The Winning Spirit: 16 Timeless Principles That Drive Performance Excellence » (Reprint)

Joe Montana led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories and is the only three-time Super Bowl MVP. Drafted in the third round in 1979, Montana was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2000. Since retiring from professional football, he has become a popular motivational speaker and co-founder of MVP Performance Institute (www.MVPperformance.com), a consulting company that trains business executives and others on improving individual and organizational performance. He lives in Northern California.

Widely considered the best NFL quarterback of all time, Joe Montana personifies performance excellence and personal integrity both on and off the field. Yet the word most closely associated with him is not “winner”–it’s “leader.” Since his retirement a decade ago, he has become a popular motivational speaker sought out by corporations nationwide, speaking to capacity audiences as large as twenty thousand.

Now making his message available to a broader audience, Montana teams up with performance coach Tom Mitchell to extend to all areas of life the truths of success on the field. The Winning Spirit shows that ultimately performance excellence is fueled by personal integrity. This is the key to winning the inner game, which is about accountability and attitude, as well as desire, enthusiasm, effort, and appreciation. For example:

• Know What You Want: First, identify goals, then turn clarity into action.
• Strive for Excellence: Surpass expectations and reach new heights
• Fail Fast and Move On: Take chances, learn from mistakes, and keep pressing forward–don’t let fear or regret take you out of the game.
• Remember the “I” in Team: Make yourself the priority–because intense preparation is the individual responsibility of each member of the team.
• Welcome Pressure: Want to be the best? Work with or compete against the best!
• Walk Like a Champ: Your life is not just about achieving success, but also about having a purpose and creating significance.

With great stories and practical strategies, Joe Montana and Tom Mitchell give us hard-won advice based on years of success. This timely and timeless message is nothing less than a contemporary motivational classic.

Library Journal

Montana plays to win. You wouldn't expect a guy who'd led the San Francisco 49ers to four Super Bowl victories to pat you on the head just for showing up-and you're right. He and college basketball coach Mitchell (cofounders, Performance Excellence Ctr.) coach sports and business professionals on improving job and organizational performance. The authors each take a shot at the 16 topics, which involve individual preparation (know what you want, practice with a purpose), team dynamics (cultivate the right attitude, lead by example), and implementing winning behaviors (visualize success, walk like a champ). Each chapter provides a practice exercise to put the concept to the test. The sports and business examples are entertaining and illustrative and will be appreciated by public library patrons. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.