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The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently

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The Mentor Leader is an excellent book that is both inspiring, challenging, and practical. Coach Dungy offers a truly unique perspective as a Super Bowl winning football coach, a devoted Christian, and a man who has benefited much mentoring and who has intentionally sought for years to have a positive influence on the lives of those he touches. The book is certainly not shy of principles and thoughtful teaching on the topics of mentoring in leadership, but it really shines as a practical and wise approach that has been borne in the laboratory of life rather than taught in a business school. Author of best-selling book Quiet Strength: The Principles, Practices, and Priorities of a Winning Life, he has seen firsthand "that the way to bring the best out of an individual or a team is to teach-by example and through one-on-one, step-by-step mentoring." The book is packed full of stories and anecdotes, but it is not just a random assortment of anecdotes. Dungy actually covers a lot of material, and arranges it thoughtfully.

Table of contents
Chapter 1. The Mandate of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 2. The Mind-Set of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 3. The Maturity of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 4. The Marks of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 5. The Moments of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 6. The Model of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 7. The Means of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 8. The Methods of a Mentor Leader
Chapter 9. The Measure of a Mentor Leader

If you're a fan of leadership books, you'll recognize ideas and quotes by leadership experts such as Ken Blanchard, Steven Covey, John Maxwell and others. If not, that's ok too, as he weaves these in naturally along with stories and real-life illustrations. Dungy also does a great job at pointing out where ideas like mentoring and servant leadership are taught and modeled in the Bible, especially in the life of Jesus.

Some of the topics or concepts that I thought were particularly interesting: focusing on strengths, the preeminence of character and integrity in the live of a leader, building a team whose strengths complement yours and each others, the importance of just hanging out and being present in the lives of those you hope to influence, the need to create a culture to effect change, and the idea of treating those you lead as volunteers. Now, there's nothing ground-breaking in any of this, but Dungy does a great job of modeling all of this, and of explaining it in a down-to-earth way.

Towards the end he finishes by acknowledging that a lot has been covered, and the idea of being a mentor leader might be a daunting one, a lot to remember. So he encourages us with this advice: "Don't worry about remembering it. Think instead about beginning to live what we've talked about - each and every day, in every setting of your life. And let me encourage you to start right where you are, with the people right around you, doing something as simple as engaging with them and talking. Sometimes the smallest things we do have the biggest impact. Just start."

Being a mentor leader is being about the journey, adding value in the lives of other people in every moment. The Mentor Leader should be of great interest for fans of leadership and football alike.

If you've been put off by leaders who leave a wake of wreckage behind as they bulldoze towards objectives, then Dungy's writing will be fresh air to you. His conviction is that the focus of a great leader should be not on outcomes, but on the good of those being led. His purpose is clear, people first, and then objectives.

Dungy makes a clear distinction between a position of leadership and a person of leadership. Even without a formal leadership title, people can still make a difference as they influence those around them. Additionally, Dungy doesn't believe leadership is something a person is born with, but rather it's a trait to be developed. A person does this by committing to those around them.

Unlike many books on leadership, particularly business books, this biographical account comes across sincerely, warmly, and compellingly. Dungy's focus on people is exemplified in his writing style - it's encouraging rather than demeaning.

As one might expect, many of the anecdotes and the immediate context in which leadership traits are conveyed is couched in football. Dungy is, after all, a football coach. So, be prepared to hear about situations, and circumstances, and even conflict that has surrounded his many years of coaching.

In short, if you're not afraid of the pig skin and if you could use some encouragement - this just might be the book you're looking for.

I was Looking for a book that was about LEADERSHIP from a SPIRITUAL persective. Tony Dungy nails that query with this book, Mentor Leader. Previously I avoided his books because I am not a big fan of football and assumed it was all related to touchdowns and tackling. I could not have been more wrong. This book is about mentoring and leading. Good title them huh?

He takes his experiences and that of others and tells how he was mentored what he does to mentor and all in the line of being a leader. Far from an in the ivory tower manager Dungy shows us how to impact others as the main idea in leadership.

Growing others to be leader even more Spiritual Mentors. He uses the Bible to explain his motivation to help others and shows his weakness and how he overcame them to become the Mentor leader he is today.

This book was for someone looking to help others a goldmine. I found this book to be informative, entertaining and Spirit Led. Not only should every manager who wants to step beyond "manageing" to leadership read it, every pastor, teacher and mother and father should grab a copy.

The message Tony wants us to get is that a leader cares little about personal gain and cares everything about doing what they do to help another find Gods direction in their lives.

