The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership [Bargain Price] [Hardcover]

Bill Walsh (Author), Steve Jamison (Author), Craig Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 20, 2009

"Even when you have an organization brimming with talent, victory is not always under your control. There is no guarantee, no ultimate formula for success. It all comes down to intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing. When you do that, the score will take care of itself." (Bill Walsh)

Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty that won three Super Bowls. In the process, he changed the way football is played-pushing it into the twenty-first century.

Walsh is famous for his strategic brilliance and innovations, such as the West Coast Offense, but his enlightened philosophy of leadership was just as crucial, if not more so, to the unprecedented success of his teams. And that philosophy of leadership is just as powerful and productive in business or any other endeavor as it was for him on the football field.

Prior to his death, Walsh granted exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. They became his ultimate lecture on leadership-illustrated by dramatic and apt anecdotes from throughout Walsh's career. A small sample of what you'll learn from one of America's greatest coaches:

* Believe in People: Push them hard to be their very best. No one will ever come back later and thank you for expecting too little of them.
* Professionalism Matters: There was no showboating allowed after touchdowns, no taunting of opponents, no demonstration to attract attention to oneself: "Champions act like champions before they're champions."
* Keep a Short Enemies List: One enemy can do more damage than the good done by a hundred friends.
* Protect Your Blind Side: Prompt yourself to aggressively analyze not only your organization's strengths, but also its unseen vulnerabilities.
* Sometimes You Can't Have he Last Word. A leader cannot escape harsh criticism. Ignore the undeserving; learn from the deserving. Lick your wounds and move on. Your bruised ego will get over it.

Additional insights and perspective are provided by his son Craig Walsh, by legendary quarterback Joe Montana, and by other important figures who knew Bill well.

Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a Fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with twelve employees. His final words of wisdom will inspire and enlighten readers in all walks of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This posthumous leadership guide by the acclaimed head coach of the San Francisco 49ers is a fascinating compendium of Walsh's philosophy, as compiled by his son and Jamison (coauthor of Wooden) from interviews and private notes. Interspersed with the coach–turned–leadership guru's insights into management are pieces by football greats Joe Montana and Randy Cross and former colleagues John McVay, Mike White and Bill McPherson. Walsh reveals a simple and strict philosophy that prizes people above all and focuses on core values, principles and ideals. His philosophy centers on three beliefs: organizational ethics are critical; everyone, regardless of their position, must perform at the highest possible level; and teaching should be a top priority for any leader. He shares his unique Standard of Performance and offers valuable advice on communication and priorities. Enlightening, informative and engaging, this powerful book is a must-read for executives and managers at every level. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"Bill Walsh was one of the NFL's all-time best; a creative genius, a master at management, and a brilliant student of human nature. The Score Takes Care of Itself is his own personal and powerful road map to success as a leader whether in professional football or anywhere else. Terrific reading; tremendous insights."
-Roger Goodell, commissioner of the NFL

"The Score Takes Care of Itself is a leadership classic-a magnificent step-by-step tutorial on how to achieve success. It is practical, profound, and perfect for today's ultracompetitive business environment. Indispensable reading."
-Pat Williams, senior vice president of the Orlando Magic and author of What Are You Living For?

"The Score Takes Care of Itself is not about football. It's about how to treat people right. How to get the best out of the people around you. How to be a highly effective leader. I am thankful that this book about Bill Walsh's leadership point of view is now available to inspire countless leaders to come."
-Ken Blanchard, coauthor of The One Minute Manager(r) and Leading at a Higher Level

"Bill's personal examples of how he implemented and executed each of these steps in the transformation of the San Francisco 49ers creates a fascinating story of business, football, and triumph. More than anything, Bill's story reminds business leaders that success is not accidental but rather the result of deliberate and tenacious preparation."
-John F. Milligan, Ph.D., president and COO of Gilead Sciences, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover (August 20, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1591842662
• ASIN: B002ZNJWH2
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #51,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "But here's the lesson I learned....", August 20, 2009

By 

Robert Morris (Dallas, Texas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership (Hardcover)

Whenever a list of the NFL's greatest coaches is formulated, Bill Walsh's name is usually included with those of other Hall of Famers such as Paul Brown, George Hallas, Tom Landry, Vince Lombardi, Chuck Noll, and Don Shula. I was especially eager to read this book, written with Steve Jamison and his only surviving son, Craig, because I wanted to gain a much better understanding of Bill Walsh's leadership style and management preferences during an illustrious career as a head coach in the NFL: a record of 102-63-1 with the San Francisco 49ers, winning ten of his fourteen postseason games along with six division titles, three NFC Championship titles, and three Super Bowls. He was named the NFL's Coach of the Year in 1981 and 1984.

