Leading
"After an astonishing career-first in Scotland, and then over 27 years with Manchester United Football Club, Sir Alex Ferguson delivers Leading, in which the greatest soccer coach of all time will analyze the pivotal leadership decisions of his 38 years as a manager and, with his friend and collaborator Sir Michael Moritz, draw out lessons anyone can use in business and life to generate long-term transformational success. From hiring practices to firing decisions, from dealing with transition to teamwork, from mastering the boardroom to responding to failure and adversity, Leading is as inspiring as it is practical, and a go-to reference for any leader in business, sports, and life."--Provided by publisher.
Stats for nerds
3recommend
5mentions
3people
2016–2020years
100% recommend
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
- I have been a team lead for four years now in different companies / teams.
I think empathy and radical candor are the most important skills ! There’s a book called radical candor that I really recommend.
Other than those I recommend reading how very effective leaders did their job, Eleven Rings by the NBA coach Phil is absolutely amazing on how to build a winning team as is Leading from Ferguson (soccer). Turn the ship around is another great book by someone’s experience in the navy.
Creating a safe space where people know the goals clearly, communicate effectively and helping to unblock them are part of the goal !
- “The Manual: A Philosopher's Guide to Life” - This is a book on stoicism. It’s a quick read but has so much value. I re-read this book once a year.
“Leading: Learning from Life and My Years at Manchester United” - I’m a huge Manchester United fan. Sir Alex Ferguson managed the (biggest) club for 27 years, winning so many trophies, managing big personalities, rebuilding the team multiple times over the course of his career. He has so much valuable advice in this book.
- I've been a team lead for close to four years now in two different companies, both times my teams spanned multiple time zones!
I really enjoy this subject and read a lot about it. My favorite books so far are:
- Radical Candor -- Gives a great framework for candid conversations and empathy which IMO are the most important thing! Clear #1 in my list.
- Leading by Alex Ferguson -- A great successful leader in another area - Soccer - that had many years building effective teams. It's incredible how many concepts can be mapped over, he talks for example on how having "rockstars" in a team that aren't team players isn't worth it.
- Ride of a lifetime by Bob Iger -- It's mostly a biography of Disney's most successful CEO, I thought it was very authentic and gave good advices on how to deal with creative people, empathy, setting goals and navigating hard situations (compartmentalizing)
- Creativity Inc Amy / Ed -- Pixar's president biography on how to manage creative teams, it is a bit repetitive but it is golden! Lots of good ideas and insightful chapters that make you think about how to build a successful culture.
- The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders -- IMO a bit shallow compared to the other books I mentioned but it was a pleasant read.
- I have many but here are two that I have read recently and found valuable:
- The Essential Marcus Aurelius (https://www.amazon.com/Essential-Aurelius-Tarcher-Cornerston...)
- Leading by Alex Ferguson (https://www.amazon.ca/Leading-Alex-Ferguson/dp/1473621178)
I admire the fact that this man has been able to recreate success with different teams and all kinds of personalities for close to 3 decades.
- Leading by Sir Alex Ferguson [1]
A fascinating story about how to build and sustain success when the team keeps changing every year. Also very interesting is how to deal with multiple personalities and get them all working in one direction.
