Product Description

There are very few coaches held higher esteem than Bo Schembechler. As coach of the University of Michigan football team, he won 13 Big Ten titles and finished as the winningest coach in their storied history. But beyond the wins and losses, Bo is best remembered for the remarkable impact he had on his players and fans alike.

In BO'S LASTING LESSONS, the coach draws on his years of experience, using first-person anecdotes to deliver timeless lessons on leadership, motivation and responsibility. His distinctive gruff voice leaps from the page.

With pithy language, Bo explains that true leadership requires the compassion to actively listen to your people, and then to have the courage to do what is right every time.

A big believer in peer pressure and in always making his players accountable for their actions, Schembechler has coached athletes who went on to become professional football players, doctors, lawyers and CEOs.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #40644 in Books
• Published on: 2007-09-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 352 pages

From Publishers Weekly
With a style so conversational that readers will almost be able to hear the voice of the late, great Michigan Wolverines football coach, Schembechler (1929-2006), it seems as if coauthor and sportswriter Bacon did little more than push the record button and let Schembechler dictate this exceedingly unconventional business title. The coach—who earned the respect of practically every player, coach and fan during his 30 years as Michigan's head coach—lets loose his boisterous personality in italicized and capitalized words, exclamation points and rhetorical questions that punctuate otherwise simple statements and observations. Completed just days before the coach was brought down by heart disease, this volume spells out the leadership principles by which he lived en route to 13 Big 10 titles and 10 Rose Bowl appearances. The book contains no complicated formulas or M.B.A. treatises, but rather commonsense approaches to everything from setting goals and motivating mid-level employees to emphasizing execution and maintaining focus under fire. Along the way, Schembechler shares details from both his professional and personal lives, in which he's always prepared for anything. Schembechler's lessons are practical, well-illustrated and based on a solid legacy of determination and hard work. (Sept.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
The famed Michigan football coach offers lessons on being an effective leader and manager, gleaned from years of shaping one of the nation's winningest college teams. A better voice could not have been found to drive home his points. John Mayer's gravelly yet clear tone enthusiastically invokes the mantras the coach prescribes for leadership success: Be passionate about your job; seek a mentor, not money, when starting out; respect and listen to your people; don't hold grudges; and take pride in what you do. Key points are repeated with a musical backdrop at the end of sections--these summaries are very helpful. Of course, there are football anecdotes, but none that a nonfan won't understand. An interesting interview with coauthor Bacon concludes the book. M.B. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

John Robinson, former Head Coach, USC Trojans and LA Rams
"If you knew Bo personally, this book is a chance to spend one more unforgettable day with him. If you didn't, you'll see some sides of him you might have missed from a distance: his humor, his compassion, even - dare I say it - his sensitivity. Make no mistake, though: Bo's leadership lessons are no-nonsense, straightforward - and incredibly effective."

Customer Reviews

Not a Michigan Fan
I was given this book as a gift. I have never been a Michigan fan and always thought Big Ten football as boring. I could not put this book down. I loved every page of it. Not only is it a great look into Michigan football and a great football mind but it is one of the best business books I have read. Basic fundamentals that, packed around interesting stories that show how they work. I am ordering a copies for everyone on my sales staff. This is a book I will read again and again. Now the painful part, I now have a soft spot for the Wolverines.

Loved it.
This is a great book on the fundamentals of leadership. Bo and the author use football for examples of different challenges a leader might face. As a Michigan fan it was wonderful to read how this legendary coach made his way to Michigan, and how he formed his philosophies on coaching. After reading this book, the reader will have a better appreciation of how and why Bo coached the way he did. If anyone knows a person or if they themselves coach anything, this book is a MUST read. But you can still enjoy the book even if you don't coach or lead anything.

Great book - couldn't put it down
Bo's life was a reminder to me about the things that are important - integrity, friendship, leadership, honest communication, and giving your all every single day. Although a football story, I think it's more an inspirational guide to attainment of the highest human values disguised as a football story. Put this on your list to read!