Conquering Crisis
Ten Lessons to Learn Before You Need Them
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4.8 • 28 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times Bestseller
#1 New York Times bestselling author Admiral McRaven tells stories from his life and career that illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis.
Throughout his 40-year career, Admiral McRaven has experienced every manner of calamity imaginable. From managing failed hostage rescues to responding to student unrest, McRaven has learned how to successfully navigate crises—those moments that push the limits of your experience and challenge your confidence, when leadership skills alone may not be enough.
Conquering Crisis provides a new set of tools for facing these stressful moments with poise. It breaks crises down into five phases assess, report, contain, shape, and manage—and provides concrete steps to come out the other side stronger. With incredible personal stories, thought-provoking parables, and memorable lessons, Admiral McRaven sheds light on the ways we can rise to the occasion in times of crisis and act as leaders, no matter the situation.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
After overseeing numerous Navy SEAL missions, Admiral William McRaven has seemingly dealt with every emergency imaginable. Now he’s distilled his decades of experience down to 10 hard-earned lessons in crisis management. Drawing upon his career, as well as famous historical examples of plans that went sideways, he takes a tactical approach to assessing a situation, containing the damage, and managing the solution to a problem. Focusing mainly on stories involving the military, McRaven looks to everything from World War II to ancient Rome to NASA’s Apollo 13 near-disaster for the universal hallmarks of a crisis. And his tenets for handling these situations really do make sense. After all, viewing unverified information with skepticism, avoiding inaction and dishonesty, and relentlessly ensuring that every team member understands their specific role in the planned response are all steps that can apply to any problematic situation. Conquering Crisis is an invaluable guidebook for when things go wrong.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Retired admiral McRaven (The Wisdom of the Bullfrog) draws on his 40-year military career for this sound guide to crisis management. Outlining 10 key lessons, he discusses the importance of notifying a supervisor immediately when a situation goes south, citing a 2008 incident when he notified Gen. David Petraeus that an operative had accidentally killed the cousin of the Iraqi prime minister; since it was the middle of the night, they were able to do basic damage control before morning. He contrasts this choice with the Reagan administration's denials and obfuscation when details of the Iran/Contra affair came out, an approach that cost Reagan "the trust of the American people," McRaven argues. Elsewhere, he emphasizes the value of transparency (the public will give leaders more latitude to resolve things if they feel they're getting honest progress reports) and having multiple options for action ready in case of rapidly changing situations. Such solid guidance and case studies are effective even if some tips, like soliciting advice from a trusted group of advisers willing "to speak truth to power," are vaguer and may be harder for the average reader to apply. Still, leaders looking for an edge in high-pressure situations will find value here.
