Earn the Right to Win: How Success in Any Field Starts with Superior Preparation

I don't tend to put athletes on pedestals because Here, There be Dragons or Tigers or whichever term for danger you prefer. It generally comes to no good end. Celebrities, athletes or otherwise, are just everyday people who live their lives in the spotlight. That's no reason to look up to them unless they show themselves worthy of such attention. I was never sure whether I put coaches in the same category but since he came to the Giants in 2004, I knew there was something special about Tom Coughlin. This book just reinforced that.If you're a fan of the Giants or Jaguars, and or have read his previous book, A Team to Believe In, written following SB 42, some of the material isn't new, but the story it told and the picture it painted about the man was. The story of the transformation in Coughlin's relationship with Michael Strahan has been told a number of times, but not in this detail: "Tom has since been recognized as one of the greatest coaches in NFL history, but at the beginning, our relationship was tough: I hated him. Hate is a strong word, but that's the way I felt. ... When I began adding it all up, I realized, You know what? Maybe I haven't been seeing this guy the right way. Maybe there's more to this guy than I originally believed... We were a family. And if anybody in our family needed help, the rest of us were right there to provide it, knowing that people would be there for us....When I look back on our relationship now, I tell people proudly that I love the man. I love him, and if I could, I would play for him any day. And together, we would win."And if it was only Michael, it might have been written off as a personality conflict, but there was Fred Taylor too: "In 1998, at the beginning of my fourth season as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, we drafted running back Fred Taylor in the first round.... We did have some conflicts. In fact, after I left Jacksonville I read several articles in which he said that he really believed I was trying to kill him during that year. In the ensuing years Fed and I had spoken a few times. I'd see him on the field when the Giants played his team, and we'd greeted each other politely. But we didn't have a real conversation until after he retired in 2010, when I ran into Fed and his bother at the annual scouting combine in Indianapolis. I was walking through the lobby when I noticed a crowd of people and a little bit of a commotion. As I looked to see what was going on, Fed spotted me. I stopped to say hello, and we started talking. Finally I got around to asking him about that comment. "I didn't understand what you were trying to do then," he said. "I understand it now. I have great respect for you"... We shook hands and they got into the elevator, but as the doors started closing, Fred said suddenly, "Thank you, I love you." I love you? That was one thing that I wasn't prepared to hear."People genuinely hated Tom Coughlin, and sometimes I wonder how he was able to get through a day. But somehow he turned the page -- and I think it was more than the conversation with Charles Wray, the meetings with the NY media, the comments from his family. He decided to change -- but I can still see him getting in a fight with a GPS.It showed in his players too, Manning's preparation and dedication throughout his rookie year and his career -- from fear they were going to make a change and he'd no longer be the starting QB to not wanting to let down Coughlin. And eventually, it almost evolved into Coughlin not wanting to let Manning down: "When you have hardworking, disciplined people like Eli Manning working for you, why would you ever yell at him, no matter how he has played? He's ten times harder on himself than I'm ever going to be. "As much as this book is about preparation and leadership, it's about the undercurrent of family. Head coaches and GMs always pay lip service to hating to see a player leave the team -- but I truly think it hurts Tom Coughlin to lose someone from his family. He has been there, even 11 years later, it's clear how much his firing in Jacksonville still hurts him. He's determined not to let that happen again to him -- and wants to help his players through it if it has to happen to them. While he maintains that he doesn't read the sports news, he was clearly aware of the media wanting him gone in 2011. and I can imagine how much it must have hurt him.The other primary theme throughout the book is pride. Pride in your work, wanting to restore pride to the Giants' organization, wanting to create the RIT & Jacksonville programs with pride. He practices what he preaches. He wanted the 2011 Giants to "finish" and be "all in", he certainly wasn't going to take time off after his hamstring was torn off the bone! He's a taskmaster, but he won't ask the players or coaches to do anything he won't. He wants them to learn the way he learned.The only thing I really didn't care for in the book was the flow. It jumped around a lot -- and maybe it wasn't meant to be read cover to cover. Each of the chapters really could be freestanding lessons on one of his themes. And the best thing about this book? It doesn't matter at all if you're a Giants fan, a football fan, or you hate sports. The themes in here apply to all walks of life. I said to someone earlier today that I actually thought calling it a sports book was limiting and somewhat cheapening it. It's much more than that.And to think, the book was on my radar but I had no intention of moving it to the top of Mt. TBR (or reading it in two sittings!), but then I saw a tweet that Coughlin was signing at Barnes & Noble and I decided that was a very good use of lunch. Bought two copies which he signed, and I decided I didn't want to break the spine on my copy so I bought it for my Kindle and read it in two days.

