"In all of the professional walks of life - medicine, the law, politics, the arts, and so on - the ability to rationally describe and ultimately perform the function of leadership is essential. The heart of truly professional activity is a sense of community, an accepted set of normals, traditional processes of advancement, and an orderly application of effort in pursuit of important goals." - R. Manning Ancell in The Leader's Bookshelf about "The Soldier and the State: The Theory and Politics of Civil Military Relationships"
Books inform important inputs sculpting our leadership. The half dozen books below resonated for me.
Teaching how to become a leader is an important coaching function. Becoming a leader as a student-athlete is both a choice and an obligation. Lead by modeling excellence and building your leadership portfolio. In addition, professionals maintain a professional reading practice.
Your experiences with family and peers, teachers/coaches, and books shape your leadership arc - knowledge, philosophy, and style. Add value by sharing your basketball wisdom. Get buy-in through relationships that capture hearts and minds.
They Call Me Coach (John Wooden) 1972
Wooden shares an abundance of beliefs inhabiting his coaching. Two worth noting:
Excellence is built in daily habits and revealed in moments of pressure. We make our habits and our habits make us.
In his "Letter to Players" he marks his territory, telling players that he makes decisions, whether they like them or not, with the intent of doing what is in the best interest of the team.
Legacy (James Kerr) 2013
Kerr gets under the hood of the legendary New Zealand All-Blacks rugby team. Two key messages:
"Leave the jersey in a better place." The All-Blacks have an enduring tradition of excellence. Players understand that they are part of something bigger than themselves. Few organizations inhabit that domain.
"Sweep the sheds." Leaving the locker room or the bench area in better condition than you found it is consistent with metaphorical "commitment to excellence."
The Score Takes Care of Itself (Bill Walsh) 2009
Walsh was the architect of the 49ers dynasty and later was a professor at Stanford. Two lessons:
Walsh's "Standard of Performance" embraced a philosophy of discipline, detail, and commitment to improvement. "Standards" are a common theme in sport and business and Walsh was an 'early adopter' if not founder.
Attention to detail was a core concept for everyone in the organization - how staff answered the phone, striped the field, or taught blocking.
The Leader's Bookshelf (James Stavridis) 2017
Admiral Stavridis and others summarize fifty books recommended by high ranking military officers, not necessarily books about the military. For example, Stephen Covey's "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" and Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird" are included. Two principles:
The best leaders lead from the front not from "ivory towers." King Leonidas (Sparta) made the ultimate sacrifice at the Battle of Thermopylae against Xerxes' Persian "Million Man Army." Fight for your beliefs or your civilization.
Brilliant minds do not always translate to good decisions. During the Kennedy Administration, "The Best and the Brightest" led the country into a disastrous quagmire of Vietnam.
Lincoln on Leadership (Donald Phillips) 1992
Many historians consider Lincoln America's greatest president, preserving the Union and ultimately killed in office. The best authors share unique insights into the character and mindset of their subjects. For example:
Lincoln was a technology geek. He constantly reviewed patents that might help the Union, for example, the telegraph. Lincoln is also the only President with a patent, on a device to lift boats run aground.
Lincoln's "Hot Letters" were written often in response to actions that upset him. They helped him 'get it out of his system'. He wrote, "Never signed, never sent" and filed them
Leadership in Turbulent Times (Doris Kearns Goodwin) 2018
Doris Kearns Goodwin is one of America's most well-known and prolific historians. "Leadership in Turbulent Times," formidable in itself, is a 478 page "Cliff Notes" to her tomes on the Roosevelts, Lincoln, and Lyndon Johnson. A couple of key points amidst thousands:
Teddy Roosevelt was a sickly child and challenged himself physically so that ultimately he could "do hard things."
The author was not a fan of LBJ (Johnson), so much that he hired her for his administration to try to convince her of his leadership skills. Sometimes it is better to bring critics into your circle than to exile them.
The most recent data I read reported that 48 percent of Americans had not read a book in the past year. "Education changes behavior." Coaches are educators and have a responsibility to our players to read to become more effective at teaching both our sport and life lessons.
Lagniappe. Find the NBA, "Next best action."
Success and failure are both distractions. Pros focus on taking the Next Best Action. #BecomingaPro pic.twitter.com/WgHy2DiKG5
— Ball is Psych (@BallisPsych) February 4, 2026
Lagniappe 2. Did you play to the best of your ability?
Give this a listen
— Hoop Herald (@TheHoopHerald) January 31, 2026
It’s not always about the points you score
There is much more that goes into a basketball game
(Via @CoachBechler 🎥)
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