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Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck
A Wall Street Journal Bestseller!
An F-14 fighter pilot’s top lessons for leading fearlessly—and bringing a team to peak performance
As an aviation pioneer, Carey D. Lohrenz learned what fearless leadership means in some of the most demanding and extreme environments imaginable: the cockpit of an F-14 and the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Here, her teams had to perform at their peak—or lives were on the line. Faltering leadership was simply unacceptable. Through these experiences, Lohrenz identified a fundamental truth: high-performing teams require fearless leaders.
Since leaving the Navy, she’s translated that lesson into a new field, helping top business leaders, from Fortune 500 executives to middle managers, supercharge performance in today’s competitive business environments. In Fearless Leadership, Lohrenz walks you through the three fundamentals of real fearlessness—courage, tenacity, and integrity—and then reveals fearless leadership in action, offering advice on how to set a bold vision, bring the team together (as wingmen, not Top Gun mavericks), execute effectively, and stay resilient through hard times.
Whether you’re stepping into your first leadership role or looking to get out of a longstanding rut, Fearless Leadership will act like your afterburner—rocketing you to ever-higher levels of performance.
An F-14 fighter pilot’s top lessons for leading fearlessly—and bringing a team to peak performance
As an aviation pioneer, Carey D. Lohrenz learned what fearless leadership means in some of the most demanding and extreme environments imaginable: the cockpit of an F-14 and the flight deck of an aircraft carrier. Here, her teams had to perform at their peak—or lives were on the line. Faltering leadership was simply unacceptable. Through these experiences, Lohrenz identified a fundamental truth: high-performing teams require fearless leaders.
Since leaving the Navy, she’s translated that lesson into a new field, helping top business leaders, from Fortune 500 executives to middle managers, supercharge performance in today’s competitive business environments. In Fearless Leadership, Lohrenz walks you through the three fundamentals of real fearlessness—courage, tenacity, and integrity—and then reveals fearless leadership in action, offering advice on how to set a bold vision, bring the team together (as wingmen, not Top Gun mavericks), execute effectively, and stay resilient through hard times.
Whether you’re stepping into your first leadership role or looking to get out of a longstanding rut, Fearless Leadership will act like your afterburner—rocketing you to ever-higher levels of performance.
266 pages, Hardcover
First published October 7, 2014
92 people are currently reading
904 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
August 30, 2023
Very interesting perspective of what happens in Navy aviation, especially as a high performing female pioneer of F-14 flight. Great lessons learned along the way that she shares to help others become successful leaders. Felt the lessons were applicable whether you are running a Fortune 500 company, a small business or are the leader of your home.
March 20, 2015
Just beginning to read this. So far, Lohrenz writes very well, and I like her 'voice' as a seasoned naval aviator.
I am a bit put off, though, by the fact that the book is copyrighted not to Lohrenz herself but to her personal LLC, which indicates she's in business as a motivational speaker or a success coach, a la Tony Robbins, I suppose.
Not sure what to make of this, but we'll see as the book goes along.
The book takes on two modes: what her advice to you is, and what her experience is. I found her much more interesting and engaging when she wrote of her own experience as a young naval aviator, and how she overcame the many obstacles in her way. I think she is less effective in advising the reader directly, partly because there's essentially nothing here that many other motivational books haven't already done before. She repeats many of the usual cliches of leadership training.
Although I have read and understand a lot about leadership and what makes good leaders, I avoid books like these, because so many of them look for gimmicks or angles to center their theses. Lohrenz is no different, basing her philosophy on fear and overcoming fear. That isn't a bad angle, but it isn't new or fresh or unique. What makes her unique is her story, and it is what makes the book more compelling.
So I would say follow her example rather than her motivational rhetoric. Her story is what drives her style. Fear, and overcoming fear, is just part of her success.
Please note that this book was sent to me gratis by the publisher in a recent drawing on Goodreads. I'm under no obligation to the publisher, but I wish to provide an honest review in return for receiving the book.