First of all I'm a woman and I'm not really interested in football . I found this book because it's on the reading list printed on book marks in the conference room at the hedge fund , Balyasny Asset Management , and I set out to read every book on the list. With a twitch in my eye I purchased the paperback and cracked it open on the train home.The first thing you notice about Tom's delivery ( can I call him Tom?), is that he repeats himself a lot and does the usual self help dance about how you have to work super hard. Having personally confronted clinical OCD in my family , Tom is a good candidate for the diagnosis and so his excessive ruminating , over scheduling , and general control freak mission is the main thing that comes through in the book . I can only imagine the horrified groans of epiphany that must have overcome pampered players when they realized Tom was going to be ruining , er...I mean running their lives. He just about schedules every moment of his life and I would not be surprised if all 4 of his children were born in the off season by his own design. So how did this book win me over? 1) The bit about hard work does get through and by the second half you realize that these players must have eventually embraced the advantages of being sent into battle with a full suit of information armor. Tom's really obsessive, I mean crazy -preparation no doubt contributed to his two super bowl victories . I tend to fly blind into most business meetings and since reading the book, I have found myself indulging in at least a little 'preparation '.2) He changed . Tom's a harsh guy. Despite his surprising references to the power of love in his management style , he spent many of his early years as a downright ...jerk. He seems to have genuinely reformed his communication style to keep with the times ( To avoid losing his job at that time cuz it's probably where this was headed) and that description shows that you can change too. It's a powerful message. He also includes a few really funny , if self deprecating, stories to add some humility to the delivery .3). What do you say to make people want to win? I really liked the chapters where he retells all the cozy things he whispers to the players before and during games . The secret is that your biggest challenger is yourself. If you happen to actually care about football the little stories about players and specific games will probably have you more deeply intrigued by the book. To finish, I'll just say that I enjoyed reading Tom's insights. At the start , I was very committed to being indifferent about the book because football just does not interest me and by the end Tom 'won ' me over.

I tried to buy 50 copies of this book to give to my entire staff but couldn't get the publisher to respond. "Earn the Right to Win" is that good. Coach Coughlin is the real deal and his book will inspire and assist you in reaching your goals and dreams. I can't say I've said that about too many books."Preparation is where success is truly found.""The foundation of winning is the structure you build, the culture you instill, and the people you work with every day.""You earn the right to win by using your time more productively and effectively than your competition.""Success begins with communication. In any environment, effectively communicating your message to your organization, clearly and concisely, is absolutely essential.""Earning the right to win requires taking a hard and honest look at the way you're doing things and admitting that you have to make changes."As the quotes above show, "Earn the Right to Win" isn't really profound or a how to book. Rather it is home spun wisdom from a real leader, a great man and a wonderful inspirational person. If you need to win, especially if you're in sales, this is a fantastic read. If you want more of a chance to win than buying a lottery ticket you're going to have to "Earn the Right to Win"! Love this book.

Tom Coughlin in his book 'Earn the Right to Win' gives a true insight into how hard work, dedication and obsession with what you are doing can lead to success. There are no easy answers or explanations of how to achieve success. In the book he clearly outlines the sacrifices and commitment he and his family made to try and achieve success.Any coach, in any sport, can use the book as a fantastic reference point to establish a framework and structure to work from.I work in soccer and having read about the truly great coaches in my sport it is clear that to work and achieve success at the very top of sport you really have to be in love with what you are doing and be obsessed with achieving success. Everyone around you has to accept this and be supportive. This book clearly demonstrates all of that and is certainly worth a read.Excellent.

I could fit my knowledge of NFL on a post-it note. I'd not heard of Tom but was recommended the book, which was enjoyable and contained a number of timeless tips and lessons in management and leadership.

Some very good points in this book, though some of it is repetitive and stories are a little stretched out. Very quick to read though and definitely worth a read.

If you love the NFL, hard work and/or inspirational stories - this is the book for you. Highly recommended !

This book was great with so many appealing stories. Very informative and gets the brain working on what you can do better yourself both in sports and in life!