What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mentor Leader: Secrets to Building People and Teams That Win Consistently
“Your only job is to help your players be better.” That single idea had a huge impact on Tony Dungy when he heard it from one of his earliest mentors, and it led him to develop the successful leadership style so admired by players and coaches throughout the NFL. Now, a storied career and a Super Bowl victory later, Tony Dungy is sharing his unique leadership philosophy with you. In The Mentor Leader, Tony reveals what propelled him to the top of his profession and shows how you can apply the same approach to virtually any area of your life. In the process, you’ll learn the seven keys of mentoring leadership—and why they’re so effective; why mentor leadership brings out the best in people; how a mentor leader recovers from mistakes and handles team discipline; and the secret to getting people to follow you and do their best for you without intimidation tactics. As a son, a football player, and a winning coach, Tony has always learned from others on his path to success. Now you can learn to succeed for your team, family, or organization while living out your values—by becoming a mentor leader.
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2010
249 people are currently reading
3624 people want to read
About the author
Tony Dungy
107 books186 followersTony Dungy is a #1 New York Times bestselling author whose books include Quiet Strength, Uncommon,The Mentor Leader and Uncommon Marriage. He led the Indianapolis Colts to Super Bowl victory on February 4, 2007, the first such win for an African American head coach. Dungy established another NFL first by becoming the first head coach to lead his teams to the playoffs for ten consecutive years.
Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful head coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers' history. He has also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Minnesota, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Before becoming a coach, Dungy played three seasons in the NFL.
Dungy has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations, including All Pro Dad, Abe Brown Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Mentors for Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs. He also works with Basket of Hope, Impact for Living, the Black Coaches Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the American Diabetes Association.
He retired from coaching in 2009 and now serves as a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of ten children.
Connect with Tony at his website (www.coachdungy.com, his blog,Facebook, and Twitter,
Dungy joined the Colts in 2002 after serving as the most successful head coach in Tampa Bay Buccaneers' history. He has also held assistant coaching positions with the University of Minnesota, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Minnesota Vikings. Before becoming a coach, Dungy played three seasons in the NFL.
Dungy has been involved in a wide variety of charitable organizations, including All Pro Dad, Abe Brown Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Athletes in Action, Mentors for Life, Big Brothers Big Sisters, and Boys & Girls Clubs. He also works with Basket of Hope, Impact for Living, the Black Coaches Association National Convention, Indiana Black Expo, the United Way of Central Indiana, and the American Diabetes Association.
He retired from coaching in 2009 and now serves as a studio analyst for NBC's Football Night in America. He and his wife, Lauren, are the parents of ten children.
Connect with Tony at his website (www.coachdungy.com, his blog,Facebook, and Twitter,
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
October 18, 2013
Tony Dungy does a fantastic job of depicting what it looks like to be a true leader throughout the book. Dungy does a great job of explaining how leaders not to put the people they are leading first, he references the selflessness of Christ many times throughout the book and how great of a leader he was to his disciples. Dungy also discusses that since Jesus is the ultimate leader, leaders should do their best to imitate everything Christ does throughout his lifetime. Dungy makes many points on getting the best out of the people he is leading, but this does not just mean athletically. Throughout the book, he reiterates the point that he wants the people he is leading to be the best people they can be and to care genuinely about one another. Tony Dungy believes that he gets the best out of his players when they are looking out for one another. This book is a great read that changes the idea of what a leader should look like, and if a leader changes the lives of the people he/she is leading they have done their job.
October 1, 2019
This was Tony Dungy’s third book along with Nathan Whitaker, the first two being Quiet Strength and Uncommon. Dungy was an NFL player and coach and is best known for winning Super Bowl XLI in 2007 as coach of the Indianapolis Colts. He retired from coaching in 2009. I read this book when it was first published and recently listened to the audiobook read by Dungy. It’s one of my favorite and most helpful leadership books.
Dungy writes that in his life and career he has seen all kinds of leaders, but the ones that had the greatest impact on his life are the select few that have been not only leaders, but also mentors. He indicates that much of what he has learned has been due to two men in particular – his father Wilbur and Chuck Noll, his head coach when he was a player and assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He indicates that mentor leaders have a direct, intentional, and positive impact on those they lead. At its core, mentoring is about building character into the lives of others, modeling and teaching attitudes and behaviors, and creating a constructive legacy to be passed along to future generations of leaders. He doesn’t think it is possible to be an accidental mentor.
