Carey Lohrenz, the first female U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, served as the keynote speaker at the CREW Network Convention Thursday morning.

ORLANDO, FL—"Your voice is your power," said 2019 CREW Network President, Holly Neber, CEO of AEI Consultants, during the opening program at this year's CREW Network Convention and Marketplace in Orlando, FL. She introduced the 30th anniversary video during a morning presentation today. "We are in this together and have each other's back. Thank you all for being part of our history."

Next up to the stage was Carey Lohrenz, the first female U.S. Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter pilot, who knows what it takes to succeed in one of the most demanding, extreme environments imaginable.

Lohrenz pointed out that some of the same qualities that helped her break barriers and make naval aviation history can also help the women in the room accomplish more than they ever could imagine.

"Every day, how you show up matters. Each of you need to show up as a fearless leader. Then you need to figure out how to get people on this journey with you," she told the more than 1,200 attendees.

In her Wall Street Journal best-selling book, Fearless Leadership: High-Performance Lessons from the Flight Deck, she encapsulates her advice on how to supercharge performance in today's competitive business environments. Drawing on a trail-blazing career in the U.S. Navy, the book, and her speech today provided critical insight on the importance of setting a bold vision to bring teams together and staying resilient through hard times.

"You need to be able to have a plan you can adapt from," she said. "Eighty percent is good enough."

In addition to flying, Lohrenz was put in leadership roles as part of her role as a fighter pilot. "Every three to four months, we were always changing roles. What that does is keeps you in the habit of learning and being curious. It also makes you understand how the entire organization works and helps to start shattering silos." According to Lohrenz, it is critical to realize how critical each and every piece is. "It took an entire high performing team to get my job done."

Leadership that understands that when you are working in a really chaotic environment, your main goal is to clarify the complex, she explained. "On an aircraft carrier, the main purpose is safely launching and recovering of aircrafts. We are overwhelmed each and every day and it can be frustrating. Your biggest leadership challenge, no matter where you are or how many people you are leading, your biggest challenge will be to understand what your purpose is."

She said to figure out your purpose, focus on what matters and execute with discipline, you will go further than the competition every day of the week. "If you lose sight, you lose the fight."

She adds that it is key to also show up with a good attitude. "You have to have standards of excellence and hold yourself to those values. A positive attitude don't guarantee success but a negative attitude doesn't allow you to adapt. Without adapting, you won't survive."

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Natalie Dolce

Natalie Dolce, editor-in-chief of GlobeSt.com, is responsible for working with editorial staff, freelancers and senior management to help plan the overarching vision that encompasses GlobeSt.com, including short-term and long-term goals for the website, how content integrates through the company’s other product lines and the overall quality of content. Previously she served as national executive editor and editor of the West Coast region for GlobeSt.com and Real Estate Forum, and was responsible for coverage of news and information pertaining to that vital real estate region. Prior to moving out to the Southern California office, she was Northeast bureau chief, covering New York City for GlobeSt.com. Her background includes a stint at InStyle Magazine, and as managing editor with New York Press, an alternative weekly New York City paper. In her career, she has also covered a variety of beats for M magazine, Arthur Frommer's Budget Travel, FashionLedge.com, and Co-Ed magazine. Dolce has also freelanced for a number of publications, including MSNBC.com and Museums New York magazine.

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