"Leaders are not born, they are made with effort and hard work."

I used a quote from Vince Lombardi on my senior page in the yearbook.  The quote was "Leaders are not born they are made with effort and hard work".  This was certainly true of Vince Lombardi.  He worked endlessly and his life paid for it.  His relationship with his family was impacted, but he was loved by his players.  He died of advance cancer because he stubbornly did not pay attention to the physical clues of illness, which he would have considered a weakness, which he saw in the small aches and pains of his players.  He went to church early every day.  He had a schedule and a plan;   he kept them.  Vince Lombardi was not full of fluff and tenderness.  He worked hard and worked his men even harder.  He knew they would go farther than they could dream.  He cut things short when he saw no use in his plans.  His plans were always his way.  I found the Lombardi in When Pride Still Mattered to not be as likeable as I had always thought of him, but the quote meant more at the end of the book then it did my senior year.

If you are a Green Bay fan this is a must read.  If you like sports and leadership this is a must read as well.  I would encourage anyone who gets into coaching of almost any level to read this book.  If you are interested in some NFL history and impact then I would include this book on that list which needs to be read.

This book is recommended.