This post combines two great loves – football and reading. Because I think there are a lot of people who have the same interests as I do, I am going to point you to The Top 10 Football Books Leaders Should Read.
Click on each image to order the book and/or read more about it. The books are listed in alphabetical order by author.
The GM tracks the career of former general manager of the Baltimore Colts, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants Ernie Accorsi. What is fascinating about Accorsi is he was at the point for some of the most important events in NFL history – The John Elway trade, the signing of Bernie Kosar, and trading to get Eli Manning. You will get the behind-the-scenes story of each. All leaders can learn much from Accorsi about good decision-making. This book also inspired my post When Leaders Often Find Their Greatest Blessings.
Tony Dungy’s classic Quiet Stength is a must read for any leader. There is no leader in sports history with more character, integrity, class and practices self-leadership better than Coach Dungy. This book is also provided the content for my post 44 Leadership Quotes By Tony Dungy.
The New England Patriots have been the gold standard for how to build a quality, enduring organization for the last decade. Michael Holley’s incredible book goes into great detail about how the Patriots were constructed. The best part of the book was how the decisions were made to replace team favorites Lawyer Milloy and Drew Bledsoe.
The second book by Michael Holley is the best sports leadership book I have read in the past year. As a follow up to Patriot Reign, this book also tracks the impact of the Patriots on the rest of the NFL. Atlanta Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff and Kansas City Chiefs general manager Scott Pioli are also profiled. Reading how three separate organizations were constructed will benefit any leader. This post inspired the post 9 Things Leaders Do To Find Their Dream Job.
Sports Illustrated’s Peter King is my favorite writer. Monday Morning Quarterback is a collection of some of his best weekly columns. No writer can take you behind-the-scenes of leadership better than King.
For fans of the game of pro football and its history, this may be the best book cover-to-cover you will ever read. Some of the best leaders in football history are profiled. You will learn how leaders deal with burn out, managing a family, handling oppressive owners and difficult players. Myers also goes into great detail about the stress of leadership and the effects of winning and losing. A must read.
This book is unknown to many people. Tom Mullins is the Senior Pastor of Christ Fellowship Church in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. In addition to leading a church that averages over 20,000 in weekend attendance, Mullins is also a former college football coach. This book looks at eight NCAA national championship coaches and discovers the common links each possess. If leaders are looking for success links, this book is for you.
As the subtitle says, this book contains transcripts from the best Hall of Fame induction and acceptance speeches. These are the words of leaders who transcended the game and are the best ever at what they do. Leaders, don’t you think you can learn from these individuals? I know I sure did. These speeches inspired the posts 9 Qualities To Look For In Your Next Leader And Head Coach as well as 7 Things Every Husband Wants His Wife To Praise Him For.
Those are the 10 football books I recommend to leaders. What additional books would you recommend.
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