Helm & Horizon

Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor

Non-Fiction - Military
403 Pages
Reviewed on 12/09/2025
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    Book Review

Reviewed by Asher Syed for Readers' Favorite

Helm & Horizon: Daily Leadership Principles for the Motivated Sailor by Steven-Paul Lapid identifies leadership as being shaped by conduct, setting the direction for teams, and establishing conditions for reliable action. Lapid talks about how distributed responsibility functions when the intent is clear, and when individuals understand the mission well enough to act in changing surroundings. He explains how documented procedures, steady instruction, and honest discussion support post-error improvement and help units maintain readiness. Lapid speaks on how leaders influence future performance by preparing successors through direct teaching and by setting expectations that remain stable during transitions. He also leans into how ethical duty guides decisions that affect institutions across long periods, showing how consistent behavior, clear purpose, and recorded methods form a foundation that continues to guide crews after leadership changes.

Helm & Horizon by Steven-Paul Lapid is a really interesting guide, and it was refreshing to read a naval leadership perspective. Mostly, this is down to the limited availability of such a niche angle, but also because Lapid's book is absolutely applicable to any form of leadership. I love the personal experience and real-life examples he gives. These illustrate how leaders are unity creators in addition to the ones who set direction, relating how this is especially important in maintaining a cool head in situations that can quickly unravel and become chaotic when information is scarce, and trust is reinforced through composed conduct. Overall, the book is intelligently written, straightforward, and, importantly, accessible so that it can be immediately applied. Readers will find Lapid's direction indispensable. Very highly recommended.