Throughout the book, Dungy offers interesting illustrations from his time as a player and coach in the NFL, and he teaches the reader what it means to be a mentor leader. He ends each chapter with “Action Steps”, taking the most important learning points from the just completed chapter and putting them into action form for the reader.
He states that if the reader takes only one thing from the book it is that relationships are ultimately what matter – our relationship with God and with other people. The key to becoming a mentor leader is learning how to put other people first. Dungy writes that the question that burns in the heart of the mentor leader is:
What can I do to make other people better, to make them all that God created them to be?
Dungy writes that the single most important factor that differentiates mentor leaders from other leaders in any setting is their outward focus on others.
He advises leaders that as they build their leadership skills it is important to remember that why you lead is as important as whom you lead. Leading for the benefit of others is a much more compelling and powerful motivation than leading merely to get ahead or to hit an arbitrary target.
Dungy states that the regenerative aspect of mentor leadership sets it apart from other leadership paradigms. He writes that it is one thing to lead high-performing teams that can perform at that level time and again and can also spawn other high-performing teams. He tells us that the key to creating new generations of leaders is looking beyond yourself toward others – toward those you have been called to lead, and growing them into new leaders through intentional mentoring relationships. He states that it is “about them, not us”.
Dungy states that a compelling vision and a clear mission statement are absolutely critical to effective leadership and a leader’s ability to lead. However, in the process of planning and looking ahead, too many people lose sight of the present and forget to enjoy the journey along the way. For the mentor leader though, life is about the destination and the journey.
Dungy believes that as important as a shared vision is for leadership in an organization, character is even more fundamental and essential. He writes that if people are not comfortable with their leaders – who they are and what they stand for – they won’t stick around long enough to hear about the vision. Vision matters, but character matters more. Dungy believes that character is the glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationships.
Dungy describes trustworthy traits as those internal qualities that form the bedrock of our character. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, these traits are simply a part of who we are. He identifies four primary trustworthy traits as competence, integrity, security and authenticity.
Leadership attributes that Dungy feels are intrinsic to mentor leadership include demonstrating courage; leading by example; keeping others focused on the organization’s vision and mission; exercising and modeling faith; and always being willing to examine and change paradigms.
He then looks at relational qualities of a mentor leader. He states that being accountable is one of the most important things a leader can do. He believes that it is closely aligned with character. It is hard to have true character if you can’t be accountable.
Mentor leaders are both available and approachable. They also exhibit loyalty to those they lead, shepherding and protecting their followers.
Dungy writes that we all need to realize the platforms that we have and take advantage of the mentoring opportunities they provide. He tells us that it is easy to get wrapped up in our own busy lives, but there are opportunities all around us where we can make a difference in someone’s life – we just need to look for them. He indicates that opportunities for influence may arise when least expected.
Dungy writes that you will be known for what you model to others – through your words, your actions, your faith, and your heart. He cautions us to make sure that our actions mirror our words. If they don’t, there’s no surer way to a credibility gap and resulting crisis of confidence for those who follow you.
He states that faith is the foundation and strength of the mentor leader, the guiding principle behind everything that a mentor leader does.
He writes that every team member is important to the whole, yet the team can move without any individual. Coach Noll called this “Important but not indispensable”.
In chapter 8, Dungy takes the reader from theory to practical application. For those who want to become a mentor leader and add value to other people’s lives and to their organizations, he gives some specific ways to put mentor leadership into action. He looks at seven key words, all beginning with the letter E that describe a progression of steps that will help you mentor others while you lead them to reach their potential as team members. The seven key words are:
Engage. Dungy believes it is critical for mentor leaders to engage with those they lead. It is impossible to mentor from a distance. Without engagement, you cannot lead effectively.
Educate. Education is an essential building block of mentor leadership. Workers who are new to a task cannot be empowered and elevated until they’ve been educated in what to do.
Equip. Mentor leaders create an environment in which others can be productive and excel. They set the parameters and guidelines for the task or project, and continually recast the vision, and then provide the tools and equipment needed for everyone to be successful in their assignment and to ultimately accomplish their mission.
Encourage. Encouragement is one aspect of leadership that you can’t delegate – you simply have to master it, whether you are predisposed to it or not.
