Author:Phil Jackson
For fans of the hit Netflix docuseries The Last Dance.
During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the 'Zen master' half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.
This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hyper-competitive world of professional sports on its head.
In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he:
- Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s
- Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title
- Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync
- Inspired Dennis Rodman and other 'uncoachable' personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves
- Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.
Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.
Bursting with common sense and incomparable experience... calming, insightful and inspiring.
—— Alexandra Heminsley , Independent on SundayShows how to be successful with a never-say-die attitude.
—— Mail on SundayStross makes computer programming and angel investing as thrilling as it gets
—— SlateA terrific read, smartly researched, full of stories you find yourself repeating to others
—— Management TodayBefore reading this book, I was behind the curve. Now, I'm behind The Curve - as a supporter of Lovell's provocative and important thesis that marketers have to think very differently today about the relationship between pricing and value
—— Robert Cialdini, author of InfluenceCrazy is what they call people who don't fit in. And we need a lot more crazy like Linda is crazy. She is generous, curious, connected, and driven to make a difference in the world. And this book captures all of that and more. Buy it, read it, live it.
—— Seth Godin, author of LinchpinA unique contribution that combines not only remarkable lessons of what it takes to build an enterprise from scratch, but how a global phenomenon of entrepreneurship is solving problems, bottom up, once thought only the domain of top-down government and large institutions
—— Diplomatic CourierIt’s a wealth of understanding for understanding wealth
—— EsquireCombines breadth of scholarship with a wealth of practical experience in tackling the most elusive of economic subjects - the nature of money
—— John KayMartin’s remarkable book, Money, is economic history – and indeed cultural anthropology – with a difference... His sparkling book is worth taking seriously
—— Raymond Tallis , ProspectWe should ask ourselves not just: what is the euro?; but also: what is money? An excellent new book, Money, written by the macro-economist Felix Martin, does just this
—— Ben Wright , Financial NewsFelix Martin condenses the broadest of subjects into a searing and potentially life-changing read that destroys all accepted knowledge of this thing we sell our souls for
—— ShortlistThe virtue of Martin’s book is that it exposes the deep flaws in the way we have traditionally thought about money. The exposition is clear… Fresh
—— Alex Brummer , New StatesmanI’m going to read Money by Felix Martin. I’m determined to find out how it works
—— Lucy Mangan , StylistStimulating and timely
—— David Priestland , GuardianSince the banking crisis, masses of books arrive every week. Scanning them all would be incompatible with eating and sleeping... Much the most entertaining is just called Money
—— Samuel Brittan , Financial TimesEntertaining
—— EconomistTwo chapters in, I realized that this was the book I needed when I was having conversations during the Occupy movement, and friends were all trying to understand what had happened and what we wanted to happen differently, and I think if I had read this at the time I would have had more language and stories to talk about that whole argument
—— Ellah AllfreyA very spritely and lucid and well written book
—— Kevin JacksonCovers a vast geographical and historical spread
—— Martin Shubik , NatureLike a thriller writer, Martin inserts little hooks at the end of his chapters for the next section – and he deserves…credit for creating a readable work on such a potentially bone-dry subject
—— Ian Birrell , ObserverMartin tells an interesting story and his diagnosis is persuasive
—— Josh Glancy , Sunday TimesEngrossing
—— Jon Ihle , Sunday Business PostThis book is a great read, and one that I think non-economists will find completely accessible… The historical detail is fascinating, and the ideas they are used to illustrate are clear and thought provoking, so I’m very glad I read it
—— Simon Wren-Lewis , MainlyMacro Blog[Martin] demonstrates a capacity both for wit and literary style in this engaging, timely history
—— Frank Trentman , BBC History MagazineAn entertaining history of one of the most powerful, misunderstood forces in the world around us. Not one of those awful books about how to get rich
—— StuffA wonderfully original and entertaining history of money. If you have ever wondered why the whole system seems so dangerously and chronically unstable, this is the book to read
—— Liaquat Ahamed, author of Lords of Finance, winner of the Pulitzer PrizeSplendid
—— Adam Fergusson , Literary ReviewThis is an excellent book to read, full of interesting history and insight, and very clear and well written... A beautiful and sometimes even entrancing study of human thought about money
—— Tyler Cowen , Times Literary SupplementAn important insight into how finance and economics blindsided each other in the runup to the financial crisis
—— George Hay , ReutersStartling insights in clear, intelligent prose… You will emerge better informed, and also surprisingly entertained
—— Nicholas Lezard , GuardianA terrific analysis
—— William Leith , Evening StandardMoney isn’t just an entertaining read, it’s also really useful
—— Big IssueA thought-provoking book
—— Good Book Guide