David Marquet

David Marquet is a retired US Navy captain, bestselling author, and leadership expert who transforms traditional command structures through his Intent-Based Leadership model. During his 28 years in the submarine force, he commanded the USS Santa Fe, taking it from worst to first in retention and operational standings by empowering his crew to think and act as leaders rather than followers. His approach created more subsequent submarine captains than any other vessel and earned recognition from Stephen R. Covey as the most empowering organisation he'd ever witnessed. Through his acclaimed books, including Turn the Ship Around! and Leadership is Language, plus his forthcoming 2025 release Distancing, David equips leaders with practical frameworks to build workplaces where people contribute their full intellect, make better decisions, and thrive with greater autonomy.

When David Marquet took command of the USS Santa Fe in 1999, the nuclear-powered submarine ranked last in the Navy for both retention and operational performance. Within months of abandoning the traditional 'take control, give orders' model and instead empowering his crew to think and act as leaders, the Santa Fe rose from worst to first across every metric. The transformation proved so profound that Stephen R. Covey, after spending time aboard, called it the most empowering organisation he had ever witnessed and dedicated a section of The 8th Habit to Marquet's leadership practices. More remarkably, the Santa Fe went on to produce ten subsequent submarine captains, more than any other vessel in the fleet.

A 1981 graduate of the US Naval Academy, Marquet served 28 years in the submarine force, including as engineer officer aboard the USS Will Rogers before his command assignment. His Intent-Based Leadership model, born from the necessity of leading a crew on a submarine he had not trained for, fundamentally challenges Industrial Age hierarchies by distributing decision-making authority throughout an organisation. Since retiring from the Navy in 2009, he has distilled these principles into three acclaimed books. Turn the Ship Around! was named Fortune magazine's number one must-read business book of the year and remains listed among USA Today's top 12 business books of all time. Leadership is Language became a Wall Street Journal bestseller and earned recognition as Business Book of the Month by the Financial Times of London. His forthcoming 2025 release, Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions, extends his framework to help leaders navigate complexity and uncertainty with greater clarity. Named one of the Top 100 Leadership Speakers by Inc. Magazine, Marquet has also taught at Columbia University's School of Professional Studies, translating military leadership into practical business application.

Marquet works with organisations determined to move beyond compliance-driven cultures towards environments where people contribute their full intellectual capacity. His framework, summarised as 'give control, create leaders', provides leaders with specific language and structures to improve both decision-making and execution. Audiences leave his sessions with actionable methods for delegating authority, building trust, and developing leadership at every level of their teams. The result is workplaces where people feel genuinely valued, take meaningful ownership of outcomes, and remain engaged long after traditional motivation fades. For organisations ready to rethink how leadership actually works, Marquet offers a proven alternative grounded in real-world transformation under the most demanding conditions imaginable.