In his introduction, Dungy outlines the "essential traits of a mentor" (p. xvii-xviii):

* Mentoring "can be taught and learned; but in order to be absorbed, it must be practiced"
* Mentoring "focuses on developing the strengths of individuals"
* Mentoring "works best" when there is "genuine concern" shown
* Mentoring is about "shaping, nurturing, empowering, and growing"
* Mentoring is "about relationships, integrity, and perpetual learning"
* Mentoring is "about changing lives" (p. xvii-xviii)

Although all 9 chapters of Dungy's book relates to the "mentor leader," there were 3 chapters that seemed to prepare the heart of the mentor: Chapter 3, "A Look Within," Chapter 4, "Characteristics That Matter," and Chapter 6, "Living the Message" (p. 45, 67, 123). In chapter 3 Dungy explains, "In order to become an effective mentor, in whatever setting, it is important to take a look inside yourself" (p. 45). He suggests that potential mentors take a "personal inventory" to assess what makes them "think, react, and respond the way they do" and what makes them "do the things they do" (p. 46). An honest self assessment will reveal personal strengths and weaknesses, unresolved issues from the past and meaningful priorities (p. 64-65).

"Character" is described as "the person [others] view as the most trustworthy, who cares the most and who is willing to always do the right thing," and according to Dungy, it is the "glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationships" (p. 71). In chapter 4, Dungy presents the characteristics he believes are "marks" of a good mentor. These "marks" include competence, integrity, authenticity, courageous, faithfulness, accountable, available/approachable, loyalty, and protectiveness (p. 72-91). Throughout this chapter (and the whole book), Dungy uses Biblical references to support his points. For example, Dungy states, "a genuine sense of self-worth is best obtained through a relationship with God" (p. 74). In another part of the chapter, Dungy discusses the parable found in the book of John, chapter 10, to illustrate the "mark" of protectiveness--"When a wolf comes and threatens the flock, the hired hand runs away. . . . the shepherd on the other hand, rises to the defense of his sheep" (p. 94).

Dungy starts chapter 6 with a Scripture verse from the book of Matthew: "Jesus said, `It's not what goes into your mouth that defiles you; you are defiled by the words that come out of your mouth. . . . The words you speak come from the heart--that's what defiles you'" (Matt. 15:11, 18). He uses this Bible passage to show that mentoring starts in the heart of the mentor--basically, what is inside determines what will come out (p. 123). Dungy claims that people will notice various things about other individuals: their faith, their words and actions, and their legacy (p. 124-135). When discussing faith, Dungy says, "Faith is the foundation and strength of the mentor . . . . the guiding principle behind everything we do . . . . Faith will go a long way toward giving others a reason to follow you" (p. 134-135). Dungy believes that the "many things that guide the daily steps of mentors" (relationships, impact, involvement, character, faith, and actions) shape one's legacy; "legacy" results in "changed lives" (p. 136, 138). In other words, a mentor is successful if he or she contributes to the positive changes in other people's lives. Dungy's use of the Bible shows that God's Word is important to him. It also shows that even if a mentor has all the necessary traits necessary, it is God who ultimately changes people-- "with God all things are possible" (Matt. 19:26).

America is in the midst of a leadership crisis. Politically, socially, spiritually and in the family, leadership is in high demand and short supply. Concepts of what effective leadership is, have come and gone in our society, but I think the concepts in this book are here to stay. In the Mentor Leader we learn the importance of not only creating teams, but leading those teams in a way that helps them be effective in their roles. The goal is not to make the leader "look good," the goal is to help each team member be their best. That means the leader must help each team member develop their personal selves as well as develop the group purposes or goals. Definately worth the price and more!

We all know that mentoring is the best way to develop key character traits in others, particularly young people because it is based on the model of discipleship. You may recall Jesus and the twelve, and the impact they had on the world. Mentoring Works! Tony Dungy provides an excellent framework for leaders who may not have thought as themselves as potential mentors, and for mentors who would like to become better leaders. Mentor leadership takes servant leadership to a new level. As a board member for a non-profit organization that mentors at-risk youth, I gave each of my fellow board members and staff one at our recent board retreat. And now many of the principles in this book are showing up in our mission, vision, values, and goals statements, and are being implimented in the field. A must read for anyone who aspires to be a true leader or mentor.

Jim Caldwell provides and critical introduction to another great book by Tony Dungy, where Jim points out that he was not able to obtain a head coaching position because there were some things that he was not paying attention to. After asking Tony about things he could do to be a head coach, Tony was able to point out great books by Michael Fullan and Jim Collins that are now mainstays for leadership no matter where you work or what you do. With that piece of information, Tony lays out a structure of how and why mentor leaders are important in every organization. He gives different examples of types of mentors and what mentors can do to empower those around them. A fantastic read for anyone and everyone.

The Mentor Leader has been a wonderful read and I have completely enjoyed it. In fact, I will be serving as a voluteer course director next year and I got this book for several of the staff that will be serving with me. Tony Dungy's advice is solid and it is in line with the way that I view good leadership.

Filled with great quotes and biblical passages, I like the weaving of the principles and ethics of a Godly man in with the content. This book is not your common leadership book in that it pushes the thought of it is far more important to lift those you lead than to pull them by the nose. I have loved this book and would recommend it to anyone looking for a different perspective on leading and guiding people well.

It's a good book creating you to think of others and not just yourself. The book focuses on team building and relationship building to create a total experience.

Anyone who is in a place of leadership should read this book. The emphasis is on pouring your life into others to produce leadership abilities in them. Dungy gives examples of mentor leaders throughout sports as well as Biblical examples. Much Scripture is used to support the principles he promotes.