Download high-resolution image Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00

Distancing

How Great Leaders Reframe to Make Better Decisions

Foreword by Luda Kopeikina
Look inside
Listen to a clip from the audiobook
audio play button
0:00
0:00
Hardcover
$29.00 US
On sale Aug 12, 2025 | 224 Pages | 9780593713105

See Additional Formats
What if there was a way to instantly see your reality with the clarity of a coach – unencumbered by the baggage of you being you?

In Distancing, bestselling author and former submarine captain David Marquet (Turn the Ship Around!) and psychology professor Michael Gillespie introduce a powerful solution: distancing. This simple but underused superpower lets us step outside ourselves to see with clarity and decide with wisdom.

Through three practices—Be Someone Else, Be Somewhere Else, Be Sometime Else—we adopt the perspective of a coach, view our situation from afar, or become our wiser future self. Each unlocks instant insight, reduces anxiety, and improves judgment.

Blending science, stories, and practical tools, Distancing equips us to rise above ego and emotion, cut through bias, and make choices we’ll be proud of—in leadership, in life, and for the long term.
David Marquet, a top graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, commanded the nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe from 1999 to 2001. Since retiring from the Navy he has worked with businesses nationwide as a leadership consultant. He gives presentations around the world about his acclaimed first book, Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders. He lives in Florida with his wife, Jane. View titles by L. David Marquet
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. View titles by Michael A. Gillespie

About

What if there was a way to instantly see your reality with the clarity of a coach – unencumbered by the baggage of you being you?

In Distancing, bestselling author and former submarine captain David Marquet (Turn the Ship Around!) and psychology professor Michael Gillespie introduce a powerful solution: distancing. This simple but underused superpower lets us step outside ourselves to see with clarity and decide with wisdom.

Through three practices—Be Someone Else, Be Somewhere Else, Be Sometime Else—we adopt the perspective of a coach, view our situation from afar, or become our wiser future self. Each unlocks instant insight, reduces anxiety, and improves judgment.

Blending science, stories, and practical tools, Distancing equips us to rise above ego and emotion, cut through bias, and make choices we’ll be proud of—in leadership, in life, and for the long term.

Author

David Marquet, a top graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, commanded the nuclear-powered, fast-attack submarine USS Santa Fe from 1999 to 2001. Since retiring from the Navy he has worked with businesses nationwide as a leadership consultant. He gives presentations around the world about his acclaimed first book, Turn the Ship Around: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders. He lives in Florida with his wife, Jane. View titles by L. David Marquet
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. View titles by Michael A. Gillespie

Books for National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Horror Titles for the Halloween Season

In celebration of the Halloween season, we are sharing horror books that are aligned with the themes of the holiday: the sometimes unknown and scary creatures and witches. From classic ghost stories and popular novels that are celebrated today, in literature courses and beyond, to contemporary stories about the monsters that hide in the dark, our list

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more