The cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat is one of the most demanding environments in the world, and it’s where I learned some of my most unforgettable lessons—not just in flying, but also in life and leadership. Since leaving the military, I have worked with business leaders, from Fortune 500 executives to middle managers. My experiences as a leadership consultant, keynote speaker and executive coach have helped me further distill those lessons, share them with others, and then watch as leaders and their teams flourish.
I’m so excited for the opportunity to share these lessons with you in my new book (already a Wall Street Journal Best Seller!) Fearless Leadership: High Performance Lessons From The Flight Deck. Though it may surprise you, the parallels between the world of naval aviation and the world of business are endless. From the cockpit to the boardroom, the essential principles of leadership remain the same.
As a leader, you must:
*Perform highly complex, high-pressure tasks
*Cope with changing environments
*Face mistakes that could damage your career or the careers of others
*Be accountable to your team, whether that’s a team of fighter pilots or business employees
Fearless Leadership is a call to action. It’s a call to master anxiety and reach for excellence, even when you may have doubts. I invite you to take the lessons I learned as a naval aviator and use them to forge ahead in your own leadership journey, no matter how many challenging situations you encounter. I’ve seen so many teams crippled by individual fears, and I’m here to help you push past those fears by breaking down the fundamental traits of leadership and turning those traits into actions.
You don’t have to be interested in the military or want to fly a fighter jet to enjoy and benefit from this book. Fearless Leadership is about reaching peak performance as a leader, whether that means taking your very first leadership position, pushing for a promotion, or revolutionizing your approach to being a CEO. Fearless Leadership is a call for each of us to lead more fearlessly—and a guide to show you how to get started.
Whether you’re already familiar with my work or learning the concept of fearless leadership for the first time, I invite you to join me in the coming weeks as I share new tactics and incorporate tools and advice from Fearless Leadership on this blog.
Carey Lohrenz is the author of the Wall Street Journal Best Seller “Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck.”, a motivational speaker and leadership expert.
Carey has flown missions worldwide as a combat-mission-ready United States Navy F-14 Tomcat pilot. Her extensive experience operating in one of the world’s most challenging environments, an aircraft carrier, and her unique position as one of the first female combat pilots make her the perfect opening or closing inspirational keynote speaker for your corporate meeting or conference.
Carey graduated from the University of Wisconsin where she was a varsity rower, also training at the Pre-Olympic level. After graduation, she attended the Navy’s Aviation Officer Candidate School before starting flight training and her naval career. She is the mother of four kids, and is currently working on her Master’s in Business Administration in Strategic Leadership.
