I’m insanely jealous of the experience Donna Sturgess documents in her new book Eyeballs Out: How to step into another world, discover new ideas an dmake your business thrive. The book chronicles her experiences as a guest on board the USS Stennis aircraft carrier and seeks to draw lessons for business from this incredible floating city. Amidst her description of the ultimate guided tour, Strugess outlines lessons on engagement, sacrifice, recognition, decision making and incorporating faith in the workplace.

While Strugess’ stories from onboard the Stennis are entertaining and engaging, the quality of the content goes down a little everywhere else. Sturgess makes passing references to research from psychology and organizational behavior, however the research she cites is typically out of date (think Freud and Maslow) and her integration of this research is little more than a passing reference. While each chapter ends with tips for application, it is unclear whether these were draw from empirical research, the Stennis or her own experiences in business.

The book is worthwhile for its entertaining description of life on an aircraft carrier, a once in a lifetime opportunity for very few of us (If you work for the US Navy, LeaderLab would love a tour of the Stennis for writing a similar piece – shameless plug I know). However, I’m not sure the leadership lessons presented are substantial enough to carry Eyeballs Out.

A Final Note: Donna Strugess makes a wonderful point in the book that is worth repeating here so that even those who decide not to read it are exposed – HIRE VETERANS. Veterans from the armed forces are some of the most intelligent, most experienced job candidates an organization can find. While most college graduates spend their first few years hunting for or working in entry level jobs, veterans are given opportunities to lead almost upon graduation from boot camp.

If you’re hiring leaders, hire veterans.