The National Football League's most successful and celebrated head coach outlines his leadership principles, showing how to win against all odds through preparation, flexibility, delegation, leading by example, and teamwork. 100,000 first printing. National ad/promo.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Library Journal
Parcells, head coach of the New England Patriots football team and two-time Super Bowl victor as coach of the New York Giants, has written a book about leadership using his experiences in sports. Parcells attempts to demonstrate that lessons learned in a life of football are relevant to successful leadership in business. He devotes separate chapters to loyalty, flexibility, accountability, preparedness, and humility. He sums up each lesson nicely in a little anecdote drawn from a professional football game or sometimes a high school basketball game. Much of his book touts common sense, devotion to hard work, teamwork, and personal responsibility. One can almost hear Parcells in the locker room, motivating his players with just the right mixture of praise and criticism. For readers who are or would be leaders, this book is worthwhile. It would also help if they knew a little bit about football. Recommended for all public libraries.?Randy L. Abbott, Univ. of Evansville Libs., Ind.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From the Publisher
"Coach Parcells' building blocks of leadership, motivation, and teamwork areas fundamentally key in today's business world as they are on the athleticfield. A terrific reminder of just how important basic values are to businessand athletic success."
--H. Wayne Huizenga,
Chairman, Blockbuster Entertainment Corporation
"Bill Parcells is a proven leader, and in his book he lays out intelligent andcreative methods for suceeding in any business."
--James L. Donald, Chairman and CEO, DSC Communications Corporation
Copyright © 1995 by Bill Parcells
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Football and business, domination thru common goals/values.,
By A Customer
This review is from: Finding a Way to Win: The Principles of Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation (Hardcover)
"Because it feels so good when you win," Coach Bill Parcells answered his wife, when she asked why he put up with the BS of pro football, and the demands to constantly top himself. Parcells, accompanied by journalist Jeff Coplon, has written an interesting book telling us what it is like to win, and about all the painful preparation and organization, that comes first. The book is appropriate for a football fan, or even a non fan who wants to know more about the psychology of a successful and wily coach/director. The writing is a bit dry, even didactic, not fast food reading, but worth the time. Parcells analogizes football and business, though there is far more football than business. No surprise there. The approach is both traditonal and modern, values and extremity, side by side. He comes across as a bit of an enlightened dictator with a sense of humor and also a skilled psychologist. Parcells seems to understand his players, underlings and bosses. There are interesting examples of different players, each with their different quirks. Parcells talks tough to the tough, soft to the soft, and throws and catches barbs with Phil Simms, a Giant quarterback, who could take it and dish out, as Parcells can dish it out and take it. The book is organized like an old fashioned Dale Carnegie primer. Various virtues are listed as chapter headings, integrity, flexibility, loyalty, and so on. Parcells with succinct vignettes, applies the ideas of "virtue" or "confidence" to day to day stress filled coaching (management) situations. The virtues are listed seperately, but Parcells argues that they are interdependent; all the virtues are needed to some degree, for a successful organization. Parcells argues that if there is consistency of purpose, top to bottom, in an organization, then the individuals can do something together that they cannot achieve individually, dominate another team, or a particular business. On a more personal level, the book reveals Parcell's all or nothing personality. He wants everyone on his team, including non players, intent on the same thing. But what is that thing? What ever Parcells says it is! In some fascinating asides, Parcells, like Sun Tzu, describes getting to where he wants to go (individual victories and ultimately championships), by apparently going the opposite direction. On one occasion he purposely gave his over confident Giant squad a poor game plan and they struggled, in an exhibition game. He wanted that particular win, but more importantly he wanted his teams attention and re committment. These little tales demonstrate Parcells's intelligence. Like Vince Lombardi, another stone face with the mind of a sculptor, Parcells knows how to go softly, when hard doesn't work. A reader fond of military histories might see a bit of Sherman or Jackson or Patton, in Parcells, who keeps track of every nuance but looks and talks like an ordinary working class guy. Parcells is successful, as few are. He guided three seperate teams to a conference Championship game; two of these, the Giants and Patriots went to the Super Bowl, the Giants twice. He is still going strong with the New York Jets. But has success spoiled Parcells, with big money and big publicity? You decide. Parcells writes: "I detest that mentality, because it's not about money. It's about achievement and winning and championships. It's about proving that you can do something better than the other guy."
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent read for any coach or leader,
By JAS "JAS" (NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Finding a Way to Win: The Principles of Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation (Hardcover)
A great book- Parcells knows how to motivate and lead like very few ever have, and he shows you how he does it in this book. highly recommended!
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most usable book on leadership,
By E. M. Van Court "Van, emvc (at) lycos.com" (Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER) (VINE VOICE)
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This review is from: Finding a Way to Win: The Principles of Leadership, Teamwork, and Motivation (Hardcover)
Why read a book on leadership?
Three reasons come to mind: -Reseaching for an academic work on leadership. -Personal development. -Looking for vignettes for a presentation or lesson plan. "Finding a Way to Win" is excellent for all three. As an academic source, it certainly constitutes a primary source, being written by a man with decades of leading some of the most difficult personalities in a highly visible and intensely critiqued environment. Being a leader of football players and a leader in a multi-million dollar industry, Parcells may be less contentious as a source for scholarly reseach than military leaders, who seem (understandably) over-represented in works on leadership. As a reading for personal development, it is understandable, engaging, and presents a balanced and complete discussion of all the major aspects of leadership. I was especially impressed that Parcells discussed humility and patience at length, when it is not obvious from his television appearences and gameday performance that these are traits he places a high value on. The emphasis on candor and accountability, especially from the leader, him or herself, was a refreshing change from the demonstrated practices of political and financial leaders. As a source of vignettes for presentations or lessons; the book has two or three vignettes from football and business for every point that Parcells tries to make, and the entire book is rationally arranged so that a particular point can be found rapidly. I liked that he started with integrity. This is consistent with my own belief that integrity is the foundation of character and any discipline or pursuit that is based on human personalities. An excellent book on leadership. I loathe football, so it surprised me a bit that I enjoyed and got as much out of this book as I did. E. M. Van Court
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