Customer Reviews

Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
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I read this book in one day during a long car ride from Ann Arbor to Virginia. I'll admit that I am a Michigan alum from Bo's final coaching years. Since I read Blue Ice (which I also highly recommend), I expected a thorough and historically rich book from Mr. Bacon. This book is different - it is all Bo. I was pleasantly surprised at how Bo's personality came through SO RICHLY in this book. Somewhere in the first quarter, I remember realizing that the narrator in my head had become Bo.

I'll also admit here that I shed a few tears while sitting in a nearly empty Cracker Barrel somewhere in Maryland at 9:30pm waiting for our late dinner and finishing the last few chapters. There's no way any person, U of M person or no, could read this book and not know and appreciate what Bo and his programs were all about - so much more than just football. I found out he was more of a hero than I knew, but also human.

The classic Bo stories are all here (plus plenty of new ones), of course, - but this book gets you into the head of Bo like no other. The man was a throw-back to more principled times - leadership, honesty, respect, attention to detail, preparation, long-term vision, personal sacrifice for others. THE TEAM, THE TEAM, THE TEAM. His personal, quiet generosity was unbelievable.

Standards and words to live by for anyone, sports fan or no. The tributes from friends at the end of the book just confirm the impact he had on so many. Reading it, I could easily imagine sitting in the room with Bo and Mr. Bacon during their collaboration; the gravelly voice, the chuckle, the occasional ribbing or profane reaction. One of those books that I didn't want to end.

This will be required reading for my young kids someday. Mr. Bacon has done a great job - I'm sure that Bo would have loved the final version.

This is a terrific book that captures the essence of what made Bo the ultimate Michigan man---clear goals, hard work, common sense, grace under pressure. John U Bacon has distilled Bo's lessons and turned them into more than the legacy of a great coach. These tried and tested principles can be applied to improve performance in so many areas: from developing great high school athletes to getting the most out of high-level business executives. Hey, you might learn a few lessons you can apply in your every-day life, like I did, reading this great book.

The fundamental principle that Bo Schembechler espouses is that you cannot lead if you do not care about your people or your product. Bo was more passionate about his people than his product...and he was incredibly passionate about both! This remarkable book is a testament to a truly remarkable man, and the results he got both on and off the field. This inspiring story of the poor kid from Barberton Ohio who through sheer grit and determination rises to the top of his profession, yet never loses sight of what really counts in life, is one that anyone can appreciate. His lasting legacy is the countless lives he has touched.

I barely knew Bo 20 years ago and this sounds more like him than anything that I've read. It was almost like he was reading it to you. I have an MBA and have worked in strategy consulting and most of Bo's Lasting Lessons: The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadershiphis lessons in leadership can be applied to business (and life).

There are not enough superlatives to describe this book. You feel the soul of Bo coming out of the pages. Whenever you are feeling lost or uninspired, go back to this book and reread it. It will get you back on your feet and ready to "tackle" the world again. I could not put down the book because it was so captiviting. This will be a book that I will read over and over because you can never get enough of his inspiration and stories. John captured the essence of Bo in these pages. Thank you so very much!

What a wonderful book. I didn't almost hear it, I did hear Bo's voice as I read the book - the growl, the machine-gun tempo when he had a point to make as well as the voice of a favorite uncle when a gentle tone was necessary. I could not put the book down and I could not wait to share my thoughts the next day at work. Mr. Bacon has crafted a fine tribute to a great man.

After Bo died, I thought I missed my chance to meet the man. Then, I read the book. I met Bo last week. He spoke to me about things I would never have thought to ask about. I laughed out loud. Then, I cried. It was a religious experience.

A very compelling and useful book. I come to read this from several unusual perspectives.

> I "covered" Bo as a student reporter in 1975 at the Michigan Daily, reporting on a pep rally! Never met him personally.

> A business coach I worked with a decade later had known Bo at Ohio State, when Bo was coaching under the equally legendary Woody Hayes, and when I recommended this book to him, he wrote back to me and said, "David, it's just like sitting down and talking to those two."

John Bacon evidently did that good a job capturing Bo's voice.

> I'm also on the cusp of entering an executive coaching certificate program as part of a Ph.D. program I'm enrolled in. What Bo has to say is, as you might imagine, quite different from what the much less intrusive experts on executive coaching recommend. You don't want to communicate with a CEO or a business owner the way you talk to a student athlete about to go into battle!

But many of the principles remain consistent. And Bo was nothing if not a highly principled man. I'm sure that was a big part of his almost superhuman track record on the football field -- and his character shines through brightly in these pages.

I knew I wouldn't be disappointed, what I didn't realize until I starting reading the book was that I would feel like Bo was really speaking the words. I have always admired him as the coach of the best college team there is - The Wolverines - and now I know why they are, because Bo led them! He was and always will be remembered as a great and humble man and it would be wise for business leaders to read this book. There's so much in his book that could be used today in the work field to make it better place.

GO BLUE!!

I confess I am not a huge football fan, but this book is really not about football. It is about leadership and how to live. Bo spells it all out in some very simple maxims that he really did live by. It really wasn't about football or winning. It was about how the men he coached would turn out 20 years later. And most turned out very well indeed. He ended up with hundreds of friendships with former coaches and players. Mr. Bacon captures Bo's voice so well that after a few pages Bo is yelling at YOU from the printed page and it can cause you to do a bit of soul searching on how you have been leading your life. The stories are great, but they all serve to illustrate Bo's recipe for living. U of M football fans will love this book because of the stories, but everyone will love it for the way in brings to life a man who truly was bigger than life.