Quiet Strength

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy is one of the best books on leadership I have ever read. Coach Dungy’s life is a testimony to staying focused on our purpose in life and being consistent no matter the situation. He states,

“My purpose in life is simply to glorify God. We have to be careful that we don’t let the pursuit of our life’s goals, no matter how important they seem, cause us to lose sight of our purpose…. I coach football. But the good I can do to glorify God along the way is my real purpose. I want to help people see the path to eternal life through Christ, to enjoy an abundant life now, and to fulfill their God-given purpose here.”

Here is his charge to all the players he has coached over the years, which are principles that all of us should follow and ask of our teams:

• Be a pro
• Act like a champion
• Respond to adversity, don’t react
• Be on time. Being late means either it’s not important to you or you can’t be relied upon
• Execute. Do what you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do it.
• Not almost. All the way. Not most of the time. All of the time.
• Take ownership

Whatever it takes.
No excuses, no explanations.

I’ll add one more quote from the book. This is what Coach Dungy had to say about vision.

“The first step toward creating an improved future is developing the ability to envision it. VISION will ignite the fire of passion that fuels our commitment to do WHATEVER IT TAKES to achieve excellence. Only VISION allows us to transform dreams of greatness into the reality of achievement through human action. VISION has no boundaries and knows no limits. Our VISION is what we become in life.”

If you are a football fan, in leadership or just simply breathing, you will love this book. It is inspiring, challenging and a must read.