Empower. At some point, a mentor leader must turn others loose to do their jobs.
Energize. Great leaders energize and inspire those they lead. Even as they face their own daily struggles and stresses, mentor leaders look for ways to energize and motivate the people around them.
Elevate. Many leaders struggle with this essential concept. Elevating is difficult, writes Dungy. However, raising up leaders is the truly selfless goal of every mentor leader, the culmination of focusing on others. To elevate your followers means to help them reach their potential, even if it means that you prepare them to leave your organization for better opportunities elsewhere.
Dungy relates that several of his assistant coaches have left his staff to make their mark elsewhere as leaders, and that he is proud of each one of them. He states that perhaps the result he is most proud of is the elevation of Jim Caldwell who ended up replacing Dungy himself in Indianapolis.
Dungy summarizes a mentor leader by saying that they add value to the lives of others and make the lives of other people better.
The book ends with a helpful chapter of “Questions and Answers”, organized by each of the book’s chapters
Dungy writes that in his life and career he has seen all kinds of leaders, but the ones that had the greatest impact on his life are the select few that have been not only leaders, but also mentors. He indicates that much of what he has learned has been due to two men in particular – his father Wilbur and Chuck Noll, his head coach when he was a player and assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
He indicates that mentor leaders have a direct, intentional, and positive impact on those they lead. At its core, mentoring is about building character into the lives of others, modeling and teaching attitudes and behaviors, and creating a constructive legacy to be passed along to future generations of leaders. He doesn’t think it is possible to be an accidental mentor.
Throughout the book, Dungy offers interesting illustrations from his time as a player and coach in the NFL, and he teaches the reader what it means to be a mentor leader. He ends each chapter with “Action Steps”, taking the most important learning points from the just completed chapter and putting them into action form for the reader.
He states that if the reader takes only one thing from the book it is that relationships are ultimately what matter – our relationship with God and with other people. The key to becoming a mentor leader is learning how to put other people first. Dungy writes that the question that burns in the heart of the mentor leader is:
What can I do to make other people better, to make them all that God created them to be?
Dungy writes that the single most important factor that differentiates mentor leaders from other leaders in any setting is their outward focus on others.
He advises leaders that as they build their leadership skills it is important to remember that why you lead is as important as whom you lead. Leading for the benefit of others is a much more compelling and powerful motivation than leading merely to get ahead or to hit an arbitrary target.
Dungy states that the regenerative aspect of mentor leadership sets it apart from other leadership paradigms. He writes that it is one thing to lead high-performing teams that can perform at that level time and again and can also spawn other high-performing teams. He tells us that the key to creating new generations of leaders is looking beyond yourself toward others – toward those you have been called to lead, and growing them into new leaders through intentional mentoring relationships. He states that it is “about them, not us”.
Dungy states that a compelling vision and a clear mission statement are absolutely critical to effective leadership and a leader’s ability to lead. However, in the process of planning and looking ahead, too many people lose sight of the present and forget to enjoy the journey along the way. For the mentor leader though, life is about the destination and the journey.
Dungy believes that as important as a shared vision is for leadership in an organization, character is even more fundamental and essential. He writes that if people are not comfortable with their leaders – who they are and what they stand for – they won’t stick around long enough to hear about the vision. Vision matters, but character matters more. Dungy believes that character is the glue that bonds solid and meaningful relationships.
Dungy describes trustworthy traits as those internal qualities that form the bedrock of our character. Regardless of the situation or circumstances, these traits are simply a part of who we are. He identifies four primary trustworthy traits as competence, integrity, security and authenticity.
Leadership attributes that Dungy feels are intrinsic to mentor leadership include demonstrating courage; leading by example; keeping others focused on the organization’s vision and mission; exercising and modeling faith; and always being willing to examine and change paradigms.
He then looks at relational qualities of a mentor leader. He states that being accountable is one of the most important things a leader can do. He believes that it is closely aligned with character. It is hard to have true character if you can’t be accountable.
Mentor leaders are both available and approachable. They also exhibit loyalty to those they lead, shepherding and protecting their followers.
Dungy writes that we all need to realize the platforms that we have and take advantage of the mentoring opportunities they provide. He tells us that it is easy to get wrapped up in our own busy lives, but there are opportunities all around us where we can make a difference in someone’s life – we just need to look for them. He indicates that opportunities for influence may arise when least expected.
