Quiet Strength was a great book. What a great opportunity to get inside the life and mind of Tony Dungy. If I can say anything about this book, it would be that Tony Dungy has his priorities right. In everything He does, he tries to put God first. I learned a lot about character, work ethic, putting family first, dealing with disappointments, and keeping accomplishments in perspective from this book.

The book can be summed up in this statement from Tony:

“I love coaching football, and winning a Super Bowl was a goal I’ve had for a long time. But it has never been my purpose in life. My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don’t let the pursuit of our life’s goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose. I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. I want to help people see the path to eternal life through Christ, to enjoy an abundant life now, and to fulfill their God-given purposes here. We are all role models to someone in this world, and we can all have an impact—for good.” -Tony Dungy 

My big takeaway: No matter what you do in life, it is for one purpose: to glorify God.

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Some Highlights:

• Chuck Noll and Dick Vermeil saying, “Don’t throw in the towel on what you believe in.” Coach Noll had always told me, “Being stubborn is a virtue when you’re right; it’s only a character flaw when you’re wrong.”

• Even though we didn’t understand why Jamie had taken his life, our job was to persevere and continue to follow the Lord no matter what.

• Coach Noll always emphasized that keeping ridiculous work hours doesn’t mean you’ll be successful.

• we just don’t have family forever

• When you can do the common things of life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world. —George Washington Carver

• “God has created you a certain way with certain interests and passions. Follow them.”

• Plus, if I trust God that all things work together for good, then I have to believe it—even when it doesn’t feel good to me.

• It’s always easier to do things the wrong way, but it’s always best to do them the right way. —CleoMae Dungy

• Pain prompts us to change behavior that is destructive to ourselves or to others. Pain can be a highly effective instructor.

• God’s definition of success is really one of significance—the significant difference our lives can make in the lives of others. This significance doesn’t show up in win-loss records, long résumés, or the trophies gathering dust on our mantels. It’s found in the hearts and lives of those we’ve come across who are in some way better because of the way we live

• Champions are champions not because they do anything extraordinary but because they do the ordinary things better than anyone else. —Chuck Noll

• Good teachers help all their students earn an A. —Dr. Wil Dungy

• God’s plans don’t always follow human logic. I was finally a head coach, but it had happened in a setting and through a process that had made me believe I had no chance. We often can’t see what God is doing in our lives, but God sees the whole picture and His plan for us clearly

• while the Super Bowl is a great goal, if it’s all we’re after, we’ll be disappointed when we get there.

• Chuck Noll always reminded us that “Football is what you are doing right now, but it’s not your life’s work. You’ve got to continue to prepare for your life’s work.”

• I need to treat everybody fairly, but fair doesn’t always mean equal.

• What’s important is not the accolades and memories of success but the way you respond when opportunities are denied.

• Our parents encouraged us to follow our dreams and told us that if we wanted to do something, we could do it. And, they said, if we did it the Lord’s way, for the right reasons, we would be successful.

• What are you going to do to make the situation better? —Dr. Wil Dungy

• It’s the journey that matters. Learning is more important than the test. Practice well, and the games will take care of themselves.

• But football is just a game. It’s not family. It’s not a way of life. It doesn’t provide any sort of intrinsic meaning. It’s just football.

• “Life is hard, but God is good.”

Mandela’s Way was written by Richard Stengel, who spent 3 years with Mandela and helped him write his autobiography. This book was one that Richard wrote about his experience with Mandela. In reflection with his time spend with Mandela, Richard came up with 15 life lessons that he learned.

It was so great reading about Nelson Madela’s life. Before I had read this book, I knew very little about the man. After reading the book, I have much respect for him. In his time spent in jail, Nelson Mandela learned to lead himself, which allowed him to lead South Africa after he was released. This book will give you great insight into a world leader.

You will learn what he learned in prison, what his daily routines were, how he led people, how he dealt with enemies, how he made decisions, and more.

If you enjoy studying history and the lives of great leaders, this book is a must read. I am going to pick up Mandela’s autobiography next, I can’t wait to read that!

My Big Takeaways: Don’t be in a hurry to be who you want to become. The fact that Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison and then became a world renown leader is incredible. Prison taught him patience and self-control, two lessons we all need to learn. If we will learn to lead ourselves, our opportunities to lead others will come naturally.

I also learned the importance of confrontation, 1st impressions, and the ability to make decisions and stand by them.

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Some Highlights:

• A hero is a man who believes in something, who is courageous, who may risk his own life for the good of the community.” Mandela knows he has been a hero, but even a hero stands on the shoulders of others.

• He knows that leadership often means having to choose between two bad options and that good men have to make decisions that have bad consequences

• “I don’t think it is healthy for people to think of you as a messiah. In that case, they will only be disappointed. They should know that their leaders are made of flesh and blood, that they are human. I want them to think that of me. If they think you are a savior, their expectations are far too high. Let them think of you as a hero, yes, but not a legend.”

• Mandela believed leaders are judged in their totality, by the arc of their lives. He judged men on their entire lives and careers, not on how they reacted in one specific situation.

• we should not let an illusion of urgency force us to make decisions before we are ready.

• But he knows that the price of not saying no now makes it even harder to say it later. Better to disappoint someone early.

• NELSON MANDELA IS NOT A MAN OF MAYBES.

