Customer Reviews

Winning the NFL Way: Leadership Lessons From Football's Top Head Coaches

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Whether you're reading this book for it's business principles, leadership ideas, or just want a great book to read on vacation, you'll love this book. My wife isn't a sport fan and she loved this book.

These five coaches share their leadership principles and even their philosophies, work ethics and superstitions through deeply entertaining stories.

Before being accused of `going Hollywood,' I was an NFL writer for 20 years, the final 10 for The New York Times and USA Today. I wrote a book with Joe Montana and made a football film with Oliver Stone. And I can tell you this: Bob LaMonte is a classic American story, a former high school teacher who now controls the NFL coaching market as an agent much like Leigh Steinberg did with quarterbacks. LaMonte's top clients are larger than life, Andy Reid in Philly, Jon Gruden in Tampa, Mike Holmgren in Seattle, John Fox in Carolina, Mike Sherman in Green Bay. I was the one to had the pleasure of telling Bob LaMonte all about elite business author Bob Shook, who has written more books than some people have even had a chance to read; the two had crossed paths and it just so happened I knew them both well. So it was no surprise to see none other than 60 Minutes flashing their new book, Winning the NFL Way, on the screen last weekend. I know first-hand that it is on the desks of anyone who matters in the NFL. And I expect it to become a must-read for the business community as well, based on Bob Shook's track record. I am just stunned that LaMonte would reveal his trade secrets at such an early age! So if information truly is power you need to catch this one. Unless of course you want the train to pass you by ...

Richard Weiner
Creative Director
STS Entertainment

The book has a great premise, but the writing manages to ruin it. I wish LaMonte, who is a great agent, would have gotten a good writer to tell his and his clients' stories.

I would recommend this book to anyone. You don't even really have to know about football. It gives you life lessons, as well as football lessons, and business lessons. These lessons are told by Bob LaMonte and the five head coaches he represents. These coaches include Mike Holmgren, John Grueden, John Fox, Andy Reid, and Mike Sherman. Unlike many other authors, Bob LaMonte has been up close and personal with these coaches. In order to represent them as an agent he must know them very well. All of these coaches have started in a low profile job environment. In fact three of them had never even had a head coaching job at a high school. In order to go big you must start small. People who have a small job focus on there goals and when they become successful they set their sights one step higher.

This combines the leadership insights of 5 outstanding coaches in the NFL, the savvy of a top agent and the writing skill of an author who tells their story with gripping clarity. It is an absolute winner, a must read for anyone who truly wants to understand what makes a National Football League team/franchise click. The coaches are an NFL who's who - Jon Gruden, Mike Holmgren, John Fox, Andy Reid, Mike Sherman. The agent is Bob LaMonte, a former coach himself, who has rocketed to the top as a sports agent. The author is Robert L. Shook who (according to the jacket) has authored 48 books and his talent shows throughout as he makes the insights of agent and coaches come alive. Beyond this, the book will be invaluable to business leaders; indeed anyone who has, or wants to assume responsibility for developing an organization, motivating people, achieving personal goals, or coming out a winner. "Winning The NFL" way is both a winner and a guide to winning.

I understand much better now about what an agent actually does for a client and what unique skills and talents a prospective NFL head coach must possess.

I've read a lot of books on sports and a lot on business. I rank WINNING THE NFL WAY as the best in both catagories. LaMonte was wise in teaming up with best-selling business writer, Robert L. Shook rather than collaborating with a sports writer. The five head coaches featured in this book demonstrate excellent leadership skills, and it's interesting how the authors relate what these great coaches do that can be applied in corporate America. These head coaches are portrayed as men of the highest integrity--and because their word is their bond, their players trust them. As the book emphasizes, teamwork is dependent on trust. Every player must trust that his teammates will execute his assignment--if one player fails, the entire team fails. This is a terrific lesson that works in every field--not just on the playing field. This book is filled with gems that make this book worth its weight in gold.

Those interested in football will find this book to be an enlightening book on leadership. All of the rules and points of quality leadership are presented in football terms. In effect, a head football coach is no different than any other type of business leader. The problems lies in the poor format of the book.

I enjoyed the story of Bob LaMonte. His unlikely rise from high school teacher to sports agent is nothing short of remarkable. His teaching career led him to acquaint himself with the high school's football coach Mike Holmgren. The reader can tell this is an important event in LaMonte's life since he literally retells it in each chapter. Many of Holmgren's assistant went on to head coaching jobs, creating new clients for LaMonte. Some like Holmgren and Gruden have done great things. Than there is Mike Sherman, the most overrated coach in the NFL.

As alluded to earlier, the concept is interesting but poorly told. So much of the information is continuously repeated that this book could have easily been under 200 pages. These are problems editors should fix. But as LaMonte would suggest in the book, he should take responsibility since it is his project.

If Mr. LaMonte could just tell us the Leadership Lessons to be learned instead of stories about himself and why he's is such a great agent the book would be 5 stars. This whole book is about self-promotion which is fine if he didn't tell you that the book was about Leadership Lessons.