I am a bit put off, though, by the fact that the book is copyrighted not to Lohrenz herself but to her personal LLC, which indicates she's in business as a motivational speaker or a success coach, a la Tony Robbins, I suppose.
Not sure what to make of this, but we'll see as the book goes along.
The book takes on two modes: what her advice to you is, and what her experience is. I found her much more interesting and engaging when she wrote of her own experience as a young naval aviator, and how she overcame the many obstacles in her way. I think she is less effective in advising the reader directly, partly because there's essentially nothing here that many other motivational books haven't already done before. She repeats many of the usual cliches of leadership training.
Although I have read and understand a lot about leadership and what makes good leaders, I avoid books like these, because so many of them look for gimmicks or angles to center their theses. Lohrenz is no different, basing her philosophy on fear and overcoming fear. That isn't a bad angle, but it isn't new or fresh or unique. What makes her unique is her story, and it is what makes the book more compelling.
So I would say follow her example rather than her motivational rhetoric. Her story is what drives her style. Fear, and overcoming fear, is just part of her success.
Please note that this book was sent to me gratis by the publisher in a recent drawing on Goodreads. I'm under no obligation to the publisher, but I wish to provide an honest review in return for receiving the book.
September 29, 2022
Why I picked up the book:
I picked up this book because I heard Carey was going to be a speaker at an upcoming event. After the first chapter however, I decided that everyone I knew needed to read this book! so, I put together a book club and a read along on my Instagram page. Needless to say I LOVED THIS BOOK!
What is the book about:
This book is about fundamental leadership skills broken down to pillars and supported by life lessons and corporate stories throughout the book.
Lessons Applied:
There's so many little nuggets I took away from this book while reading a chapter a week! However, I think my biggest take away from the end of the book is just a reflection on how I am helping build other women up instead of tearing them down. I've also asked myself how I can share my own stories to help other women feel less along during their own journey!
Who I would recommend to read this book:
My younger self! I wish I would have had this book to read when I was in college and a minority in the engineering field (not the only one) but sometimes it feels that way - that we are the only ones going through the muck sometimes....and this book would have made me know that I'm not alone. That there are women out there actively breaking through glass ceilings that always seem to exist.
Rating: 5/5*
Theme Song: Coming Back Stronger by Silverberg
I usually find it pretty easy to come up with a theme song for each book - but for this one I created a whole playlist on spotify!
I picked up this book because I heard Carey was going to be a speaker at an upcoming event. After the first chapter however, I decided that everyone I knew needed to read this book! so, I put together a book club and a read along on my Instagram page. Needless to say I LOVED THIS BOOK!
What is the book about:
This book is about fundamental leadership skills broken down to pillars and supported by life lessons and corporate stories throughout the book.
Lessons Applied:
There's so many little nuggets I took away from this book while reading a chapter a week! However, I think my biggest take away from the end of the book is just a reflection on how I am helping build other women up instead of tearing them down. I've also asked myself how I can share my own stories to help other women feel less along during their own journey!
Who I would recommend to read this book:
My younger self! I wish I would have had this book to read when I was in college and a minority in the engineering field (not the only one) but sometimes it feels that way - that we are the only ones going through the muck sometimes....and this book would have made me know that I'm not alone. That there are women out there actively breaking through glass ceilings that always seem to exist.
Rating: 5/5*
Theme Song: Coming Back Stronger by Silverberg
I usually find it pretty easy to come up with a theme song for each book - but for this one I created a whole playlist on spotify!
December 24, 2019
This isn't bad overall - I don't know what most people are looking for in corporate leadership books but this seems to hit all the buttons. Every time I read one of these I get in a debate with myself over whether it actually makes you any better of a leader to read these things but hey, this was somewhat enjoyable and quick. The sea stories liven it up. If you know the jargon be prepared to be talked down to. If you like helicopters, well you're out of luck.
Read
February 22, 2022Not gonna lie going to leave this as a DNF.
