Span of Control - by Carey D Lohrenz (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

What can you control?
What do you do when you're under pressure, overwhelmed, and ready to get what you really want? As one of the first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilots in the US Navy, as well as a mom, wife, business consultant, Wall Street Journal bestselling author, and global speaker, author Carey Lohrenz knows that the stress we experience can be just as intense as the stress in the cockpit of a fighter jet going Mach 2. But she's got a secret weapon to prevail: years of training to overcome the specific natures of uncertainty, stress, burnout, anxiety, and pressure.
At our core, we know we've lost control. We've lost our grip on what we really want and who we really want to be. In order to solve the challenges of chaos and make our goals, dreams, and commitments a reality, we have to understand that in order to succeed when the pressure is on and to improve our performance overall, we've got to know what we can and cannot control.
In Span of Control, Lohrenz walks us through the fundamentals of surviving and succeeding during times of crisis. Weaving together eye-opening science, gripping personal stories, insightful interviews, prescriptive advice, and a high-octane dose of encouragement and practicality, Span of Control helps leaders recognize how to focus on what matters most, formulate a plan for success, and communicate what's possible.

Review Quotes

"As a Navy fighter pilot, Carey Lohrenz is an expert on conquering turbulence and prevailing in combat. In this book, she takes you inside the cockpit with vivid stories about how she excelled under pressure and practical lessons about how you can too." -ADAM GRANT, #1 New York Times best-selling author of THINK AGAIN and host of the TED podcast WorkLife

"As Carey accurately points out, multi-tasking is a myth and will get you killed in combat. Snipers and pilots know it's all about focus and execution. Powerfully written, Span of Control is a must-read, and a major contribution to leadership." --BRANDON WEBB, Former Navy SEAL, Entrepreneur, Multiple New York Times best-selling author

"Carey Lohrenz has faced some of the most extreme environments imaginable in the cockpit at Mach 2. She also knows what challenge, high performance, and overcoming adversity--to not only survive, but thrive--looks like. An important book, Span of Control gives you the valuable resources and concrete strategies as both a leader and a teammate to chart a better path forward and cultivate intense focus on what matters most." --ALAN MULALLY, Former CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes; Ford Motor Company

"Filled with leading edge scientific research, captivating stories, and straightforward practices, Carey's direct, persuasive, and compelling call for each of us to focus on our span of control in the midst of uncertainty and tumultuous times makes this simply the right book, at the right time." --STEVE FORBES, Editor-in-Chief and chairman of Forbes Media

"I typically do not think of professional books as page-turners, but this one is. The book grabs you immediately--you feel like you are Carey's wingman as she lands her military jet on a bouncing carrier. You are not going to be able to put Span of Control down, but you should pace yourself and read it in timed increments to allow yourself the mental space to absorb important work and life lessons. Whether you are sixteen or one hundred years old, there is something for everyone in Carey's new book. Span of Control is a riveting, inspiring, and thought-provoking challenge to conventional thinking about success and high-performance--this is the perfect book for this turbulent time. Whether you're an aspiring young adult wanting to lead, or you're a professional leading a Fortune 100 company or a startup; if you're leading a sales team or your family or a volunteer group; this book will challenge you to rethink what is possible. In her well-researched, captivating, and witty book, Carey Lohrenz shows us the virtue of being able to adapt and overcome, and of learning both how to focus and navigate uncertainty and complexity." --THERESA PAYTON, First female White House CIO, CEO of Fortalice Solutions, Author of Manipulated, the #1 Hot New Release on Amazon and #1 2020 Nonfiction Best Seller at Independent Park Road Books

"If I had one call to make in an emergency, Carey Lohrenz would be it. This is the right book for right now. At a time when distractions are endless and uncertainty surrounds us, Span of Control weaves together cutting-edge research and storytelling that reveals a better way to lead yourself, your family, your community, and your organization successfully. If you lead people, work with people--or, well, know any people--you must read this book!" --MEL ROBBINS, Author of The 5 Second Rule and four #1 audiobooks on Audible, Daytime talk show host and tech entrepreneur, Presenter of one of the most viewed TEDx videos in the world

"Span of Control is one of the best military themed leadership books I have ever read. Carey Lohrenz does a remarkable job of connecting success in the cockpit of a fighter jet with success in life. If you're going to buy one leadership book this year, make it this one!" --ADMIRAL WILLIAM H. MCRAVEN, USN (retired)

"What I love and admire most about Carey Lohrenz is that she sees the possibility and potential in all of us to be positive difference-makers. In Span of Control, she shares a brilliant and brave model to help you navigate life's roughest waters and create meaningful change in order to thrive." --KEN BLANCHARD, Coauthor of The New One Minute Manager; Servant Leadership in Action

In her first book, Wall Street Journal bestseller Fearless Leadership, Carey D. Lohrenz identified and explored the characteristics of true leaders-courage, tenacity, and integrity--and then revealed exactly how those characteristics are expressed in action in fast-moving, dynamic environments.
In Span of Control, Lohrenz picks up right where Fearless Leadership left off--encouraging readers to develop resilience for facing hard times. Span of Control offers a collection of moving stories, actionable tools, and opportunities for reader reflection, all of which can be applied immediately in businesses, on teams, and in readers' personal lives. The central tenet of this book--that we focus our attention and effort explicitly and relentlessly on a limited number of priorities that we can, and should, control--offers a clear path out of the chaos and overwhelm that can accompany our biggest challenges and our moments of greatest distress.