Distancing: How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions

Distance gives you perspective. Bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around! former US Navy Captain David Marquet and professor of psychology Michael Gillespie show you how to make better decisions by becoming your own coach.

Be yourself. Be fully present. Be in the moment. This is a message we hear constantly. While this may be beneficial some of the time, the biggest obstacle to making wiser decisions that actually drive lasting success is ourselves. Being fully immersed in our own limited point of view biases our decisions toward defending our previous actions and maintaining our self-image. We need to exit our me-here-and-now self and get an outside perspective that sees us and the situation we are in objectively. We need a coach.

This book shows us how to become our own coach by using a mental technique called psychological distancing. We do this in three ways: self-distancing, spatial distancing, and temporal distancing. First, we can be someone else, inhabiting another's perspective. This activates the neutral observer's outside point of view. Second, we can be somewhere else. We zoom out and see ourselves from afar, as just another person who is part of a larger context. Third, we can be sometime else, imagining that we are our future selves who are thinking back to what we wish we had done today. In each case, we can coach ourselves from this distanced perspective. The result is a powerful and immediate reframe of how we see ourselves, our situation, and what we should do.

Featuring compelling scientific research, business cases, and exercises, Distancing equips us with effective practical tools to reduce anxiety, see more clearly, and make better decisions for ourselves and for our organizations.

Author: L. David Marquet, Michael A. Gillespie
Publisher: Portfolio
Published: 08/12/2025
Pages: 208
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.70lbs
Size: 8.25h x 5.50w x 0.53d
ISBN: 9780593713105

About the Author
L. David Marquet graduated top of class from the U.S. Naval Academy and commanded the nuclear-powered submarine USS Santa Fe. Since retiring from the Navy, he has worked with businesses globally as a leadership consultant and speaks about Intent-Based Leadership around the world. A highly sought-after speaker, his clients include Fortune 500 companies, start-ups, professional sports teams, business schools, and governments. He is the bestselling author of Turn the Ship Around! and Leadership Is Language. His books have been translated into 15 languages.

Michael A. Gillespie is a psychology professor at the University of South Florida, where he specializes in organizational psychology and directs the Human Applied Cognition and Decision-Making Lab. His widely cited research on psychological measurement, organizational culture, and leadership is published in top business and psychology journals. He earned his BA from the University of South Florida, his MA from Michigan State University, and his PhD from Bowling Green State University.