August 31st, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Great leaders identify risk early and act before it becomes crisis In June of 2007, I received orders from Admiral Bob Willard to take USS Nimitz to Chennai, India. The port visit was important to the President of the United States as he negotiated a commercial … Read more

August 23rd, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Great leaders simplify the goal and align the team. How do you crack the code for managing complexity? Few things are more complex than a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. USS Nimitz is a small city of 5,000 people with two nuclear reactors and a runway on top. … Read more

August 16th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) A skill that worked yesterday may fail you tomorrow. How do you stay up-to-date with industry trends without chasing every shiny object? I learned this lesson flying the Super Hornet. I had spent most of my fighter life in the F-14 Tomcat. I knew that airplane. … Read more

August 9nd, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Great leaders learn new tools without surrendering judgment. I was 42 years old when I was told I was going to nuclear power school. I had spent my career in naval aviation. I understood fighters, carriers, squadrons, pilots, maintainers, and flight operations at sea. Nuclear power … Read more

August 2nd, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Your organization cannot stay sharp if you stop growing. How do you stay sharp when the world keeps changing? When I was flying the F-14 Tomcat, yesterday’s skill was not enough. I could have a great hop on Monday and need to be better on Tuesday. … Read more

July 26th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) The numbers tell a story. Leaders need to learn how to read it. Building Financial Acumen Have you ever sat in a meeting and heard people throw around terms like ROI, EBITDA, cash flow, accrual, P&L, and balance sheet? Everyone around the table nods. You nod … Read more

July 19th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Great leaders handle today without losing sight of the mission. Balancing Short-Term and Long-Term Goals How do you handle what is right in front of you without losing sight of where you are going? In June of 1942, Admiral Chester Nimitz faced a decision with no … Read more

July 12th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Integrity is often tested through relationships. Most conflicts of interest start with good people trying to decide between loyalty to a person or organization and the integrity required to lead effectively – e.g. between loyalty and leadership. Maybe you’re trying to help a friend or a … Read more

July 5th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Leadership requires both judgment and courage. It was March 2009. I was Captain of USS Nimitz. We were conducting workups in the Pacific after a lengthy maintenance period, preparing the ship and crew for deployment. It was about two o’clock in the morning. The carrier was … Read more

June 28th, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Leadership requires courage before certainty. In November 2012, I was commanding Carrier Strike Group 8 aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. We’d been in the Arabian Gulf since June – seven months of operations. Admiral Bill Gortney gave me a choice: keep us in theater for over … Read more