#270: Admiral Mike Manazir - Retired Admiral and Top Gun Pilot

This was very special for me to have a US Naval Aviator who was trained at the same bases as my father had trained at, and who had flown F14 Tomcats at the Top Gun school, while Tom Cruise was filming, and then going on to come on the USS Nimitz before his current career in Boeing.

Mike Manazir served 36 years in the U.S. Navy and retired in 2017 as a Rear Admiral (Upper Half). As a naval aviator, Mike was qualified in the F-14 and the F-18 aircraft, flying 3750 fighter hours and conducting 1240 arrested landings during fifteen overseas deployments aboard aircraft carriers. A graduate of TOPGUN, Mike commanded a fighter squadron, two ships including the aircraft carrier USS NIMITZ, and a carrier strike group. Mike also completed five tours in the Pentagon. 

Following retirement from the Navy, Mike accepted a position with The Boeing Company where he conducts liaison between the U.S. Navy and Boeing.

Mike has been married to Kelly for 41 years. They have two grown children.

Mike has published Learn How to Lead to Win; 33 Powerful Stories and Leadership Lessons in which he describes his own leadership journey through his Navy experience. His stories are applicable in civilian organizations and pursuits as much as in the military. Mike’s book is available on Amazon in all versions as well as an audio version, which Mike narrates himself. Further leadership content can be found on Mike’s website, www.mikemanazir.com.

Mike’s “Two-Minute Top Tip” can be encapsulated in one phrase: “Lead from your heart, not with your title”. If you have to revert to using your official title to lead your team, you will not get the best results. To truly build a high performing team, you must create a connection – from your heart – with each member of your team. You must lead with empathy and care. You must let them know that you allow failure as long as we all learn from the failure. You must let them know that the team thrives through the contributions of each team member as a whole. You want them to know it is okay to assume risk and to always strive to gain better results. If you lead with your title, your team will not take risk, they will not attempt to fail and learn. In short, they will not be invested in constant improvement and greater success. Your heart to heart connection with each member will accelerate results. Nirvana for top team performance is when you don’t want to disappoint them…and they don’t want to disappoint you.

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