I originally heard about John Wooden through John Maxwell. Wooden has mentored Maxwell for years! So I obviously had to pick his brain by reading his book. John Wooden is the Coach of the Century according to ESPN, his teams won 10 NCAA March Madness Championships, and 88 straight games at one point.

This book was incredible! It was the first book I’ve read written by a coach. It was very insightful as well as practical as he goes into the details of how he actually ran his teams, what he expected of them, his coaching philosophies, and much, much more.

Here were some of my key takeaways:

• We need to believe in a standard higher than victory

• Success may result in winning, but winning does not necessarily mean you are a success

• Live as thought you’ll die tomorrow. Learn as though you’ll live forever.

• For all the shortcomings I see in others, I keep in my that my own failings are many

• Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.

• Work had; prepare properly; some day your chance may come. If opportunity comes and you are not prepared, it may not come again.

• The role of any leader is to make those “many” become “much”

• All that we accomplished each day in the gym could be quickly undone by poor decisions off the court.

• The more concerned we become over things we can’t control, the less we will do to improve those things we can control.

• The past is for reverence, the future is for dreamers; the present moment is where you create success.

• Passion is unsustainable over the long term…Success is a long-term process. Passion is temporary!

• Make each day your masterpiece!

I’d highly recommend this to anyone looking to live a better life, become a better leader or coach, or on how to live a successful life.

Final Grade: A+      Buy it here!

This book is a must read for anybody who communicates for a living, especially pastors. Andy Stanley literally goes through all of the principles he uses while constructing and preaching a sermon. This is every pastors dream book! The first half of the book is actually a story written by Lane Jones, one of Andy’s campus directors, about a pastor who connects with a communication mentor who runs him through some great communication principles. The second half of the book was written by Andy and consists of all of the practical things that communicators need to do before and during a speaking engagement.

I think the last paragraph sums up the importance of learning to be a great communicator:

“The church needs your voice and your insight. As does your community and the woorld. For that reason, never stop growing and developing as a communicator. Find what works. Find what works for you. And everytime you have an opportunity to communicate God’s Word, communicate for a change!”

Here were some of my key takeaways:

• You’ve got to care more for the people in the audience than the person on the platform. Then our presentations will take on real significance. Until we do, communication is really all about us.

• Determine your goal, pick a point, create a map, internalize the message, engage your audience, find your voice. start all over.

• Our goal as communicators should be life change.
  

• We need one point messages – the biggest challenge won’t be finding the one idea, but eliminating the other three

• You need to have your message internalized to the point where you could do a 5 minute version from memory
  

• The goal isn’t to cover everything in your notes, it is to take your audience on a journey with you

• Having too much to say has almost the same effect as saying nothing

• Presentation trumps information… Presentation matters. A lot.
  

• Your first responsibility is to pose a question your audience wants answered, create tension that needs resolved, or point to a mystery that they have been unable to solve.

• “Being who you are” is not an excuse for poor communication.

• Clarity will trump style every time

Final Grade: A+ (Must read)    Buy it here!