Meet the Author

Alright, let me tell you a bit about me. I’m Dave Chauhan, and honestly, like you, I’m just figuring this leadership thing out as I go. In a way, we are on a similar journey. For seventeen years now, I’ve been out there in the thick of it – the corporate world, the real world. Leading teams, sweating over big projects, wrestling with those same leadership headaches that I know keep you up at night too. From muddy factory floors to those polished executive boardrooms, across all sorts of industries, I’ve seen what actually works in leadership – and maybe even more importantly, what just... doesn’t.

And trust me, my journey? It hasn't always been smooth sailing. Plenty of wins, and moments where everything clicks, sure. But also? Storms. Big ones. Times when I’ve had to completely change course, times I’ve felt totally adrift, staring out at the fog, wondering what the heck to do next. It was in those moments—those messy, real moments of leading actual humans through actual fires, that something started to dawn on me. That old-school, top-down, “command and control” leadership? It just wasn’t built for this anymore.

We’re leading in a world that’s always moving and always changing. It’s a world that demands something different now—something more adaptable, more resilient, more... human at its core. That's when I got hooked on this idea of nautical navigation. This image of a ship's captain—not fighting the ocean, not trying to dominate it, but learning to read it, to work with its power, to guide their crew through anything with courage and real understanding. That just clicked with me, deep down. It felt right. It made me wonder: what if leadership wasn't about rigid commands, but about a voyage? A journey of constant navigation?

That wondering, that exploring—that’s what turned into my book, Captain, Set Sail. It’s not some dusty textbook full of theory. It’s real stuff. Years of lessons learned in the trenches boiled down into a guide for leaders who are searching for a way to lead with more purpose, more heart, and more… effectiveness in these crazy times. It's about finding your Beacon – your core values. It’s about developing your inner Wayfinder, that ability to adapt and see what’s really happening. And it’s about finding the Seafarer courage to actually act, even when you can’t see the whole map.

More than just writing a book, though, I really want to help other leaders navigate this stuff. Whether it’s through my words, speaking, or working directly with teams, my whole goal is to give you real tools, real insights, and real inspiration. Stuff you can actually use to chart your own successful voyage. So, let’s connect. Let’s explore this Nautical Leadership idea together, not as some abstract theory but as a real, practical way forward. Because honestly, I believe in this – in you, in us as leaders. And I know, deep down, there’s a better way to navigate this. A more human way. A more effective way. This Nautical Leadership Journey? It’s not just about surviving the storms. It’s about harnessing their power, about charting a course towards something truly meaningful, together. So, if you’re feeling that pull, that desire for something more solid in these turbulent times, reach out. Let’s start a conversation. Let’s discover your compass, refine your charts, and set sail – not just to weather the waves but to actually master the voyage ahead. Join me. Let’s build that future, together, one wave, one course correction, one human connection at a time.