Span of Control: What to Do When You're Under Pressure, Overwhelmed, and Ready to Get What You Really Want

by Carey D. Lohrenz

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 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Leadership, Business, Management, Personal Growth, Self Help

273 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 28, 2021

Reviews

[Tracey Bloom · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of Span of Control. It came at the right time for me, after a year of disruption, change and too much stress.

The stories, lessons and most importantly the tools had an immediate impact on my mindset. I felt empowered and able to take positive steps that impact both my professional and personal life.

Carey's style is authentic, relatable and actionable. I highly recommend Span of Control.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author provides really good mental models for remaining productive while under stress and pressure in life, no matter what one’s role or occupation. Her writing is clear and accessible, but reads like a transcript from a speech, which left me as a reader wanting a better delivery of content. In this vein, the chapters suffer from redundancy, and the book as a whole likely could have been significantly shorter. Still, I appreciate the message and the prompts to engage the ideas by writing in one’s own goals, plans, and resources.

[Talia Johnson · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I’m not really the audience for this book because I don’t really understand the purpose of self help books. They just tell you things everyone already knows in a whole lotta words. Unfortunately this book was a lot of words telling you to focus on the things you can control. Which is easier said than done, but also not new information. But it was worth the $$ I’ll get for reading it.

[Bookish207 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Carey Lohrenz's books - I devoured Fearless Leadership and same with Span of Control, which is I listened to as an audiobook (highly recommend!). While there is some crossover/repeated stories from Fearless Leadership, Span of Control definitely can stand on its' own. The concept of "span of control" is a great one to dig deep into in these times when there's so much in the world (and sometimes in our lives) that feels out of control. If you like personal development books, you'll like this one!

[Rachel Medlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal!

I do not know where to begin on how awesome this book is! You must get it because it will explain to you how you can accomplish a lot more than what you already are doing! Practical tips but also information about how our minds work, particularly when it comes to focusing! Also, great thing I learned was about the necessity and importance of a debrief even if you are an entrepreneur.

[Anna Schreier · Rating 4 out of 5]

span of control explains in simple step-by-step concepts how to achieve what you want most in life. it shows that if you believe that something is doable and actively plan for it to happen, it will. nothing is impossible. it mainly focuses on what areas in life are within your span of control (e.g. your own mindset) and which ones are not (e.g. what others think of you), and hence what you should focus on to achieve your goals.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read for tips on how to be selective about what gets your time and attention to avoid burnout, keep you in control, and grow your growth mindset. I always like these kind of books because I inevitably pick up a tip (or many!) I could relate a bunch to this book, especially given the past year, and liked some of the exercises.

[Amy Morton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book! Thank you so much for your insights in life struggles and how we can only control what is in our "Span of Control". Life is so challenging for so many people and I truly think this book makes you think and realize that anything is possible as long as you know what you can and can't control and how to react to that!

[Pamela A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can't touch this!

A Woman Naval Aviator Fighter pilot? Shut up and LISTEN. Every word Carey Lohrenz says is from someone who has undergone more pressure, risk, stress, barriers than any of us could imagine. She is a real person. This book is for everybody to learn from a life well lived on the edge.

[Mercer Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was great in the sense that there were tons of really interesting studies and extraneous bits of information that were really inspiring to me, but ultimately I found it to be fairly poorly written and reductive.

[Meghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book that really resonated with me. Very applicable to life’s challenges!

[Shauna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was a very powerful book. Not much of it was new information, but the way that it was presented was new and different.

[Anita Renaghan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good motivation and offers a sense of focus.

[Maria Raquel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read!

[Rick Ruble · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book at helping you to find ways to focus on what's really important. It felt long, but I thought some of the most important information was in the next to last chapter.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Theme Song: Top Gun Anthem - From "Top Gun" Original Soundtrack

[Kathy Friedlander · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great, fast read with important strategies to keep centered and focused on your task. Loved hearing her
Stories and experience. What an amazing woman! I can’t wait to read her other books.