186: Book of the Week: Turn the Ship Around

Show Notes: Book of the Week – "Turn the Ship Around"

Episode 186 of The HaltingWinter Podcast
(Part 1 of 5: "Turn the Ship Around" Series)
Episode Title: Why Giving Up Control is the Boldest Leadership Move You Can Make

Episode Overview

What if the key to stronger teams isn’t more control, but more trust?

In this opening episode of our 5-part series on Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet, Seth Winterhalter unpacks the transformative concept of “leader-leader” culture. Instead of the traditional “leader-follower” model, where a single person gives orders and everyone else executes, Marquet proposes something radically different: giving up control to create real ownership.

For local government leaders, where decisions are often high-stakes and staff are overextended, this model creates a blueprint for deeper engagement, higher competence, and more strategic thinking across all levels of your team.

Key Takeaways

• Why traditional leadership models limit growth, autonomy, and performance

• The difference between empowerment and actual transfer of control

• How pushing decision-making down creates buy-in and drives initiative

• Why control, clarity, and competence must move together

• The first steps to shifting your culture from passive compliance to active leadership

This Week’s Journey in the MLDC

• Monday: Why control is overrated—and what to replace it with

• Tuesday–Thursday: Building clarity, competence, and initiative at every level

• Friday: From follower to leader—how to multiply leadership across your org

Special: Free 7-Day MLDC Trial

Join the Municipal Leadership Development Circle (MLDC) this week and unlock:
✔ All 5 podcast episodes from the Turn the Ship Around series
✔ Daily blog reflections and tools for implementation
✔ Friday’s Virtual Mastermind session
✔ Access to a growing nationwide community of local government leaders

➡ Start your free 7-day trial at HaltingWinter.com/MLDC

Resources Mentioned

• Book: Turn the Ship Around by L. David Marquet

• Weekly Blog & Newsletter: The Leader’s Lens

• MLDC Membership Details: www.haltingwinter.com/mldc

Connect with Seth

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/sethwinterhalter

• Website: www.HaltingWinter.com