January 6, 2015
Quality leadership, leadership you can trust and leadership you can depend upon can be critical for success, especially when you are a military pilot relying on coordinated teamwork as you attempt to land on an aircraft carrier in the dark, bobbing up and down in an ocean a long way from land.
The author has woven together her pioneering career with the U.S. Navy and the necessity for decisive, actionable, trustworthy leadership, providing an interesting book that is capable of delivering a lot that can be transplanted within civilian leadership positions. If nothing else, you cannot fail to be amazed at the skill of military pilots, whose lives can rest on a couple of inches of metal and the steady hand of a 19-year-old person, working as part of a coordinated team. Leadership is not restricted to the higher echelons of an organisation.
The author paints a frustratingly interesting story about military life which, on the one hand requires cohesive leadership you can depend upon, yet on the other hand it is supervised by an arguably dysfunctional, out-of-touch disinterested leadership long away from the coalface. High-performing teams require fearless leaders is the central message from the author and since leaving the U.S. Navy she has worked as a trainer and consultant to bring these leadership qualities to many top companies. Three key attributes - courage, tenacity and integrity – are required to be a fearless leader, building upon a bold vision to bring a team closer together and execute an effective, resilient, focussed plan. Part advice book, part autobiography and part damning indictment about the U.S. military and its ability to waste through bureaucracy, the author managed to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
This was a fairly light read, yet packed with information and interesting anecdotes and you can easily establish a connection to the author. At times it felt a little verbose or out of focus yet overall it was engaging and freely giving of itself. It manages to repetitively and necessarily stress the importance of quality leadership and time after time gives concrete examples of leadership in action. For this, if nothing else, it is a worthwhile read as so many books of this kind can focus on the theory and forget to show how things might look in real life. Overall, it was a pleasant, informative and educational read.
Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck, written by Carey Lohrenz and published by Greenleaf Book Group Press. ISBN 9781626341135, 280 pages. YYYY
The author has woven together her pioneering career with the U.S. Navy and the necessity for decisive, actionable, trustworthy leadership, providing an interesting book that is capable of delivering a lot that can be transplanted within civilian leadership positions. If nothing else, you cannot fail to be amazed at the skill of military pilots, whose lives can rest on a couple of inches of metal and the steady hand of a 19-year-old person, working as part of a coordinated team. Leadership is not restricted to the higher echelons of an organisation.
The author paints a frustratingly interesting story about military life which, on the one hand requires cohesive leadership you can depend upon, yet on the other hand it is supervised by an arguably dysfunctional, out-of-touch disinterested leadership long away from the coalface. High-performing teams require fearless leaders is the central message from the author and since leaving the U.S. Navy she has worked as a trainer and consultant to bring these leadership qualities to many top companies. Three key attributes - courage, tenacity and integrity – are required to be a fearless leader, building upon a bold vision to bring a team closer together and execute an effective, resilient, focussed plan. Part advice book, part autobiography and part damning indictment about the U.S. military and its ability to waste through bureaucracy, the author managed to keep the reader engaged from start to finish.
This was a fairly light read, yet packed with information and interesting anecdotes and you can easily establish a connection to the author. At times it felt a little verbose or out of focus yet overall it was engaging and freely giving of itself. It manages to repetitively and necessarily stress the importance of quality leadership and time after time gives concrete examples of leadership in action. For this, if nothing else, it is a worthwhile read as so many books of this kind can focus on the theory and forget to show how things might look in real life. Overall, it was a pleasant, informative and educational read.
Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck, written by Carey Lohrenz and published by Greenleaf Book Group Press. ISBN 9781626341135, 280 pages. YYYY
November 10, 2015
Really enjoyed reading this - love navy pilots and the way they work. Awesome stories, good lessons. Great read.
November 12, 2024
Very good read, for all the leader, managers and coaches out there take the time to read. It talks about dealing with adversity and the type of adversity you never see coming but how do you get up off the ground and move forward.
