S8 Ep297: INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF COMMAND Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis discusses leadership lessons from his book To Risk It All. He highlights Admiral George Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, which relied on gathering h

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John Batchelor

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4.6 • 2.7K Ratings

🗓️ 11 January 2026

⏱️ 10 minutes

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Summary

INTELLIGENCE AND CALCULATION IN THE CRUCIBLE OF COMMAND Colleague Admiral James Stavridis. Admiral Stavridis discusses leadership lessons from his book To Risk It All. He highlights Admiral George Dewey's victory at Manila Bay, which relied on gathering human intelligence from diplomats in the absence of modern technology. Conversely, he analyzes Admiral Bill Halsey's failure at Leyte Gulf, where poor communication and impulsive decision-making led him to abandon the landing force based on misleading intelligence. Stavridis also profiles Admiral Michelle Howard's calculated risk-taking during the Maersk Alabama rescue, noting her ability to weigh the life-or-death consequences for Captain Phillips without letting career anxieties paralyze her decision-making. STAVRIDIS NUMBER 1
1978: MOTHBALLD AT PHILADELPHIA. SHANGRI-LA, IOWA, WISCONSIN.

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0:43.6	This is CBS Eye on the World.
0:45.6	Here's John Batchelor.
0:50.0	Admiral Jim Stavridis, the United States Navy retired.
0:58.1	His new book is very helpful to understand the history of the Navy and the way the Navy educates its future leadership.
1:03.1	The book is To Risk It All, Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision.
1:12.9	Jim has lessons learned, and I mean to speak to each of them with the examples he provides in his book, the telling of these lives at sea and on shore. We begin with lesson learned about how to be a leader in the U.S.
1:21.1	Navy. Gather all intelligence you can find, like a sponge. The examples I'm most attracted to in the book
1:30.7	are George Dewey, who led the charge into Manila Bay. And an example of gathering intelligence,
1:39.1	but not being able to follow through because of incomplete communications.
1:49.1	That would be Bill Halsey in 1944 in the Battle of Lady Golf.
1:50.3	Admiral, congratulations.
1:51.0	Good evening.
1:56.8	George Dewey is easy to like, especially when you tell us he was a rascal most of his life.
2:03.3	How does he exemplify gathering intelligence before you contact the enemy?
2:04.1	Good evening to you.
	...

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