“Anyone who wants to do consulting, I highly encourage you to write a book. It’s like a one pound business card. Most importantly, it forces you to really understand what your product is and how to talk about it.” -David Marquet, USNA ’81
David Marquet graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in ’81 and led a distinguished career in the United States’ Submarine Force, culminating in command of the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe. In command of Santa Fe, Captain Marquet completely turned around the submarine, which went from being “worst to first.” Noted author Dr. Stephen Covey rode USS Santa Fe and discusses one of Captain Marquet’s leadership practices in his book, The 8th Habit. He currently runs the leadership program he founded, “Turn the Ship Around!”
In this episode, you’ll learn:
- Unconventional practices that will help you write a book faster
- How to build a team to support you through the writing process
- How to leverage a book to grow a speaking and consulting business
- How to find clients you love to serve
People and resources mentioned in the episode:
- Hootsuite
- Trello
- Poll Everywhere
- Slack
- Simon Sinek
- Simon Sinek’s Ted Talk: How Great Leaders Inspire Action
- Mindset by Carol Dweck
- Stephen Covey
Words of Wisdom
David succeeded at writing his book because he did it in the way that worked best for him. He wrote it by hand and got feedback early in the writing process. He didn’t want to write in isolation and he didn’t like typing it on a computer (although those methods might work for others). If you would like to write a book (or finish any creative project), it’s important to find the method that works best for you.
Connect with David Marquet
- Turn the Ship Around (official website)
- Turn the Ship Around (on Amazon)
- David Marquet on Linkedin
- David Marquet on Twitter
If you found this episode valuable, please share it with a friend or colleague. If you are a Service Academy graduate and want to take your business to the next level, you can join our supportive community and get started today.
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- Leave a review on iTunes. This is a brand new show and your ratings and reviews really help, I read each one.
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Special thanks to David for joining me this week. Also, remember to give David feedback on his new book idea!
Until next time!
-Scott Mackes, USNA ’01