Dungy writes that you will be known for what you model to others – through your words, your actions, your faith, and your heart. He cautions us to make sure that our actions mirror our words. If they don’t, there’s no surer way to a credibility gap and resulting crisis of confidence for those who follow you.
He states that faith is the foundation and strength of the mentor leader, the guiding principle behind everything that a mentor leader does.
He writes that every team member is important to the whole, yet the team can move without any individual. Coach Noll called this “Important but not indispensable”.
In chapter 8, Dungy takes the reader from theory to practical application. For those who want to become a mentor leader and add value to other people’s lives and to their organizations, he gives some specific ways to put mentor leadership into action. He looks at seven key words, all beginning with the letter E that describe a progression of steps that will help you mentor others while you lead them to reach their potential as team members. The seven key words are:
Engage. Dungy believes it is critical for mentor leaders to engage with those they lead. It is impossible to mentor from a distance. Without engagement, you cannot lead effectively.
Educate. Education is an essential building block of mentor leadership. Workers who are new to a task cannot be empowered and elevated until they’ve been educated in what to do.
Equip. Mentor leaders create an environment in which others can be productive and excel. They set the parameters and guidelines for the task or project, and continually recast the vision, and then provide the tools and equipment needed for everyone to be successful in their assignment and to ultimately accomplish their mission.
Encourage. Encouragement is one aspect of leadership that you can’t delegate – you simply have to master it, whether you are predisposed to it or not.
Empower. At some point, a mentor leader must turn others loose to do their jobs.
Energize. Great leaders energize and inspire those they lead. Even as they face their own daily struggles and stresses, mentor leaders look for ways to energize and motivate the people around them.
Elevate. Many leaders struggle with this essential concept. Elevating is difficult, writes Dungy. However, raising up leaders is the truly selfless goal of every mentor leader, the culmination of focusing on others. To elevate your followers means to help them reach their potential, even if it means that you prepare them to leave your organization for better opportunities elsewhere.
Dungy relates that several of his assistant coaches have left his staff to make their mark elsewhere as leaders, and that he is proud of each one of them. He states that perhaps the result he is most proud of is the elevation of Jim Caldwell who ended up replacing Dungy himself in Indianapolis.
Dungy summarizes a mentor leader by saying that they add value to the lives of others and make the lives of other people better.
The book ends with a helpful chapter of “Questions and Answers”, organized by each of the book’s chapters
January 23, 2022
This aligned beautifully with some of my own convictions about being present and leading with the whole person in mind (in my case, my children). I really enjoy Dungy’s suggestions and appreciated his stories.
December 17, 2019
Dungy tells several good behind-the-scenes football stories in this book. The book is about leadership, but also, so much more. It's about how to live a life of character and integrity.
March 3, 2020
An excellent outline for business team building.
July 9, 2020
One of the better books I’ve read about what it looks like to develop others and be a successful leader.
June 23, 2024
Great book about leadership. While listening to this book it made me thing of the leaders that I have had in my life and the qualities that they had and how they have effected my life in a positive way. Most of the great leaders in my life practiced the principles mentioned in the book. Made me thankful for the mentor leaders in my life. Overall, worth the read.
November 23, 2020
Tony Dungy is a classic, great person, humble and altruistic and realistic.
A definite read.
A definite read.
June 1, 2016
A good foundational book about mentor leadership but nothing earth shattering. I love finding Market Based Management (Yay Good Profit: How Creating Value for Others Built One of the World's Most Successful Companies!) in other works. A lot of the content here is solid.
However, none of it felt particularly applicable outside of coaching. It was a lot of good ideas but little concrete action. The writing was easy but repetitive. The book could have been much shorter.
I would recommend to football fans but for the less sporty among us (aka...me) there are too many references to athletes. Tony Dungy mentions his career as if it should be common knowledge to the reader...which for me, wasn't a thing.
However, none of it felt particularly applicable outside of coaching. It was a lot of good ideas but little concrete action. The writing was easy but repetitive. The book could have been much shorter.
I would recommend to football fans but for the less sporty among us (aka...me) there are too many references to athletes. Tony Dungy mentions his career as if it should be common knowledge to the reader...which for me, wasn't a thing.
