Taking the Lead: Winning Business Principles That Fuel Joe Gibbs Racing

by Dave Alpern, Joe Gibbs (Foreword), David Thomas (with)

The president of Joe Gibbs Racing―the winningest team in NASCAR history―shares the secrets of succeeding in business and in life.
In NASCAR, as in life, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to being in the right place at the right time and making the most of every opportunity.

Nobody understands that better than Dave Alpern. Dave started his career as an unpaid intern selling T-shirts for the newly formed Joe Gibbs Racing team. Nearly three decades later, he’s now the president of JGR, a multimillion-dollar elite, record-setting racing team with more than 500 employees. In Taking the Lead , Dave shares the wisdom he’s learned along the key principles that will equip you with what you need to rise to the top and succeed with integrity and purpose―whatever team you’re on.

Genres: Business

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 8, 2021

Reviews

[Lance · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dave Alpern takes a subject that is often covered - how to use success and idea from other aspects of life and apply them to be successful in business - and does a nice job with it in describing how his decision to join Joe Gibbs Racing changed not only his life but his ideas on what works to succeed. I thought that his description of the early days of JGR was very good for a reader like me who was more interested in the auto racing than the business tips. Some parts of the book dragged with a little too much preaching, but overall Imenjoyed it.

[David Schroeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

A real behind the scenes look at how not only a winning NASCAR team is built but how it builds other leaders. Dave Alpern gives the reader a look at what he has learned along the way about leadership in 30 years working at Joe Gibbs Racing and how they have overcome some of their toughest setbacks. It is thoroughly entertaining to know how NASCAR and the racing world works but most of all, about how to treat and motivate people to drive toward being the best person they can be. Ultimately, it is humility that wins and Dave provides a path that helps the reader understand what true greatness is. A great book for leaders but for anyone trying to better prepare themselves for life.

[G. Salter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alpern has a much better writing style than you'd expect for this kind of book - frequently "how my business did great" books are written by businessmen who are charismatic but better verbal communicators than anything else. Here you get a very decent style and the advice is often humble and practical.