Naval Institute Press notified me this week that Tantor Media had purchased audio rights for Against the Tide.  Interesting, a month ago I sent the Press a new leadership book that is essentially a follow-on to Lean On. I haven’t heard of their interest yet.

26 Oct 15.  At classmate Jim Ring’s invitation, Linda and I traveled to Dover to participate in a Naval Academy annual alumni dinner. This is a audience with a deep understanding of the background so the discussion focused less on Admiral Rickover than it did on the impact of nuclear submarines on the Cold War on […]

2 September 2015. Admiral Chuck Beers arranged for me to be hosted by the Chief Engineer, Charles Southall, of the Newport News Shipyard so I might tour the facility and speak to their people about Admiral Rickover and leadership. The most impressive aspect of the afternoon was the approach that Newport News has to the […]

Accompanied by her sister, Nancy Merrick, Linda and I set forth for the Pacific NorthWest  in late June. Out destination was deep under the tall conifers lining the fiords that lead to one of the world’s greatest shipyards. The same deep waters meander by Senator “Scoop” Jackson’s naval base and also provide access to the […]

A publisher in Beijing surprised me this week. They  acquired the rights to issue a Chinese language copy of Against the Tide.  I have often idly wondered what would be the motivation to go to the immense effort of translating a non-technical book. English is a very complex language in itself, and Against the Tide […]

Linda and I are completing a week in Washington speaking with groups of friends about Admiral Rickover and the general subject of leadership.  Numerous people have been graciously provided us forums. General Nordy Swartz let us speak to Business Executives for National Security even if he ran off to raise funds in Chicago, leaving us […]

Reviewed by Dr Gregory P. Gilbert ONE MUST create the ability in this staff to generate clear forceful arguments for opposing viewpoints as well as for their own. Open discussions and disagreements must be encouraged.— Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, USN This fascinating, easy to read, and engaging book is hard to put down. I found […]

Reviewed by Phillip G. Pattee, Ph.D. Against the Tide: Rickover’s Leadership Principles and the Rise of the Nuclear Navy is Dave Oliver’s second book on leadership. His first book, Lead On!: A Practical Approach to leadership (1992), distills some hard learned lessons on leading from his naval career. Since both books discuss leadership with the […]

Jim Roy and the Electric Boat Management Council (the men and women chiefly responsible today for building our national nuclear submarine fleet) invited me to speak at their monthly dinner about Intent to Deceive. Our original date was snowed out last month and the alternate was this past Tuesday evening.   This was a particularly […]

I was being interviewed by Erik Ofgang of Connecticut Magazine this morning. His questions reminded me how few recognize the contemporaneous and parallel accomplishments of Admiral Rickover, Bill Smith of Motorola and W. Edwards Deming. My book alludes to the fact that Rickover drove industry, as well as the Navy, to better standards than anyone had […]