The Score Takes Care of Itself
By Bill Walsh
Brief Summary: Memoirs and leadership philosophies from one of the greatest coaches who ever lived. Incredible stories and practical advice from “the professor"
Below are my notes and key hi-lighted passages from The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh. (Italics = quotes from the book. Bold = my personal notes)
“Almost always, your road to victory goes through a place called “failure”
From Joe Montana on Bill Walsh - “He accumulated great knowledge because he was a Grade A student of leadership, paying close attention along the way to some of football’s most outstanding and forward-thinking coaches, most of all Paul Brown (Cincinnati Bengals).
“While I prized preparation, planning, precision, and poise, I also knew that our organizational ethics were crucial to ultimate and ongoing success.”
“The culture precedes positive results. It' doesn’t get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they are champions; they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners.”
Great leaders recognize that to have any resemblance of longevity and success, the foundation must be a positive, healthy team culture.
“Few things offer greater return on less investment than praise - offering credit to someone in your organization who has stepped up and done the job.”
“Progress, or lack thereof, in sports and business can be measured in a variety of ways, some much more subtle than others. Often it takes a keen eye and a strong stomach to dig through the “ruins” of your results for meaningful facts.”
“My observation is that two leaders - coaches - looking at the same information will not see the same thing. The one who’s a more skilled analyst, who digs deeper and wider, will benefit more. It is an endeavor to which I allocated as much energy as my preparation for every game and opponent.”
“In planning for a successful future, the past can show you how to get there. Too often we avert our gaze when the past is unpleasant. We don’t want to go there again, even though it contains a road map to a bright future.”
“Unless you’re a guard on a chain gang, others follow you based on the quality of your actions rather than the magnitude of your declarations.”
“There are winners, and there are people who would like to be winners but just don’t know how to do it. Intelligent and talented people who are motivated can learn how to become winners if they have someone who will teach them.”
Leadership is teaching. Ultimately the job of a leader is to teach skills, attitudes, goals, and behaviors to individuals within the organization.
“Your enthusiasm becomes their enthusiasm; your lukewarm presentation becomes their lukewarm interest in what you’re offering.”
“Focus only on doing your best to maintain and improve your level of performance; concern yourself only with that which you can control, and you can’t control rumors.”