Tuesday in Trussville

When Captain Mike Abrashoff took command of the USS Benfold, the crew literally cheered as the outgoing captain left the ship. Retention sat at 8%, accident rates were among the highest in the Navy, and performance ranked near the bottom of the Pacific Fleet. Fifteen months later, with the same crew, Benfold won the Spokane Trophy as the best ship in the Pacific Fleet.On this episode of Tuesday In Trussville, Bobby Mason sits down with Mike, author of It's Your Ship, to unpack exactly how he did it. Mike shares the moment Secretary of Defense William Perry lifted him up and changed how he would lead, why he interviewed all 310 sailors one by one, how a "tree full of monkeys" reshaped his thinking, and how he won over the officers and chiefs who resisted him at first.They also dig into leading younger generations, why AI will never replace trust and relationships, what Delta Air Lines' culture shows about profit, and the one question that reveals what your people value most.Bring a notebook. You're going to learn something.🔗 Connect with Mike Abrashoff: apgleadership.com📘 Mike's book: It's Your Ship📗 Bobby Mason's book: Tuesday In TrussvilleWhat You'll Learn• Why validation from a respected leader can be the defining moment of a career, and how to create those "vanilla wafer moments" for your people• How Mike shifted from obsessing over what he couldn't control to focusing on what he could• The three interview questions that turned around a failing ship's culture• Why getting 1% better every day beats swinging for grand slams• How to bring resistant middle managers on board instead of blaming them• Why asking "What do you think?" builds ownership and outperforms giving orders• How to lead younger generations who want to know the "why"• What AI will never be able to do in leadership• How Delta's people-first culture translates directly into profit• The one question that opens a window into someone's soul• A simple culture test: Would you want your son or daughter to watch you lead every day?Timestamps00:00 – Introduction: Mike Abrashoff and the USS Benfold01:00 – Welcome and thanks for his service02:00 – Who lifted Mike up before he saw his own potential03:45 – Filling in for a three-star general at 34 years old05:30 – "Mike did great": the validation that changed everything06:30 – Bobby's vanilla wafer story and caring leadership09:00 – The change-of-command ceremony where the crew cheered10:30 – "We eat our young" and why Mike chose to change it11:30 – Mike's background: football, scholarships, and the Naval Academy13:00 – The Benfold turnaround story begins14:15 – A simple test for culture15:00 – 8% retention: focusing on what you can control16:00 – Interviewing all 310 sailors one by one16:45 – 1% better every day and "It's Your Ship"17:00 – Winning the Spokane Trophy in 15 months17:30 – How to get started on culture: don't break what works18:15 – The "tree full of monkeys"19:30 – Winning over officers and chiefs who resisted21:00 – "Nothing needs to change, just keep it going"22:00 – Leading younger generations22:45 – Stop telling, start asking "What do you think?"24:00 – Give them the why, let them find the how25:00 – Leadership in the age of AI26:45 – Mike's mother and intellectual curiosity27:45 – Change is constant: be a victim or lead it28:30 – Felt consequence and people-first companies30:00 – Delta vs. United vs. American: culture and profit32:00 – Why top-tier companies keep seeking improvement33:00 – Advice for leaders: be competent, treat people right35:00 – The question Bobby should have asked35:15 – "What are you most proud of?"36:30 – 310 index cards and knowing your people37:30 – William Perry: excellence without arrogance38:15 – Where to find Mike and his work39:00 – Throwing away the alarm clock: purpose in the morning39:45 – What Mike hopes to be remembered for40:15 – "Your book changed my life": a story from a former prisoner41:30 – Core value coin and closing thoughts42:45 – Powered by people, driven by purpose

What if the biggest barrier to your potential isn't what you don't know, but what you're sure you know?In the very first episode of Tuesday in Trussville, Bobby Mason, CEO of SPOC Energy, sits down with his friend Andy Andrews, the New York Times bestselling author of The Traveler's Gift and The Noticer.Andy has advised presidents, worked with the U.S. military, and coached some of the top college football programs in the country.Andy shares the people who lifted him up when no one else saw potential: an eighth-grade English teacher who told him to "pick your moments," and an old man named Jones who found him homeless and sleeping under a pier after both his parents died. Jones gave him what Andy calls the best advice he's ever received: "You can't believe everything you think.”From there, Bobby and Andy dig into why everybody is in leadership (and sales), the 128 hours a week your employees spend away from work, why culture eats strategy for lunch, how AI threatens critical thinking, the three lies behind the Holocaust, and how one untruth ended Jim Tressel's career at Ohio State.If you lead a company, a team, a church, or a family, this conversation is for you.🔗 Resources MentionedAndy Andrews: https://andyandrews.comWisdom Harbor: https://wisdomharbor.comHow Do You Kill 11 Million People? (signed copies at andyandrews.com)Creating Measurable Results (CMR)Tender Rednecks series on YouTubeWhat You'll Learn• Why "you can't believe everything you think" may be the most valuable leadership advice there is• Why everyone, whether parent, spouse, or friend, is in leadership and in sales• The 40/128 principle: how investing in employees' lives outside work drives results inside it• Why the companies with the strongest cultures benefit the most from coaching• How fast growth and new hires can quietly fracture a company culture• The real danger of AI in schools (hint: it isn't cheating)• How to use AI as a tool without letting it replace your thinking• Why human-centric companies will attract top talent in the AI era• The three lies that made the Holocaust possible, and why lies at scale still work today• Why transparent honesty is a leader's only safe option in an age with no secrets• How lost dinner-table conversations created a generational divideTimestamps00:00 – Welcome to Tuesday in Trussville & introducing Andy Andrews02:00 – Who lifted you up? Mrs. McLeod and "pick your moments"05:00 – Homeless at 19 and meeting Jones, the old man behind The Noticer07:00 – "You're sleeping on fertile ground"08:00 – Everybody is in leadership. Everybody is in sales.10:00 – What is Creating Measurable Results?12:00 – The 40 hours vs. 128 hours principle13:00 – "They're investing in me": the KW Containers story14:00 – Want better employees? Build better people.15:00 – Culture eats strategy for lunch (and meeting Tall Paul)17:00 – Protecting culture while adding 75+ new employees18:00 – When rapid growth puts your culture at risk20:00 – Jones's best advice: "You can't believe everything you think"23:00 – The biggest barrier to your potential is what you know for sure25:00 – Wisdom in counsel and leaders who can't step down26:00 – Leading with humanity in the age of AI27:00 – AI in schools: grades without thinking29:00 – AI is just a tool: "A hammer doesn't crack eggs"30:00 – Using AI for daily Bible study (without replacing the Word)32:00 – Why human-centric companies will win the AI era34:00 – How Do You Kill 11 Million People?37:00 – The three lies the Nazis used41:00 – Should our leaders tell us the truth?42:00 – Perks aren't culture: just tell the truth43:00 – There are no secrets anymore: the Jim Tressel story46:00 – One bad day doesn't define your life46:30 – Wisdom Harbor: creating America's next greatest generation49:00 – Animal food and 500,000 cats in World War I50:30 – Fishing report: go west for snapper51:30 – 20 years from now: how Andy hopes to be remembered