The Making of a Leader: What Elite Sport Can Teach Us About Leadership, Management and Performance

From polar explorers and politicians to CEOs and sports coaches, we are fascinated with the makeup of leaders.

How do they thrive under pressure and inspire others to do the same? How do they establish a culture of long-term success?

Performance psychologist Tom Young has worked closely with teams and individuals at the highest level of professional sport. He has seen how leaders in these high-pressure environments communicate, how they maintain focus and respond to challenges. In The Making of a Leader, Young shares the practical principles of sustained elite performance and shows how any individual can add value to their own business or organisation by applying these insights.

You will learn how to develop a leadership philosophy that is true to your values, effectively manage and get results from individuals and teams, establish a high-performance culture and bring value to your organisation - in short, the ingredients that make a leader. These lessons are based on interviews with:

- Stuart Lancaster, current Leinster coach and former Head Coach of the England national RFU team
- Ashley Giles, ECB Director of Cricket during England's 2019 World Cup win
- Gary Kirsten, record-breaking former international batsman and World Cup-winning coach of the Indian national team
- Dan Quinn, Head Coach of Atlanta Falcons and a Super Bowl winner with Seattle Seahawks
- Roberto Martinez, FA Cup-winner and Belgium national team manager
- Sean Dyche, Burnley FC manager
- Michael Maguire, Head Coach of the New Zealand national rugby league team

The Making of a Leader is a unique, inspiring guide to leadership that can inspire positive results in any context, based on interviews and experiences from the cutting edge of elite sport.

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'Offers fascinating insight into man management and the attributes needed to be an effective leader, which is incredibly useful and relevant to me ahead of captaining the 2020 European Ryder Cup team' - Pádraig Harrington, three-time Major champion and captain of the 2020 European Ryder Cup team

'Although elite athletes understand the keys to excellence, you rarely have the chance to get inside their heads. You're in luck: Tom Young has solved that problem. As a performance psychologist, he's worked closely with some of the world's best in both individual and team sports. In this fascinating book, he shares his rich experiences and his keen insights on the science - and the practice - of achieving and sustaining success' - Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Originals and Give and Take, and host of the chart-topping TED podcast WorkLife

'I am always looking to learn from other sports and this book gives a unique insight into what it takes to navigate the challenges of high performance' - Tommy Fleetwood, professional golfer

'This book shows that in the world of professional sport these proven and renowned leaders all have their own rules of strategy, which have brought continued success and recognition' - Alastair Campbell, bestselling author, strategist, broadcaster and lifelong fan of Burnley FC

'Full of important lessons that you learn as a leader in sport that are as applicable to business environments as they are to elite sports' - Sir Bill Beaumont, chairman of World Rugby and former England and British & Irish Lions captain

'The Making of a Leader provides a unique insight into the inner workings of established leaders' minds. Well worth a read to gain useful leadership intel' - Rebecca Symes, sports psychologist, The FA and England Lionesses

'If you want to be a leader or become a better leader, man or woman, in sport or any other sector, this book is for you' - Professor Andy Hargreaves, Professor Emeritus, Boston College and author of Uplifting Leadership