October 14, 2010
I thought this was a really good book on leadership. It focused on relationships, and hit home that you never know when, where or how you'll make an impact on someone's life, so take advantage of your moments and interactions with others, whether larger or small. As a volunteer leader in a professional society where you have to lead without any real authority (you definitely can't fire a volunteer), I found some good tips here, but those tips will also carry over to my day job. One of the things that Tony Dungy said that I really related to was that it's "impossible to mentor from a distance. Without engagement, you cannot lead effectively." I think that really sums up what this book is about, and a huge part of what it takes to be a mentor leader.
March 26, 2014
This book took me longer than usual to finish, not because it was long or difficult, but because the information in it really hit home and took time to sink in, even after taking notes. As a Colts fan, I love Tony Dungy as a coach, and this book made me respect him even more as a leader. I borrowed The Mentor Leader to prepare me to become a mentor to a high school girl, but instead, it prepared me to be a mentor leader in multiple areas of my life, including home, with my career, and in church. It's full of great wisdom and of course football stories (which I enjoyed). I look forward to recommending this book to any and everyone, and reading more from Coach Dungy.
May 22, 2011
This is a very well written layout of what it means to be a mentor and a leader. Thanks to the wisdom passed on by Tony Dungy, former Coach of the Indianapolis Colts, you get a great perspective of first-hand mentoring.
There is so much advice and experience crammed into this book, not solely from Tony Dungy, but from the people who mentored him as well and from the scripture and stories he references. It's nice for anyone who is in a position of influence to others.
There is so much advice and experience crammed into this book, not solely from Tony Dungy, but from the people who mentored him as well and from the scripture and stories he references. It's nice for anyone who is in a position of influence to others.
March 10, 2015
I really enjoyed this Leadership style and Leadership book by Coach Dungy. He admits that his leadership is a little different than many of the other leadership books out there. His primary focus is improving others' lives which ultimately makes you better and others who are impacted better. He had some great quotes and insights that he shares that really shows how serious and genuine he is about mentoring other people. I hope to read some of his other books eventually.
April 28, 2016
Good book on mentoring and servant leadership. Not a lot of new ideas necessarily but a good compilation of old ideas and teaching regarding others-focused leadership. While few new or "ah ha" moments, the most important part of this book is one's willingness to implement the things it teaches. Of little use if you do not seek to act on and follow through on the wisdom it contains.
November 1, 2019
It rambles a little bit at times, but it presents the most coherent description I've found of what it means to be a mentor when you're in a leadership position. Better yet, it provides concrete suggestions about how to develop into one if you're new to the idea. The leader should not strive to be irreplaceable, but rather to grow his/her replacement.
September 26, 2021
Really took me awhile to finish this because I’m not a huge fan of leadership, success, or “how-to” books. Couple of things I didn’t like: 1) quotes at the beginning of every chapter 2) the book was highly repetitive and didn’t give a lot of details on certain anecdotes which would have been helpful in understanding some of the examples better.
September 25, 2022
DNF. Maybe I’ve just read too many of these types of books, but to me this book doesn’t contain anything profound. It’s a generic leadership book that uses sports analogies with religious flavoring. Great if that’s what you’re into. I’m sure it resonates with a lot of people, but for me it felt redundant and I was never excited about picking it up and reading it.
April 21, 2011
I highly recommend this book. This is the type of leader that I want to be. It's all about adding value to other people. If you want to grow as a leader, take the time to read this book and become a mentor leader.
January 15, 2011
Dungy is a Christian leader who is sharing his principles of how to lead. He's led teams and coaching staffs. His principles focus on building the capabilities of his players/staff not on building his own success. I found much to apply to the team I lead at work.
March 10, 2022
This could have been an email. Tony Dungy is a nice enough guy and obviously a good leader, but he broke very little new ground here and didn't really say much. Take out the repetition and scripture quotes and it would make a nice blog post.
June 16, 2023
Didn’t finish. Nothing new seemed to be presented and far too preachy for my taste.
February 16, 2018
I purchased this book on CD and listened during my work commute.
As a mentor-leader for women who are incarcerated, I keep an eye out for books that offer a fresh perspective on mentoring/coaching, preferably from a Biblical perspective. I love new ideas I can present to the women I mentor; the more creative and the more engaging the better.
I gave this book 4 stars because this is a great book for beginning corporate leaders or new coaches managing a team who need to lay a solid foundation built on principles of integrity and servanthood in their mentor-leader role. If that is you, then I highly recommend this book.
I found that it lacked the needed depth I was looking for and that it focused almost entirely on a team environment. While there was mention of one-on-one coaching/mentoring in examples, in the discourse of the book, one-on-one mentoring-leading was rarely touched upon.
While the high-level precepts can be applied to my scenario, I'm not able to apply the team perspective in a situation that is solely one-on-one.
A small subset of examples of the high-level precepts include: it's not about you, your goal is to empower the person you are mentoring which may include to leave your team, take your job or surpass you in your accomplishments, education is vital, know the difference between non-negotiables such as integrity and negotiables such as attire, meeting people where they are at and everyone in the organization is important and should be encouraged and recognized, and getting everyone on the team to believe in a mission bigger than themselves to accomplish tasks which seem impossible.
Those are all great fundamentals. I read a lot of Gary Chapman's work, and health/fitness material, so perhaps I'm used to scientific references and studies. I don't remember any being referenced in this book; perhaps that was on purpose or perhaps there was 1 or 2 and I don't recall them.
I was looking for less examples and more of the what (faith or morals), where, how and why (psychology or results-driven) type of answers.
Sports not being something I am really into, eventually I began to zone out during sports-related examples, because there are so many. To his credit, the author does include a few examples from corporate life, wartime mentoring and C.S. Lewis excerpts.
In summary, it felt like my Dad was casually sitting me down and lovingly providing his top pointers on how to be a great mentor-leader and why I would want to do so. It's a worthy read for laying a valuable foundation for beginning mentor-coaches or brand new corporate managers. If that's you, don't hesitate to read it.
As a mentor-leader for women who are incarcerated, I keep an eye out for books that offer a fresh perspective on mentoring/coaching, preferably from a Biblical perspective. I love new ideas I can present to the women I mentor; the more creative and the more engaging the better.
I gave this book 4 stars because this is a great book for beginning corporate leaders or new coaches managing a team who need to lay a solid foundation built on principles of integrity and servanthood in their mentor-leader role. If that is you, then I highly recommend this book.
I found that it lacked the needed depth I was looking for and that it focused almost entirely on a team environment. While there was mention of one-on-one coaching/mentoring in examples, in the discourse of the book, one-on-one mentoring-leading was rarely touched upon.
While the high-level precepts can be applied to my scenario, I'm not able to apply the team perspective in a situation that is solely one-on-one.
A small subset of examples of the high-level precepts include: it's not about you, your goal is to empower the person you are mentoring which may include to leave your team, take your job or surpass you in your accomplishments, education is vital, know the difference between non-negotiables such as integrity and negotiables such as attire, meeting people where they are at and everyone in the organization is important and should be encouraged and recognized, and getting everyone on the team to believe in a mission bigger than themselves to accomplish tasks which seem impossible.
Those are all great fundamentals. I read a lot of Gary Chapman's work, and health/fitness material, so perhaps I'm used to scientific references and studies. I don't remember any being referenced in this book; perhaps that was on purpose or perhaps there was 1 or 2 and I don't recall them.
I was looking for less examples and more of the what (faith or morals), where, how and why (psychology or results-driven) type of answers.
Sports not being something I am really into, eventually I began to zone out during sports-related examples, because there are so many. To his credit, the author does include a few examples from corporate life, wartime mentoring and C.S. Lewis excerpts.
In summary, it felt like my Dad was casually sitting me down and lovingly providing his top pointers on how to be a great mentor-leader and why I would want to do so. It's a worthy read for laying a valuable foundation for beginning mentor-coaches or brand new corporate managers. If that's you, don't hesitate to read it.
January 31, 2024
In this short easy to read text, Tony Dungee expounds on and explains the value of leading through relationships. He makes no hesitation to acknowledge the many men and women in his life who mentored him throughout the years. In addition, he makes many references to examples of many others and quotes writings of many others. It is evident that Tony is well read, especially in the arena of leadership.
It is evident that Tony is a very religious man who looks to his faith unashamedly. He exhorts from the scriptures throughout. It is important to note however that this is not meant to serve as a doctrinal discourse. There are some liberties taken here and there.