• Mandela believed that he could win over anyone

• He is always the host, never the guest. 

• At any political or social event, he was always the first to stand up and clap, always the first to shake the hands of the performers, always the first to congratulate the winner. He greets people; he is not greeted by them. There is no event at which he will not speak, no matter how small or informal.

• Although he is a man of substance, he would say that it makes no sense not to judge by appearances. Appearances matter, and we have only one chance to make a first impression.

• Mandela understood that there is nothing that ingratiates you with someone else as much as asking for his help—that when you defer to others, you increase their allegiance to you.

• For Mandela, leading from the front also means being accountable. He embraces the idea that if he makes a decision on his own, he will bear the consequences for it. If he’s wrong, he says, you know who to blame.

• Even in personal relationships, he believed that you should take the lead. If there is something bothering you, if you feel you have been treated unfairly, you must say so. That is leading too.

• Most of the mistakes he has made in his life came from acting too hastily rather than too slowly. Don’t hurry, he would say; think, analyze, then act.

• Mandela’s highest praise for someone he considers courageous is, “He did very well.” By that he does not mean that the fellow was a dramatic hero or that he risked his life in a great endeavor, but that, day in and day out, he remained steady under trying circumstances.

• I can pretend that I’m brave. In fact, that is what he did. And that is how he would describe courage: pretending to be brave. Fearlessness is stupidity. Courage is not letting the fear defeat you.

• Courage is not the absence of fear, he taught me. It’s learning to overcome it.

• He was never afraid to say he had been afraid.

• Prison taught him self-control, discipline, and focus—the things he considers essential to leadership—and it taught him how to be a full human being.

• He will learn as much as he can about you before meeting you.

• WE LONG FOR HEROES but have too few.

Anytime you can read about leadership from the perspective of President, I think it’s worth it. Imagine what it is like to lead our country. I am so grateful that George W. Bush wrote this book and gave us his perspective.

Decision Points was a fantastic book. Unlike most Presidential Memoirs, instead of telling the story of his life, George W. Bush focuses on several critical decisions he’s had to make in his life and his Presidency. It was very interesting to hear him talk about 9/11, choosing his cabinet, how he values his family life, quitting drinking, Iraq, Katrina, and a few other critical decisions.

Although I was already a fan, this book made me respect George W. Bush on a much deeper level that I had before. I love his passion for his family, his love for God, his honesty, and his character. After reading it, I have such a deeper respect for the office of the President.

My big takeaway is summed up in George W. Bush’s summary of his Presidency:

“The nature of history is that we know the consequences only of the action we took. But inaction would have had consequences, too . . .I believe I got some of those decisions right, and I got some wrong. But on every one, I did what I believed was in the best interests of our country

I realized that in leadership, you have to make tough decisions without knowing what all of the consequences will be, but regardless, we must act. We must do what we believe to be right. There will be times where we miss it and times where we hit it out of the park. It comes with the leadership package, but if we’re always doing what we believe is in everyone’s best interest, history will be kind to us, as I believe it will be to George W. Bush.

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Some Highlights:

• I believe I got some of those decisions right, and I got some wrong. But on every one, I did what I believed was in the best interests of our country

• January day in 2001, I could never have imagined what would unfold over my time in office. I knew some of the decisions I had made were not popular with many of my fellow citizens. But I felt satisfied that I had been willing to make the hard decisions, and I had always done what I believed was right

• Sir Edmund Burke, the eighteenth-century British leader: “The only thing needed for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”

• Faith-based programs had the potential to change lives in ways secular ones never could. “Government can hand out money,” I said, “but it cannot put hope in a person’s heart or a sense of purpose in a person’s life.”

• The nature of history is that we know the consequences only of the action we took. But inaction would have had consequences, too.

• The experience reminded me that even the most accomplished and powerful people sometimes need to be reassured.

• History can debate the decisions I made, the policies I chose, and the tools I left behind. But there can be no debate about one fact: After the nightmare of September 11, America went seven and a half years without another successful terrorist attack on our soil. If I had to summarize my most meaningful accomplishment as president in one sentence, that would be it.

• If I abandoned my principles on an issue like stem cell research, how could I maintain my credibility on anything else?

• The people you choose to surround you determine the quality of advice you receive and the way your goals are implemented

• The key question was whether I felt the call to run.

• Ten years earlier, I had been celebrating my fortieth birthday drunk at The Broadmoor. Now I was being toasted on the lawn of the Texas Governor’s Mansion as the next president. This had been quite a decade.

• I learned a valuable lesson about Washington: Proximity to power is empowerment. Having Dad’s ear made me effective.

• But I came to realize that struggles and doubts are natural parts of faith. If you haven’t doubted, you probably haven’t thought very hard about what you believe.In the end, whether you believe or don’t believe, your position is based on faith.

• But self-improvement is not really the point of the Bible. The center of Christianity is not the self. It is Christ.

• I viewed my first decade after college as a time to explore. I didn’t want anchors to hold me down. If something caught my attention, I would try it. If not, I would move on.

• Quitting drinking was one of the toughest decisions I have ever made. Without it, none of the others that follow in this book would have been possible.

• My problem was not only drinking; it was selfishness. The booze was leading me to put myself ahead of others, especially my family.

• in the presidency, there are no do-overs. You have to do what you believe is right and accept the consequences.