January 11, 2026 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes) Ever Been Stuck Between Two Bad Options With Everyone Watching? When people ask, “What was the closest your career came to ending?” my mind immediately goes to the Strait of Malacca. We were heading home from deployment. I was Captain of the USS Nimitz—a 1,000-foot nuclear-powered … Read more

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