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The Captain Class

The Hidden Force That Creates the World's Greatest Teams
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( 4,196 ratings, 395 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The Captain Class by Sam Walker explores the leadership qualities of elite sports team captains, revealing how they contribute significantly to their teams' success. Through a detailed analysis of various teams across different sports, Walker identifies key traits that set these leaders apart. The book offers insights into the behaviours and strategies that can inspire excellence in business and entrepreneurship.
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're fascinated by what makes great teams successful and want to explore the role of leadership in achieving remarkable results. It delves into how unconventional leaders have had a massive impact on some of the most elite sports teams, drawing parallels to business and entrepreneurship. If you're interested in leadership strategies that break the mould, this book may inspire and inform.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The secret to winning is not what you think it is. It's not the coach. It's not the star. It's not chemistry. It's not a strategy. It's something else entirely.

Several years ago, Sam Walker set out to answer one of the most hotly debated questions in sports: What are the greatest teams of all time? He devised a formula, then applied it to thousands of teams from leagues all over the world, from the English Premier League to the AFL to Olympic field hockey. When he was done, he had a list of the sixteen most dominant teams ever, period.

At that point, he became obsessed with another, more complicated question: What did these freak teams have in common? As Walker dug more deeply, a pattern emerged. Each team had the same type of captainβ€”a singular leader who drove it to sustained, historic periods of greatness.

Fuelled by a lifetime of sports spectating, twenty years of reporting, and a decade of painstaking research, The Captain Class tells the surprising story of what makes teams exceptional. Drawing on original interviews with athletes from two dozen countries, as well as general managers, coaches, executives, and others skilled at building teams, Walker identifies the seven core qualities of this Captain Classβ€”from doggedness and the knack for nonverbal communication to aggression and the courage to speak truth to power.

Told through riveting accounts of some of the most pressure-soaked moments in sports historyβ€”from Bill Russell's legendary 'Coleman Play' in the 1957 NBA Finals to Rechelle Hawkes's extraordinary resilience in the Hockeyroos' 2000 Olympic victoryβ€”The Captain Class doesn't just bring these events to life; it presents a fresh, counterintuitive take on leadership that can be applied to a wide spectrum of competitive disciplines.

The sixteen leaders who make up the Captain Class were never the most skilled, nor were they paragons of sportsmanship. They were often role players, allergic to the spotlight, and famously inarticulate. In short, they will challenge your assumptions of what inspired leadership looks like.

'A fascinating sports study with much wider-reaching application, featuring page-turning tales of personal triumph and cogent analysis' - Kirkus (starred review)

'Written for serious sports fans in lively language that also speaks to aspiring athletes and business professionals, this book offers a compelling argument for the value of inspired leadership.' - Publishers' Weekly

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Captain Class by Sam Walker explores the traits and behaviours of exceptional team leaders in the world's most dominant sports teams, highlighting their significant role in shaping success. Critics praise the book for its unique analysis, insightful storytelling, and depth of research, offering valuable leadership lessons applicable beyond sports to business and entrepreneurship. Readers appreciate the engaging writing style and the thought-provoking discussion on leadership dynamics.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780670078493

Publisher: Penguin Random House Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 29 May 2017

Country: Australia

Imprint: Viking Australia

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 233.0mm

Weight: 430g

Pages: 352

About the Author

Sam Walker is the Wall Street Journal's deputy editor for enterprise, the unit that directs the paper's in-depth page-one features and investigative reporting projects. A former reporter, columnist, and sports editor, Walker founded the Journal's prizewinning daily sports coverage in 2009. He is the author of Fantasyland, a bestselling account of his attempt to win America's top fantasy baseball expert competition (of which he is a two-time champion). Walker attended the University of Michigan. He lives in New York with his wife and their two children.

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