Biography with Coaching Emphases

When Pride Still Mattered, A Life of Vince Lombardi, David Mariniss.  Touchstone Publishing, 1999. 

see review   Mariness writes a compelling and insightful biography of the great Vince Lombardi, known by his players as the "Old Man."  A throwback from another era, Lombardi employed a consummate commitment to team, hard work, and hard-nosed, no-nonsense, take-no-prisoners attitude in everything he did.  The legend of Vince Lombardi rests on the fact that he took a the basement-dwelling Green Bay Packers in the late 50's to become the dominating team of the 60's.  Mariniss's biography illustrates what is possible with single-focused dedication, and offers today's reader a great picture of what is possible through a commitment to doing the essential things very well.  If you read this book, look for Lombardi's seven principles and consider how they relate to today's business world.  Also, look at the Packer sweep as an illustration for the most important thing that you do in your work or personal life.  Finally, if you're a football fan, enjoy the interesting history of the early days of pro football in When Pride Still Mattered.  
(Reviewed by Marc Fey, marc@lifeascentcoaching.com) 

Finding the Champion Within, Bruce Jenner with Mark Seal. Simon & Schuster, 1996. 

see review  The story of Olympic decathlete Bruce Jenner reads like a list of life improvement principles.  Jenner with writer Mark Seal presents life lessons like "the race begins with one step," "Play to your strengths," "Constantly raising the bar," "How to raise the bar from the pit of failure," and "How to keep focused on your mission."  For illustrations and inspiration for our own life-long decathlon, this book is worth the time to read.  Where it might perhaps simplify solutions for life, it nevertheless challenges your thinking when facing overwhelming challenges.
(Reviewed by Marc Fey, marc@lifeascentcoaching.com)