The Prepare / Preform / Prevail chapter is all about making a plan and executing and adjusting along the way. Failing is not the end it is a stepping stone to making things better.
The last chapter that talks bout resilience and how to build on your own personal resilience is key. The simple seven steps are good to note and follow.
1. Reject Victim-hood
2. Embrace change
3. Focus on what matters
4. Find a wing-man
5. Know what you can control
6. Learning from adversity
7. Take action
1-6 are all valid but #7 is key. “Take action”
If you sit around and wait you will be waiting make a difference show that fearless leadership and take action, win or learn from it and keep moving forward.
Be Fearless, Take Action.
The Prepare / Preform / Prevail chapter is all about making a plan and executing and adjusting along the way. Failing is not the end it is a stepping stone to making things better.
The last chapter that talks bout resilience and how to build on your own personal resilience is key. The simple seven steps are good to note and follow.
1. Reject Victim-hood
2. Embrace change
3. Focus on what matters
4. Find a wing-man
5. Know what you can control
6. Learning from adversity
7. Take action
1-6 are all valid but #7 is key. “Take action”
If you sit around and wait you will be waiting make a difference show that fearless leadership and take action, win or learn from it and keep moving forward.
Be Fearless, Take Action.
January 25, 2020
I read this book after hearing Carey deliver a Keynote speech, and the writing in the book is consistent with the words spoken on stage.
Carey shares her experiences as the US Navy's first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, and how those experiences shaped her leadership skills. What I love about this book is that she is able to describe her own naval experience but then translates it into examples for those without military experience to really demonstrate how her skills are transferable to any type of work, and she gives great examples of how to use courage, tenacity, and integrity to be a fearless leader as well as how to put these skills into action.
The book is easy to read, technical terms are mostly well explained, and it's the right mix of funny and serious, and personality and skill sets.
Carey shares her experiences as the US Navy's first female F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, and how those experiences shaped her leadership skills. What I love about this book is that she is able to describe her own naval experience but then translates it into examples for those without military experience to really demonstrate how her skills are transferable to any type of work, and she gives great examples of how to use courage, tenacity, and integrity to be a fearless leader as well as how to put these skills into action.
The book is easy to read, technical terms are mostly well explained, and it's the right mix of funny and serious, and personality and skill sets.
October 18, 2022
Lots of leadership highlights
Just finished "Fearless Leadership" by Carey Lohrenz.
The author's story is inspiring in itself, being the first female Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot. The discipline to achieve and the resiliance to overcome obstacles she faced provide the backdrop to the business and leadership lessons she imparts.
She dives deep into the fundamental values of courage, tenacity, and integrity. The author offers guidance on how to set a bold vision, bring the team together, execute effectively, and stay resilient through hard times.
Her transparency and vulnerability add to the connection with her audience.
Lots of highlights and quotables. Definitely an inspiring book on leadership. Check it out
Just finished "Fearless Leadership" by Carey Lohrenz.
The author's story is inspiring in itself, being the first female Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot. The discipline to achieve and the resiliance to overcome obstacles she faced provide the backdrop to the business and leadership lessons she imparts.
She dives deep into the fundamental values of courage, tenacity, and integrity. The author offers guidance on how to set a bold vision, bring the team together, execute effectively, and stay resilient through hard times.
Her transparency and vulnerability add to the connection with her audience.
Lots of highlights and quotables. Definitely an inspiring book on leadership. Check it out
April 28, 2020
This badass woman's glass ceiling was the cockpit of an F-14 Tomcat! Holey Moley what a great story as she progressed through the Navy ranks and became the first Female F-14 Pilot! And the life-lessons and especially the leadership lessons she has coming out of that are so powerful. And they go far beyond the over-simplified "never give up" tropes. Carey delves headlong into the idea of life and death leadership and high performance work environments. If the Hollywood Studio system had 1/8th of her mojo and prowess and candor, this industry would look radically different. Anyway, needs to be a movie!!!