Especially in recent years, there have been many articles and books written about how to develop peak performers. (Some of the best observations and insights are provided by Erika Andersen in her book, Growing Great Employees.) The most highly-admired CEOs tend be those who were especially effective developing high-impact leaders among those in middle management. At GE, Jack Welch devoted at least 20% of his time to mentoring high-potential middle managers and his successor, Jeff Immelt, continues to do so. Given that, now consider the fact that a total of 24 head coaches in the NFL were once an assistant coach on his staff at one time, and many of them led teams to victory in the Super Bowl (e.g. Brian Billick, Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, George Seifert, Mike Shanahan). Some of Walsh's greatest skills were those of a teacher. Many who recalled their association with him after his death (from leukemia in 2007) made it a point to praise his intellect, energy, scope and depth of knowledge, enthusiasm, insatiable curiosity, and especially his passion to help others to understand what great success required and how to achieve it.

In the introductory essay, "A Leader's Book for Leaders," Craig Walsh identifies five "key" players in his father's life: Joe Montana (the first quarterback he drafted who led the 49ers to all of their Super Bowl victories), John McVay (vice president and director of the 49ers' operations while Walsh was head coach), Mike White (a long-time personal friend and a fellow assistant coach at U. Cal Berkeley), Bill McPherson (a defensive assistant coach while Walsh coached the 49ers), and Randy Cross ("a great offensive lineman [and a] member of the San Francisco 49ers for thirteen years including his first three, which were pre--Bill Walsh seasons"). All of them accepted an invitation to "contribute their analyses of the leadership philosophy of Bill Walsh and expand on the comprehensive lessons my father offers [in this book]...these five were asked and kindly accepted the invitation to more fully explain the `genius' of Bill Walsh." Their contributions are substantial. Nonetheless, this is still Bill Walsh's book.

In the Foreword, "His Standard of Performance," Montana praises Walsh's ability "to teach people how to think and play at a different and much higher, and, at times, perfect level." How? Three ways: sharing a tremendous knowledge of all aspects of the game, assembling a highly competent staff as well as coaches "who knew how to coach" and who complemented the intensive instruction that Walsh provided on and off the field, and finally, developing a hatred of mistakes. "He was extremely demanding without a lot of noise...great at making people great students" and "ran a pretty tight ship, but he knew when to let us. He didn't beat up players mentally of physically." On the contrary, he assembled teams whose players who had to be highly intelligent to understand the immensely complicated strategies and game plans for which Walsh was noted throughout his career. He may have been the most cerebral head coach in the league's history. That said, Craig Walsh also reveals that his father "was an outsider; he wanted to be an insider. What he found along the way professionally, starting in his days as an assistant coach, was an unwillingness by others to `let him in.' He didn't have the pedigree -and athletic résumé from a big-name school or assistant coaching credentials from a big college program." Nonetheless, what he accomplished as a coach was eventually considered sufficient for election to the NFL Hall of Fame.

I was fascinated to learn that Twelve O'clock High was one of Walsh's favorite films and that he identified with the lead character, General Frank Savage (portrayed brilliantly by Gregory Peck) who commanded the 918th Bomber group during World War II. "My father loved that movie because it told the story of what he did in football, and what happened to him as a result, in the context of something he loved - the military."

The account of Walsh's career is enlightening. There are important business lessons to be learned from his leadership and management, especially during periods of failure as well as of success. This is what his son means when referring to "his ferocious competitive instinct, and his singular brilliance as a strategist, organizer, and team builder," who "produced historic results." However, what I found riveting is the multi-dimensional portrait of a profoundly human Bill Walsh that emerges gradually as the narrative proceeds, an "outsider" obsessed with "proving them all wrong." He did that and, with what he so generously shares in this book, can continue to help others learn "how to be as great as they can be."

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars an amazing book in kind of a strange way, November 12, 2010

By 

E. GIBSON "curmudgeon" - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership (Hardcover)

What is amazing about this book is not the writing or the insight into leadership (there are some good lessons). But how candid and introspective it is. This is a bit of Bill Walsh bearing his soul. It clearly shows his drive and creativity but it also shows his loneliness and insecurity. Is is also very direct and candid about the people around him. He doesn't hold back his praise or criticism of anybody, including himself. I'm not sure what to make of this book. There are some leadership lessons weaved into lots of personal stories. But that doesn't really seem to be what it is about overall. It is quite a life story. I'm left with a strange feeling. I think I know a lot more about Bill Walsh now but I'm not sure if I feel happy or sorry for him. You decide.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly Enjoyable and Instructive, September 30, 2009

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R. Bailin - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership (Hardcover)

I've just completed reading the subject book and came away thoroughly impressed with the late coach's philosophies. One doesn't associate his level of intellect with the NFL and in retrospect, his success seems almost inevitable. His attention to detail was absolute and he was a true visionary, changing the game forever w/ the fabled west coast offense. I found myself wondering at times if he ever questioned the career path that he'd chosen. With his intellect, he probably could've succeeded in many other disciplines and at the end of his life, was he truly satisfied with his legacy as a "football coach"?