Author: Bill Walsh
tl;dr: Written by the legendary San Francisco 49ers coach Bill Walsh, the book is a must read on leadership.
The premise of the book is evident in its title. Not dissimilar to ‘trust the process’, Walsh takes us through how he turned around the 49ers by implementing standards that would pay off if followed.
When he started, he taught the receptionists how to answer the phones. People asked, what did that had to do with winning football games? He understood that from top to bottom, the 49ers organization had to build a culture of doing things right. And that culture is what would foster and result in winning.
The book has a ton of different examples on what that culture entailed. Such as how others will only follow your actions, not words. And the need to prepare.
He also spells out his standard of performance, including ‘be fair’, ‘demonstrate character’, ‘show self-control’, ‘especially under pressure’.
Walsh took over a 2-14 football team in the 1978 49ers. 3 years later they won the Super Bowl. 3 years later another. 4 years after that, another. The year after that, 14-2 and another Super Bowl. That time without Walsh, but the culture he built was that of winners. And it was still driving the 1989 49ers without him.
Lesson: Culture wins.
Amazon: The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
First published on May 23, 2020