Business Leader Reviews
Tim Ford Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Treasury Wine Estates
Johnson clearly outlines the opportunity business leaders have to learn from sports. Given sports very public journey through media coverage, they provide many relevant case studies that can be applied across broader business settings. The coverage of exiting the pandemic for example provides many such learnings - capital management, financial strength, the need for agility and flexibility for a variety of risks and opportunities that have to be balanced and managed.
Adam Driussi Co-Founder and CEO Quantium, and Chairman Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs
Running a business and also now a football club, sporting analogies are close to my heart and something I think about every day. It is riveting to reflect on the successes of some leagues using profits to fund future growth while in a position of power. The AFL has done this very well historically to create its national competition. Rugby League now investing in taking the game to the US. The differing approaches of all sporting leagues to their grassroots development provides fascinating business lessons.
Robert Hillard Consulting Leader, Deloitte Asia Pacific
The reason you hear business leaders use sporting metaphors is because they work. But Johnson goes further by looking at which sports, sporting leagues and businesses have best navigated the trying circumstances of the pandemic to provide new insights and new anecdotes for every leader to use.
Peter James Chair and Non-Executive Director, multiple listed companies
One of my go-to sporting analogies is “where is the puck going?” which is used in ice hockey to encourage players to move to where the puck is going to be rather than descend on where the puck currently can be seen. It is the same in the tech sector. Look for where the gaps in the market will be in five years time, don’t try to build for today, you will never catch up. There are many strong sporting anecdotes in this book that can be applied in the broader business setting.
Trudy MacDonald Founder & Managing Director, TalentCode HR
Johnson masterfully intertwines the realms of sports and business, drawing powerful parallels between the two worlds. Through compelling anecdotes and data-driven insights, he highlights essential lessons in grit, accountability, and the transformative impact of incremental improvements. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to unlock the winning mindset shared by top athletes, sporting organisations and leading a successful business.
Clive Dickens Vice President, Television, Content and Product Development, Optus
The intersection of sports, business and technology represents the bleeding edge of customer experience. Digital innovation, finding new ways to create value, and finding new ways to create customer connections is a critical ingredient of the pro sports playbook. There are strong lessons there that can be applied in any number of other business settings.
Ajay Bhatia Chief Executive Officer mobile.de, and head of Adevinta's global mobility portfolio
This book helped me enhance my perspective on business and sport. It is clearly well researched and shows how much business can learn from sport and vice versa.
Phillip Muhlbauer Principal, Global Investors
Where you have elite competition, financial expectations and performance demands follow. You are no longer restricted by geographical boundaries as technology enables consumer consumption globally. Sports administrators are now challenged with great expectations and a newfound transparency and scrutiny. From capital management to supporting and enabling grass roots development. Johnson demonstrates that the playbook for any business is always underpinned by fundamentals. First principles which are then fueled by creating momentum. When momentum is lost, the road back is challenging.
Andrew Tulloch General Manager Victoria, American Chamber of Commerce in Australia
I was aware of the history of Australians playing in the NBA. The section on transferrable skills however was a real eyeopener highlighting the number of Australians that have demonstrated skills mobility using their kicking skills developed through AFL pathways, and successfully making the transition into the NFL, excelling as punters. The ties between the US and Australia continue to go from strength to strength.
Buy the Book
Iron sharpens irons means there is a process to be followed to take the jump from poor to average, average to good, good to great, great to elite. There is no hiding from the daily grind. Are you ready to dive into the world of pro sports and apply key lessons to your business?