The Monsoon That Tried to Break Us

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 mission:
Get USS Nimitz to Chennai, India. Through the monsoon. Risk is on you.

But a storm was building.

The Wave That Made Us Run

During a tour of the ship with my Bos’n, we stepped onto the fantail and looked up—way up. A mountain of water, easily 130 feet above us, curled over the ship. Even with decades at sea, I’d never seen anything like it. Both of us yelled, “Oh, my God!” and bolted inside convinced that monster was about to wipe us off the deck.

A Diplomatic Mission in a Monsoon

The order to visit India wasn’t optional. The U.S. was negotiating a civilian nuclear power agreement, and our presence mattered. But the monsoon had other plans.

The Navy’s routing system, OTSR—created after Admiral Halsey lost many ships and sailors to a typhoon—was driving us straight into the worst of the storm. Sixty-foot waves slammed the bow. Wind howled. Equipment broke loose in the hangar bay. Every fifteen minutes my team and I studied weather printouts, the red blotches growing like a wound on the map.

The ship lurched as if it were breathing too hard. I picked up the mic: “Keep everything lashed down. Stay inside. I’m trying to find a better ride.” OTSR said stay the course. My instincts said turn.

Breaking the Rules — On Purpose

I called the embarked Admiral:

“Sir, I’m going to deviate from OTSR.”

“You can’t,” he shot back.

“Sir, I’m responsible for the safety of the ship. I’m informing you, not asking.”

Then I turned Nimitz ninety degrees left, straight into a more favorable wave pattern. Suddenly, instead of knife-edge pitching, we rose and fell like an elevator—violent, but predictable. At 26 knots, we rode with the storm, not against it.

We finally reached the shallows on the west coast of India, turned south, and endured a half day of beating. The sea ripped off parts of the starboard catwalk. A steel exhaust pipe folded like cardboard. But we made it.

We anchored three miles off Chennai—no chance of entering that too-small port. Even then, rough seas sank a liberty boat. Heroic sailors saved everyone.

The press hammered us at first. Thought we were there to conduct “gunboat diplomacy”. By day four, after our sailors painted schools and served orphanages, the headlines flipped: “These Americans are pretty cool.” And our mission was accomplished.

Face the Storm

Storms aren’t always weather. Sometimes they hit your business, your family, your finances, your health, or your team. When the pressure rises, everyone looks to the leader.

Here’s what the monsoon taught me:

Stay calm. Your team reads your face before they hear your words.
Consult trusted voices. Storms are easier when you’re not carrying them alone.
Adjust the plan. If convention isn’t working, break with it. Test, learn, shift.
Communicate more, not less. Silence breeds panic. Clarity breeds confidence.
Trust your instincts—and your training. Leaders are developed for the storm, not the sunshine.
Stand firm. You are the fuel for your team’s courage.

When the seas rise, plant your foot on the gun’l and grin into the wind: “You call this a storm!?”

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P.S.

If this message stirred something in you—share it. Forward it to a friend, colleague, or your leadership team. Better yet—let’s talk.

Let’s raise up a generation of leaders who know how to Lead to Win.

Mike Manazir
Bestselling Author | Navy Admiral | Fighter Pilot | Leadership Coach

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