The Score Takes Care of Itself
Technical:
- ID: 89
- Added: 2025-09-02
- Updated: 2025-09-02
- ISBN: 9781101109014
- Publisher: Penguin
- Published: 2009-08-20
- Reviews: 4
The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of 'wisdom by Walsh' will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.
Reviews
Pull quotes
- By focusing strictly on my Standard of Performance, the 49ers were able to play the bigger games very well because it was basically business as usual—no 'try harder' mentality was used.
- I accepted the fact that I couldn’t control that 20 percent of each game. However, the rest of it—80 percent—could be under my control with comprehensive planning and preparation.
- The most powerful way to do this is to have the courage to say, ‘I believe in you,’ in whatever words—or their equivalents—constitute the most inspirational message a leader can convey.
Pull quotes
- Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize.
- The title of the book itself, The Score Takes Care of Itself, was one of Bill's favorite phrases.
- It actually runs counter to the traditional OKR-focused approach.
Pull quotes
- Bill doesn’t care about the results. Bill focuses on the things under his control, the process, and the score takes care of itself.
- Champions behave like champions before they’re champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.
- Obsess about improving behavior, improving efficiency, and improving the standards of your team.
Pull quotes
- I directed our focus less to the prize of victory than to the process of improving-obsessing, perhaps, about the quality of our execution and the content of our thinking.
- If I did that, winning would take care of itself.
- The intense focus on those pertinent details cements the foundation that establishes excellence in performance.