Kentucky's charismatic coach shares the secrets of creating one of the premiere programs in college basketball, revealing how he transforms a group of former high school superstars into selfless, cohesive teams--including a remarkable squad last year that fell just one game short of a perfect season.
Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari is known for his unparalleled ability to recruit the nation's best young players, some of whom will spend just one year with him before going to the NBA, and convincing them to commit to the team without sacrificing their personal goals. It is a promise he makes to them: ""Fully invest in the present--and each other--and I guarantee it will serve your future.""
Here, for the first time, he distills his team-building methods in ways that apply to CEOs, business owners, coaches, teachers and leaders of all kinds--lessons for anyone seeking to inspire talented individuals to reach for their best selves and contribute to a greater good.
A basketball team is an intimate workplace, in which blend is everything and character matters. As such, it is a window into the nature of successful leadership. Calipari views each new team like a startup business--one composed of new players, new relationships, and new challenges. Each season is a series of discoveries as he learns how to unleash the extreme talent in each of his players and mold them into championship material as college basketball comes to a crescendo every spring. While he can't control everything, he is responsible for everything--just like a CEO.
An enlightening look at leadership, management, and team building, Success Is the Only Option offers the keys to winning, on and off the court.
About the Author :
John Calipari is the head coach of men's basketball at the University of Kentucky. He led the Kentucky Wildcats to the 2012 national championship and has been to a total of six Final Fours in his career, including four in a five-year period. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. He lives in Lexington, Kentucky.
Michael Sokolove is a contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine, as well as the author of the books The Ticket Out, Hustle, and Warrior Girls. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
Al Kessel is a full-time narrator and voice actor currently living in Arizona, where he works from his professional home recording studio. For Al, performing is passion. Audiobook narration was the logical career choice for him since, for as long as he can remember, he's been a voracious reader, acting all the characters out in his head, and often entertaining his family with his dramatic reenactments of books, movies, and television. Al prides himself on the ability to bring any character to life with his voice, a voice often described as "smooth as melted butter," or "like an old friend you just love hearing tell you about their day." He has recorded numerous audiobooks from just about every genre. When not bringing stories to life, he loves hiking in the desert with his wife and puppy, visiting Disneyland and, when time permits, reenergizing on the beach.
Review :
"Coach Calipari has taken a generational phenomenon of coaching extreme talent to another level of extreme success. Without his tipping-point thinking and mindfulness of what he has to do to coach his players, it would not work. He makes it work."
-- "Pat Riley, former Kentucky Wildcat and five-time NBA champion coach"
"I've been intrigued by Coach Calipari's success in handling players of extreme talent...His insights can benefit anyone seeking to lead a winning team."
-- "Joe Gibbs, Pro Football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl-winning coach"
"The ultimate role of a leader is not to coach but to inspire and teach. John Calipari has captured the essence of a true leader."
-- "Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh Steelers and Super Bowl XLIII-winning champion head coach"
