Lead...For God's Sake!

Perhaps the best book on leadership that I've ever read is a…fable. Really? It's true. lead for god's sake book

Todd Gongwer wrote a great story about a legendary high school basketball coach in Kentucky, Steve Rocker, who took on the challenge of coaching at a new school. It didn't take long for him to realize the challenges would be greater than any he had faced before. Coach Rocker was used to winning, and it was clear this new team would struggle to find wins.

And his struggles weren't isolated to his job. His marriage was falling apart, family life was miserable and he didn't have close friends to walk through the struggles with. Life was miserable, and he wasn't good at hiding it.

In the midst of all of his turmoil, he found solace, and wisdom, from an unlikely source…the school janitor. The two began to form a friendship and Coach was drawn in by the wisdom he learned from his new friend.

You'll grow to love Joe the janitor and his unique ability to see through situations and help Coach Rocker see clearly what is really happening with those he is leading.

At the end of the book there is a surprising twist in the story that helps us understand more about the relationship of Coach and Joe.

If in your leadership journey you've ever lost your "why," this is a must read. Gongwer does a great job of maneuvering through some of the different struggles a leader faces. He'll evaluate the relationships a leader has with those he leads. He breaks down the question, "At what cost does success bring?" He'll work through the question of whether we have defined what success means to us individually, and then evaluate whether we are striving for that success or following after the success our culture has defined for us.

I would think every coach, if not every leader, would benefit greatly from this quick read.

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