Helm and Horizon, Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor. By Steven-Paul Lapid, USN (Ret.). Shine Press, 4522 W. Village Dr. #1294. Tampa, Florida 34624. ISBN: 979-8-9993665-8-0.
Reviewed By John Perryman
I have always found the theme of leadership and management in navies of considerable interest. I count myself fortunate to have been a leader myself, both in and out of naval uniform, and to have been one who has been led by many impressive leaders throughout my careers.
Conversely, there have also been occasions when I have inevitably endured bad leadership. Something that is always difficult to bear at the time but equally valuable to learn from. So it was without hesitation that I accepted the offer to read and review Steven-Paul Lapid’s recent contribution to this fascinating topic.
Upon opening this book, I was struck by the leading sentence of the Foreword:
‘Leadership is often compared to beauty; it’s difficult to define but you recognise it when you see it.
This truism immediately resonated with me. The hook had been expertly baited, and I was eager to continue reading. The remainder of the Foreword was not to disappoint, touching on many of the virtues that characterise effective leadership and promising a book that will offer those who choose to read it a chance to reflect and ask tough but essential questions: Am I leading with integrity? Am I building trust? Am I becoming the kind of leader others can depend on?
Lapid’s goal wasn’t to write a comprehensive history of leadership but rather to distil from history the wisdom of influential leaders and present it in a relevant and practical format pitched at motivated young sailors. An audience sometimes overlooked in a service in which leadership potential is often equated with rank. No small endeavour, but one he has succeeded in by creating 366 unique entries, one for each day of a standard, and leap, year. These are thoughtfully presented under four-chapter headings:
- Foundations of Leadership
- Leading the Team
- The Enduring Leader
- Charting the Course
The daily entries found under those four themes are similarly well organised comprising:
- Principle of the Day – A leadership principle drawn from one of the top leadership texts
- Naval Application – An interpretation that provides additional thought, insight and real-world historical or modern examples from the fleet.
- Take the Helm – Two specific applications to lead with this principle in daily naval life
- Eyes on the Horizon – A closing thought to reinforce the lesson and look forward.
To that end, one doesn’t need to read the entire book in a single sitting and, in reviewing it, I have enjoyed savouring the collective wisdom over several days, sipping it up daily and taking time to reflect on the carefully curated entries and historical examples given.
Some of those historical examples are confronting as they highlight the chaos that ensues when good leadership and communications break down. A case in point is Lapid’s entry for day 208, in which he examines the circumstances that led to USS Vincennes erroneously shooting down an Iranian civilian airliner while operating in the Persian Gulf in 1988. A situation that took place amid the high tension of a combat patrol and one saturated with the fog of conflicting information and heightened emotions. Not all lessons in leadership are rooted in success.
On a lighter note, Lapid’s work is filled with inspiring quotes from a variety of historical and contemporary influential leaders. These were to remind me of the quotes found on the ubiquitous ‘bunch of dates’ calendars that for decades adorned Defence desks across the nation. However, the meaningful context in which Lapid presents his quotes serves to reinforce each daily leadership principle and its application.
Lapid began his career as an enlisted sailor in the USN before commissioning and later attaining captain’s rank. That experience was to provide him with unique insights during his study of not only what effective leaders do, but why they succeed. He also recognised that in the digital age, when young men and women the world over are rapidly digesting short, sharp grabs of news and information, that it was essential to create something, that sat naturally into that environment that could quickly be absorbed.
I suspect that readers of this review may have already formed the opinion that I like this book. They would be correct, and I can see Lapid’s investment in Helm and Horizon having great utility both in the RAN’s leadership and management training continuum and more broadly throughout the fleet. Moreover, these are valuable life lessons that will resonate long after most sailors’ service and continue to benefit them well into the future.
It would be remiss of me not to close with one of Lapid’s carefully selected lessons:
Train the body. Prepare the mind. Study the craft, learn from the past and lead with clarity when the pressure hits.
Taking the helm and keeping your eyes on the horizon, with the aid of this book, will help you achieve that.