February 10, 2020
So, I've read lots of leadership books: leadership from a coffee shop, leadership in a theme park, leadership at a summer camp, just to name a few. If I were to simply drop it in a category like that, this would be "leadership from the cockpit of a fighter jet."
Of course, that would be selling it short. There are many thoughts on leadership, but I most enjoyed the author's personal stories of becoming a pilot. She's engaging and thoughtful. Enjoy!
Of course, that would be selling it short. There are many thoughts on leadership, but I most enjoyed the author's personal stories of becoming a pilot. She's engaging and thoughtful. Enjoy!
October 30, 2017
Excellent book on the fundamentals of leadership with great personal examples that are applicable and relevant! I was able to extract multiple nuggets that facilitated serious thought and reflection!
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for leadership and leadership development!
I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has a passion for leadership and leadership development!
January 11, 2019
Carey is a pretty big badass. What's amazing about Carey is she takes everything that she has learned and distills them in this book and the 3 fundamental elements of real leadership: courage, tenacity, and integrity. Not only does Carey go through that in this book, but she tells real-life stories from being a pilot in the navy and tells you how to applies these elements to real-life situations.
May 31, 2022
This book is pretty bad. She seems like a really impressive pilot and clearly has been professionally successful. It would have been more interesting to read her memoir/autobiography. Instead, this book reads like a list of vague platitudes that are totally inactionable. Or like a compilation of generic inspirational posters that hang in offices. Would not recommend.
July 16, 2019
Lohrenz uses her experiences as a F-14 fighter pilot to express her views on leadership. Her stress is on teamwork and unity of purpose. I did enjoy the book but did not rate the book higher because it did not apply to me. This is an excellent book for anyone in leadership.
April 15, 2020
I picked this book up from the library thinking it was going to be a memoir of her life. It wasn't but it was a nice self-help book on leadership. A very timely subject in my world today as I am watching my work leaders closely to see how they handle today's situation.
March 15, 2021
Heard of this on the Learning Leader show and enjoyed her interview. There was some good stuff in here, but I thought her interview was much better.
https://learningleader.com/episode-19...
https://learningleader.com/episode-19...
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 1, 2022
It was very interesting to learn more about US Navy fighter pilots and that entire world. I felt like many of the lessons were informative but it did tend to get repetitive. I did have elements of feeling like it was an opportunity for the author to brag, but overall a decent read.
May 31, 2023
As far as editing it has a lot to be desired. I don't have an eagle eye, but lots of proofreading errors. But as far as content, EXCELLENT. She was clear and concise and actually gave me concrete things to think about and checklists to follow. She inspired me to apply for my Master's.
February 18, 2024
A must read for any person in a position of leadership or wanting to be a better leader. Carey’s story is amazing. She stands face to face with life and never backed down. Stood her ground and forces powers to be to find a different solution.
April 24, 2018
Interesting, challenging and encouraging. The best kind of personal development book.
April 26, 2018
Applicable, inspiring, fun read. Love the format, content, and philosophies.
I highlighted many parts and will definitely read again.
I have renewed energy, motivation, and ideas for my team.
I highlighted many parts and will definitely read again.
I have renewed energy, motivation, and ideas for my team.
August 8, 2018
Over-coming obstacles and not settling for no! Great book!
September 17, 2019
Repetitive
November 11, 2019
Her story is amazing. I heard her on a few podcasts and have a quote of her's on my wall. She said, "If you say you want something, you have to be willing to show up when it's no longer fun."
June 9, 2020
Overall great book of leadership - from her experiences and how they directly relate into the corporate world. I wish more leaders would implement some of the areas she dives into.
March 2, 2022
A very good book about leadership and its challenges as well as solutions to overcome.
June 17, 2023
stress= STRONG BUT WRONG
November 24, 2023
Very repetitive on the subjects. I was hoping for more information about the author being a woman in aviation. Last chapter was probably the most interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews