basketball

A lot of celebrity sports figure books are full of ghost writer prose and tired cliche's. Many are entertaining, but like a fluffy dessert. Sweet but only empty calories. Not this one. This is meat and potatoes earned the best way--by hard work. Pat Summitt lets you into her head and heart--the head and heart that has achieved unprecendented success not only with women's basketball teams, but as a person, a leader, and an inspiring figure to these young women--and now to millions of fans. I find my self measuring her with a much larger yardstick than "just" one of the best coaches that ever coached basketball. This lady is a champion and would be at whatever she decided to do. This book is worth reading by anyone from the CEO to the janitor--and they will all enjoy it and be better for it. Review by: John L. Mariotti, former President of Huffy Bicycles and Rubbermaid Office Products, now CEO of The Enterprise Group, and author of "The Power of Partnerships" and "The Shape Shifters" --and a Lady Vol fan!

Having long been a fan of Pat Summitt & the Tennessee Lady Vols, I finally got around to reading this book and I must say it was a real eye-opener. You've seen pictures of Pat on tv & in the newspapers, usually in some player's face during a crucial moment of a game & you might think, "this woman is really tough on her players." Well, guess what? She IS tough, and many of the players that she's been toughest on went on to be championship players in the WNBA after getting their degrees at the University Of Tennessee. Other than building championship teams, Pat's main goal is seeing that her players get their education & graduate. Everyone on the team must sit in the 1st 3 rows in their classes and pay attention. After reading this book, I came away with the realization that she really does care about these young women and always made it a point to assure them of this. At times when she knew she'd really have to lean on a player, Pat would contact their parents to give them a heads up so that there would be no misunderstanding. Pat Summitt grew up tough but fair, not afraid of hard work and expecting alot from others. Her Definite Dozen System is easy to apply in any job, in all walks of life. You just have to be determined to overcome adversity and to face every challenge that comes your way. Highly recommended reading for everyone, not just fans of women's basketball.

I enjoyed this book because Pat is definetely old school when she comes to her coaching and managing. I think as America has become a rich country, hard driving individuals like Pat and her parents have become downgraded as more people opt for the human relations style management. Pat proves that the hard driven type management is still very effective in motivating people to their best. In this book, Pat describes both her personal and professional experiences and how that has changed her to the coach she is today. Nothing beats success, and Pat's championships prove her way can make results.
This book is a surprisely good read on leadership and managing. It is applicable to both sports and business. The personal and professional stories prove that Pat's way is still effective in today's world.