David Marquet

Captain David Marquet is a former Nuclear Submarine Commander turned keynote speaker who is now one of the most highly sought-after speakers on leadership. He was the commander of the USS Santa Fe – a submarine renowned to be the worst in the fleet.

As a natural leader, David created a new type of leadership: Intent-Based Leadership, and applied this method to the USS Santa FE. David was able to completely change the culture onboard and it became the best performing submarine in the fleet. When hired as a speaker, David is able to coach others on how they too can turn the performance of their company or organisation around by changing their leadership style.

When he was just a teenager, David has decided he wanted to become a captain of a Navy vessel after reading a series of books on the history of the United Stated Naval Operations. David, however, did not just want to become a captain, he wanted to become a successful captain where people were thriving under his command. In 1981 David graduated from the US Naval Academy top of his class and subsequently joined the submarine force.

Throughout his time in the submarine force, David noticed how the traditional leader-follower method of leadership makes people feel marginalised. Whilst on board the USS Will Rogers, David attempted to empower his team, and give them a brief rather than orders. His team, unfortunately, made poor decisions which meant he had to revert back to the traditional leadership method.

After an unexpected turn of events David became Captain of the USS Santa Fe after its captain quit. In a fleet David knew little about, when running through a drill, David gave an order which was impossible for that type of submarine, however the on-deck officer still repeated the order knowing it was wrong. This is when David knew the traditional leader-follower method of leadership could lead to catastrophic results, so he decided to try Intent-Based leadership once more. It was a success, and David turned the performance of the crew around. He gave them the opportunity to contribute and feel valued, thinking for themselves and not just following orders blindly.

He now shares how other leaders can implement Davis’s leadership strategy and he has spoken at some of the most prestigious events in the world – David was the top-rated speaker for Fortune’s Magazine’s leadership summit and received an almost unheard-of standing ovation.

David is the best-selling author of ‘Turn the Ship Around’ which is consistently listed as a ‘top read’ on Amazon and has been studied front to back by CEOs all over the world. His expertise are highly sought-after all over the world by CEOs and managers wanting to improve their leadership style. David expertly explains how to implement his leadership style throughout all levels of a business to improve culture, retain talent, build a team and encourage creative thinking.