The overarching truth Tony conveys is that effective leadership requires getting your hands dirty through personal interaction. It can be summed by the following statement taken for the last chapter:
"If leadership is not about ourselves and what we can get for ourselves... Then the fleeting treasures by which many gauge their worth - the promotions, raises, accolades, and awards - are no longer measuring sticks. Instead, the success of a mentor leader can be measured with things of significance: lives of impact, lives that are better because of your leadership". (p. 193)
Overall, the book is a very good read and can serve to be very beneficial for the growing leader.
It is evident that Tony is a very religious man who looks to his faith unashamedly. He exhorts from the scriptures throughout. It is important to note however that this is not meant to serve as a doctrinal discourse. There are some liberties taken here and there.
The overarching truth Tony conveys is that effective leadership requires getting your hands dirty through personal interaction. It can be summed by the following statement taken for the last chapter:
"If leadership is not about ourselves and what we can get for ourselves... Then the fleeting treasures by which many gauge their worth - the promotions, raises, accolades, and awards - are no longer measuring sticks. Instead, the success of a mentor leader can be measured with things of significance: lives of impact, lives that are better because of your leadership". (p. 193)
Overall, the book is a very good read and can serve to be very beneficial for the growing leader.
February 6, 2025
Motivation last short but consistenty keeps you going and self trust
Start now and procrastination overwin it. Even if the task feel too big as so social media kicks in you lose focua
Break the task in small steps even if its 5 minutes of work.
Stop waiting for motivation it comes and goes.
Do not aim for perfectifness but progress.
Eliminate all distractions as they are thempthing.
2 minute rule : if a task take less then 2 minutes do it imideatly as longer go step by step.
Surround yourself to people that take action.
Set a system for a task like writing a book every morning.
Master the self talk as so what you self say matters reprogram it rational and positive like abra kadabra.
Reduce the size of the task so the mind won't resist it.
Forget the mistake and learn from it, as so prevent any failures on you're journey.
Never go in the comfort zone as such you need to imagine going in to that and progressing.
Repetition proves the 10 000 hour rule.
Drama like from the news wil affect you're attitude
Start now and procrastination overwin it. Even if the task feel too big as so social media kicks in you lose focua
Break the task in small steps even if its 5 minutes of work.
Stop waiting for motivation it comes and goes.
Do not aim for perfectifness but progress.
Eliminate all distractions as they are thempthing.
2 minute rule : if a task take less then 2 minutes do it imideatly as longer go step by step.
Surround yourself to people that take action.
Set a system for a task like writing a book every morning.
Master the self talk as so what you self say matters reprogram it rational and positive like abra kadabra.
Reduce the size of the task so the mind won't resist it.
Forget the mistake and learn from it, as so prevent any failures on you're journey.
Never go in the comfort zone as such you need to imagine going in to that and progressing.
Repetition proves the 10 000 hour rule.
Drama like from the news wil affect you're attitude
June 6, 2020
As both a leader and mentor for 37 years, I am still searching for ways to hone and polish my leadership and mentoring skills - as well as looking for ways to uproot any detrimental leadership / mentoring habits that can creep in as we age.
Having read it twice, I still regularly refer to my markings and highlights in the book as I continue to mentor. Tony's authentic care for those he leads and mentors is at the very core of this book, and every nugget and truth is built upon that foundation. Leadership - Mentoring - it's not about you. It's about altering the course of those we lead and mentor. I loved the "authority vs influence" concepts.
You can't lead without mentoring. You can't mentor without leading. They are inseparable. The Mentor Leader is still my most referred to book on leading / mentoring.
Having read it twice, I still regularly refer to my markings and highlights in the book as I continue to mentor. Tony's authentic care for those he leads and mentors is at the very core of this book, and every nugget and truth is built upon that foundation. Leadership - Mentoring - it's not about you. It's about altering the course of those we lead and mentor. I loved the "authority vs influence" concepts.
You can't lead without mentoring. You can't mentor without leading. They are inseparable. The Mentor Leader is still my most referred to book on leading / mentoring.
February 1, 2024
Christian former NFL coach and athlete turned life coach. Read for work book club.
Things I liked:
You can use this book to talk to people of the Christian faith about why they should want to continuously improve themselves
He seems like a good man who practices what he preaches
Things I didn’t like:
There are no research based tips here - it’s all based on personal experience
There was no new or practical information for me to learn. It’s basic Sunday school material: care about others more than yourself. Behave with integrity of character. Engage with people so you know who they are and how to take care of them.
