Customer Reviews

Lead to Succeed: 10 Traits of Great Leadership in Business and Life

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

As a leadership consultant and coach of 10 years working mostly with the titular heads of authority in high tech organizations, I research constantly for new perspectives and training tools that could be of use to the developing leader.

This is an outstanding tool.

Those who won't review it well, are probably "anti" fans of Pitino and/or those who are offended by his strong beliefs and values. But if one looks at this work objectively and doesn't prejudge this man as "only a sports coach," then you will find a fountain of pragmatic insight.

I challenge anyone to find a more practical treatise on developing leadership. Not Warren Bennis, nor even Peter Drucker write with more direct pragmaticism than this natural born leadership genius.

And know that I don't follow basketball close enough to have been prejudiced in favor of Pitino. I began the book with great skeptism and ended in awe of this non credentialed genius' simplicity and applicability to the art and science of leadership.

I didn't know much about Rick Pitino until reading his book, now I can see why he's been so successful in his profession. It isn't just accomplishing goals, it's the winning lifestyle that makes results happen that cause this to be a "quality of life" book. Pitino is passionate about what he does and the people with whom he works. He writes of the maturation process he had to endure himself before arriving at a more holistic view of genuine leadership. Such a person views the success of others in their organization as a mark of personal leadership.

This book is packed with "behind the scenes" insights on Patino paying his dues. The coach is so right about there being no substitute for experience. Pitino is a highly ethical man also. That theme is consistent throughout the book as well. This one will charge your battery. I give it my "a-ok" endorsement.

"Lead to Succeed" suffers from the same problem that many leadership books do. Leadership is a combination of an individual in a context, and many of Pitino's examples either don't translate well from coaching to business, or then end up being very generic ("be flexible" - gee, thanks, never though of that ;-)) The other problem is that Coach Pitino uses examples of his principles in his leadership of the Boston Celtics - but his tenure with the Celtics was not a success. He's a great coach, but I think his experience proves that effective leadership is context based. He was great at UK, poor with the Celtics, great at UL, etc.

I absolutely loved his earlier book "Success is a Choice" which translates very well into business. I'd recommend the earlier book more than this one.

This is an amazing book from cover to cover. I wouldn't know where to start giving compliments on it. I've read several books over the years on business, motivation, and leadership. This book is by far one of the top reads. I strongly recommend it to anyone looking to improve themselves as well as those around them.

I just finished Lead to Succeed this a.m and I'm back at amazon to order 3 more for my key employees. This book had common sense ideas that can be related to any business in the growth mode. I'm not a big basketball fan, but I certainly am a fan of the wisdom of Mr. Pitino. The book was a wealth of knowledge and information,very entertaining and a book that I could not put down till I finished. Pass it on, it will encourage anyone to strive to become the best.

This is not one of Pitino's greatest efforts. As a leadership book, it lacks a certain bit of inspiration that is key to a good leadership guide. He uses many of his experiences in coaching in the NCAA and NBA as how leadership can be applied to business and life. Overall, a decent book, but for inspiration and guidance there are better choices out there.

It is not what I was expecting after seeing an interview about the author in Fox. Maybe for high school students could be great.

I met Rick Pitino this morning during his appearance at the University of Notre Dame to address the Class of 2000. He highlighted some of the salient points from this book in his address. As with many motivational and leadership speakers, he has his own formula for teamwork and effective leadership. The common thread for these tips is open communication. Having open channels allows you to tap into your team as a leader to get their input for the task at hand, to convey your needs of them as a leader, and to motivate and inspire them to achieve great things- even beyond their perceived potential. All in all, a very good read and great gift for anyone you know who is working in teams or beginning their management career.

This book is a waste of money and time.I expected better and more for my money.Everyone should expect more! The ideas and beliefs set forth are basically common sense.This isn't rocket science. Having Rick Pitino write or contribute to a book about leadearship and succeeding is a joke, an offensive one. This man has had only one real success in his life (The Kentucky basketball team) beyond that what has he done? Nothing! He's taken jobs and made money off of some people's belief that because of his one success he could repeat that. He has yet to prove himself. His leadership qualities have not been proven either. He has not been able to lead any of the people charged to him to success, nor has he been able to change their bad attitudes or instill a work ethic in them. He has not been able to pull anything from them to help or cause them to achieve any kind of real or lasting success. He cannot lead or succeed.

I am very tired of the attempts of coaches and athletes trying to relate their experiences to the rest of the population dealing with normal business/corporate life. I have yet to find any such book that is worth buying. In his latest, Pitino touched a nerve, in particular, with me because he really has not accomplished anything in Boston. He has had time to build that "house of cards" of a team. He must have finished this book during this past outstanding season. He should have written a book on negotiation/interviewing..."How to make 7 million a year, while making a fool out of Red Auerbach"

P.S. --Coaching men is different than bossing kids around at Kentucky.