down-to-earth approach to teaching leadership.”
Kristin Harrington, Founder and President at Strategic Solution Partners
“From the cockpit of a jet fighter to the command of the USS Nimitz to the halls of the Pentagon, Admiral Mike Manazir has lived and breathed leadership. I encourage you to join Mike as he weaves his way through an illustrious career with this fast-paced and motivating book that will give you keen insights into how leaders rise to the occasion when they face the seemingly impossible. I commend this book for anyone wanting to drive their leadership skills to the next level with proven insights.”
Dr. James Webb, Professor at Southern Methodist University, West Point graduate, Army Ranger, Green Beret, Author of Innovators Who Changed the World
“Admiral Manazir’s book Learn How to Lead to Win is a masterful weave of real life anecdotes and leadership lessons. A must-read for any current or future leader. Its quick tempo and insightful vignettes earn it a 5 star rating. Well worth your time, you won’t be able to put it down once you start.”
Bentley Nettles, JD, Brigadier General, US Army (Retired)
“Unlike many other books on leadership that portray certain skills or personality traits to develop if one wants to lead and become a leader, Mike shares our philosophy that leadership is contextual—it’s learned through life experiences. And Mike, despite his amazing successes, writes in a modest and relaxed style about the stories and experiences that at times inspired him and, on other occasions, challenged his self-image, indeed his very existence. He asks us to join with him in remembering about our own life experiences and what we’ve learned about leadership from them.
This book is for anyone who leads or is looked on to be a leader—parent, grandparent, teacher, manager, executive, politician, whatever—it’s definitely not about your title, it’s about you and your role, either formal or informal. So, please relax, take your favorite beverage, and join Mike in this fabulous journey of leadership.”
Melinda Muth and Bob Selden, Authors, Setting the Tone from the Top: How Leaders’ Conversations Shape a Positive Culture
“It doesn’t matter what stage of life you’re in—fresh high school graduate onto college, the military, or even a military academy, midlevel or senior executive in business or a nonprofit, or aspiring Admiral or General—you’ll learn something from Mike’s story that you can apply. He translates how he approaches leadership, sometimes even how leadership approached him and knocked him for a loop, and how to use all of these experiences to shape a life of leadership at each stage of your career.
You’d do well to learn from his experience, think about your own path, and shape your leadership lessons based on what you do every day, alone, with your team, or with your family. You’ll be better as a result. I know I am better for learning from Mike in my role as CEO with him as our Chairman of the Board for the National Defense University Foundation. Perhaps the most important lesson is to learn their names.”
James Schmeling, JD, President and CEO, National Defense University Foundation
“I’ve known Mike Manazir and his wife, Kelly, for some time. He’s an amazingly positive person and leader. This book is a love story. Mike loves life! He loved his time at the Naval Academy. He loved being a fighter pilot. He loved being in command. He loved the people he served with. His entire naval career is a leadership clinic. More than anything, he loves his family, especially his wife. All of that comes through in stunning detail and clarity. Read it. You’ll learn a lot about leadership, and if you’re lucky, you may learn to love life as much as Mike does.”
John Richardson, Admiral, USN (Retired), 31st Chief of Naval Operations
“Those seeking a genuine reflection of how to build a more thriving workplace, by empowering the Team, through servant leadership and organizational vision, Mike Manazir’s Learn How to Lead to Win: 33 Powerful Stories and Leadership Lessons is a must-read for leaders at all levels. Mike’s leadership journey will give young men and women the tools to take charge, and senior leaders the lessons learned en route to the executive boardroom.”
Steve Neary, President, Neary Global Solutions, LLC, Major General, USMC (Retired)
“Best book I have read on leadership yet. Learn How to Lead to Win is a powerfully moving story about the exceptional military career of a top tier Naval officer and a step-by-step exhibition of time and trial–tested leadership lessons. It is a perfect balance of entertainment and education. Sit back and hear the whole story from what inspired him to join the Navy all the way to the retirement muster ceremony and the ride into the sunset.
It is full of harrowing escapes, nail-biting encounters, and leadership lessons that every leader needs to learn to be highly effective and take their team to the next level. The invaluable skills and experience that Admiral Manazir learned through a forty-year career in the Navy have been made accessible through this book. You’d be a fool not to start reading today!”
Lucas Nettles, CFP
“When proven leaders share their life and leadership lessons, I listen. Mike Manazir is one of those proven leaders whose stories make me a better leader. Learn How to Lead to Win will become a must-read resource for every leader who wants to lead better and develop the leadership within others.”
Dr. Blair Ritchey, Executive Director of ISF
“I have been an executive coach for twenty-five years to over 5,000 business leaders across the planet. As I read the Admiral’s book, I was deeply impressed by the depth of his love for his teams. The stories are not only fantastic, but the correlation to great leadership principles is clear and actionable. As an author on leadership myself, I can say that Mike’s book is a critical read for anyone who aspires to be a great leader.
The reader will discover fascinating stories told by a humble author, who just wants to give back fantastic emotional wisdom to those potentially great leaders in the making. Mike is a treasure to be “mined” by the reader. The more you dig, the more you find. Learn How to Lead to Win moves the heart. We forget most of what we intellectually learn, but we never forget when we are emotionally moved. So this book can transform your life. You’ve got to read this treasure.”
Dan Foxx, Executive Coach, Unlock Your Leadership, and Author, Confessions from the Heart of an Executive Coach: True Stories Behind Closed Doors: Why Some CEOs Win Big, While Others Crash and Burn
“I am a psychologist and huge proponent for positive psychology and the study of character strengths. Mike is an excellent example of using his character strengths of humility, kindness, and perseverance to not only grow within himself but to lead and inspire others to loyalty and top performance. Great stories that are both insightful and have powerful lessons on leadership.”
Dr. Gwen Carter, PhD, Licensed Psychologist
“Learn How to Lead to Win is a fascinating read. Most of us will never experience what Mike has during his illustrious career, so being able to learn about his unique and amazing stories is invaluable. As a senior leader for a large corporation, I have been able to implement some of Mike’s learnings firsthand and seen great value in my team’s effectiveness.”
Elliott J. Russell, Senior Leader with a Fortune 100 Aerospace & Defense Company