This book could be off putting to a non Christian reader
It rehashed constantly. This could have been a 50 page book easily. Then I wouldn’t feel like it was such a waste of my time to read it.
Things I liked:
You can use this book to talk to people of the Christian faith about why they should want to continuously improve themselves
He seems like a good man who practices what he preaches
Things I didn’t like:
There are no research based tips here - it’s all based on personal experience
There was no new or practical information for me to learn. It’s basic Sunday school material: care about others more than yourself. Behave with integrity of character. Engage with people so you know who they are and how to take care of them.
This book could be off putting to a non Christian reader
It rehashed constantly. This could have been a 50 page book easily. Then I wouldn’t feel like it was such a waste of my time to read it.
August 23, 2022
Tony Dungy is about as humble and loving a celebrity as I believe anyone can come across. As someone who lives in Indy, I know quite a few people who either know him or have had chance encounters with him and they all share how gentle and kind he is. When I knew I wanted to read a book about leadership, I knew a book by Tony Dungy would be a great place to start!
Tony Dungy shares his knowledge of leadership and mixes it with mentorship...two ideas that haven't necessarily been put together before. But it's a FANTASTIC idea! Mentor leadership includes a lot of listening, modeling and leading by example. Throw in a bunch of football memories and biblical reference and you've got a fun, interesting, inspirational book about leadership that I highly recommend.
Tony Dungy shares his knowledge of leadership and mixes it with mentorship...two ideas that haven't necessarily been put together before. But it's a FANTASTIC idea! Mentor leadership includes a lot of listening, modeling and leading by example. Throw in a bunch of football memories and biblical reference and you've got a fun, interesting, inspirational book about leadership that I highly recommend.
April 4, 2024
What a solid book on Dungy's coaching career. The lessons learned herein aren't groundbreaking, but pragmatic and practical.
Dungy had the accountability and maturity while writing this to admit that his career was a journey as opposed to something preordained just because he played. He colorfully tells a tale of long days and hard nights at the facility where he learned many fundamentals of leadership like letting guys be themselves, developing personal relationships with players and other team employees and learning how to look at a situation yourself in an objective manner rather than being pressured into a decision.
Overall a solid book from an awesome coach who managed some very strong personalities.
Dungy had the accountability and maturity while writing this to admit that his career was a journey as opposed to something preordained just because he played. He colorfully tells a tale of long days and hard nights at the facility where he learned many fundamentals of leadership like letting guys be themselves, developing personal relationships with players and other team employees and learning how to look at a situation yourself in an objective manner rather than being pressured into a decision.
Overall a solid book from an awesome coach who managed some very strong personalities.
July 11, 2021
Excellent! The advice given is very practical and it touches my heart in various ways. I may not be the perfect Mentor Leader now, but I aspire to be one. Coach Dungy makes this a do-able journey by being authentic. There are some things I need to work on, especially on the mindset to put others first and to lead them to success. Seems easy to say, but it's something we need to embrace and accept.
The book is worth a re-read once in a while. I am already looking forward to reading Coach's other books, and yes, I am motivated to do the daily Uncommon challenge too! (My next Amazon purchase).
And this is a book where I'm wishing I could have a chat with the author!
The book is worth a re-read once in a while. I am already looking forward to reading Coach's other books, and yes, I am motivated to do the daily Uncommon challenge too! (My next Amazon purchase).
And this is a book where I'm wishing I could have a chat with the author!
November 7, 2022
Read for professional development. This isn’t really my brand of reading, and I know so little about football that it took me till chapter three to realize this was written by a famous NFL coach and player hahahaha. Sigh.
The basic concept is leadership that is focused on the success of those you’re leading rather than your own success. I would call it being a servant leader even more than a mentor leader. There wasn’t anything particularly earth-shattering here, but, as a Christian, I really loved reading about how he navigated his faith while being in the spotlight and how his choices were rooted in faith and scripture.
The basic concept is leadership that is focused on the success of those you’re leading rather than your own success. I would call it being a servant leader even more than a mentor leader. There wasn’t anything particularly earth-shattering here, but, as a Christian, I really loved reading about how he navigated his faith while being in the spotlight and how his choices were rooted in faith and scripture.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews