Bo's Lasting Lessons

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. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine

August 6, 2007
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.