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The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership
Offers insights and best leadership principles from the successful coach of the San Francisco 49ers, explaining how he motivated people, crafted winning teams, and his words of wisdom such as “Believe in people,” and “Keep a short enemies list.”
288 pages, Hardcover
First published July 3, 2009
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14454 people want to read
About the author
Bill Walsh
16 books30 followersLibrarian note:
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers...
(source: Wikipedia)
There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name
William Ernest Walsh was an American professional and college football coach. He served as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers...
(source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 400 reviews
April 23, 2021
I'm migrating all my reviews to my blog. If you want to read the full review with my raw notes, check it here: https://pothix.com/scoretakescareofit...
It's a great book on leadership.
I confess that I was really bored in the first 15% of the book. The beginning is boring for those who don't give a f*** about football but keep reading, it worth the journey.
Bill Walsh took the San Francisco 49ers from a really bad performance (2 wins/14 losses) to an amazing one (13 win/3 losses) 2 years later. He applied his organizational philosophy to the whole organization and this is what this book is about, how he managed to do that, and how it works.
The conclusion for the book:
If you achieve your goal to create a great team and superior organization, the score will take care of itself
It's a great book on leadership.
I confess that I was really bored in the first 15% of the book. The beginning is boring for those who don't give a f*** about football but keep reading, it worth the journey.
Bill Walsh took the San Francisco 49ers from a really bad performance (2 wins/14 losses) to an amazing one (13 win/3 losses) 2 years later. He applied his organizational philosophy to the whole organization and this is what this book is about, how he managed to do that, and how it works.
The conclusion for the book:
If you achieve your goal to create a great team and superior organization, the score will take care of itself
September 4, 2024
My favorite book of to reset your life.
September 29, 2019
Very applicable to business
There's lots to learn from Bill Walsh, with the caveat being his real secret is being a genius who knows everything about everything. That allows you to instruct every coordinator, receptionist, and grounds crew member in detail about doing their job well. I have pages of notes and especially enjoyed the football stories as a long-time 49ers fan (although you don't have to be one to like the book). A bit repetitive in places but overall a great read.
There's lots to learn from Bill Walsh, with the caveat being his real secret is being a genius who knows everything about everything. That allows you to instruct every coordinator, receptionist, and grounds crew member in detail about doing their job well. I have pages of notes and especially enjoyed the football stories as a long-time 49ers fan (although you don't have to be one to like the book). A bit repetitive in places but overall a great read.
November 13, 2015
The Score Takes Care of Itself by Steve Jamison and Craig Walsh is in my mind the best book to read if you are a leader or someone of a high position in an organization. Bill Walsh was recognized as one of the highest and most esteemed coaches in all of sports history. His philosophy on leadership is unparalleled to that of any other coach or captain. That’s what this biography tries to depict his reasoning behind his coaching techniques and the insight that he has on being a successful master of management. The book goes through five parts of Bill Walsh’s strategies as a coach. Part 1: his standard of performance, which is just the dos and don’ts of being a leader and when you know you are doing your job right. Part 2: success is not spelled G-E-N-I-U-S, which means it’s all about your opportunity and what you do when you get it. Part 3: fundamentals of leadership, this is just the habits a leader has and the example he/she has to set. Part 4: essentials of a winning team, what a team must learn and do to overcome adversity. Part 5: looking for lessons in my mirror, which is just taking what you have and using that to your advantage and learning from your mistakes. As Bill claims, “once you master these 5 parts, you can become a great leader.”
This novel really got me thinking about what I have done wrong as a leader before, whether that be in sports or in my everyday life. I need to learn not to focus on criticizing everything that I or anybody on my teams have done, but focus on using what gifts they have to use to our advantage. Not only does it make the person who receives the praise confidence and a greater drive to win, but that would help my team as a result. This book definitely gave me an idea on how to lead a team and will help me for future teams.
Anyone who is a leader in a sport or even a work force, they should definitely find a way to read this book because it will give you a great idea on how to lead a team to success. It will give you a play-by-play on how to be successful while still being creative in your own way. That’s what made Bill Walsh such a great coach, he was creative while still sticking to traditional ways.
This novel really got me thinking about what I have done wrong as a leader before, whether that be in sports or in my everyday life. I need to learn not to focus on criticizing everything that I or anybody on my teams have done, but focus on using what gifts they have to use to our advantage. Not only does it make the person who receives the praise confidence and a greater drive to win, but that would help my team as a result. This book definitely gave me an idea on how to lead a team and will help me for future teams.
Anyone who is a leader in a sport or even a work force, they should definitely find a way to read this book because it will give you a great idea on how to lead a team to success. It will give you a play-by-play on how to be successful while still being creative in your own way. That’s what made Bill Walsh such a great coach, he was creative while still sticking to traditional ways.
January 3, 2010
The late 49er's coach Bill Walsh and his leadership journey various football leagues are captured and descried inside. The late 49er's coach Bill Walsh and his leadership journey various football leagues are captured and descried inside. It's a unique compilation of his personal notes, interviews from peers and players all compiled by his son Craig and Steve Jamison.
This book provides a refreshing and unapologetic review of what leadership is all about; the good, the bad and often times ugly personal toll it can have on a person. Bill Walsh was a selfless hard charger man, who through his relentless pursuit for perfection, turned around a failed NFL team and turned it into a world class and competitive people oriented business from the Janitor through many star players (Montana, Rice etc) the GM. The concepts applied are those he learned from others and form his own experiences and mistakes.
He was not ashamed to
• Expect people to strive for perfection, to give 100%, to always be prepared.
• Provide clear direction and expectations from the leader all the way.
• Expect results and have high standards of performance and still treat people properly,
• Accountability in the how and the what.
• Ensure the right people were in the right places, and even when stars were not performing or support “his” team concept they were cut, traded or fired.
• When stars were plateau – he let them know and that they were going to be replaced.
• Describe his failures and lessons learned.
Great read – the concepts are transferable regardless of what you do or where you sit in an organization of any kind.
This book provides a refreshing and unapologetic review of what leadership is all about; the good, the bad and often times ugly personal toll it can have on a person. Bill Walsh was a selfless hard charger man, who through his relentless pursuit for perfection, turned around a failed NFL team and turned it into a world class and competitive people oriented business from the Janitor through many star players (Montana, Rice etc) the GM. The concepts applied are those he learned from others and form his own experiences and mistakes.
He was not ashamed to
• Expect people to strive for perfection, to give 100%, to always be prepared.
• Provide clear direction and expectations from the leader all the way.
• Expect results and have high standards of performance and still treat people properly,
• Accountability in the how and the what.
• Ensure the right people were in the right places, and even when stars were not performing or support “his” team concept they were cut, traded or fired.
• When stars were plateau – he let them know and that they were going to be replaced.
• Describe his failures and lessons learned.
Great read – the concepts are transferable regardless of what you do or where you sit in an organization of any kind.
March 22, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. It was a slower read, but very informative and helped me think about another aspect of leadership, teaching. I don't follow football, so I didn't know anything about Bill Walsh before I read this book. I picked it up because I read an article on the Harvard Business Review blog talking about his leadership style and it mentioned this book. I wanted to get a "non-corporate" perspective on leadership and coaching.
There were a couple things that really stood out to me in the book.
- A big part of leadership is teaching. He spent a huge a amount of time teaching everyone what he wanted done. I think (and he admits at the end of the book) that he didn't delegate enough. However, he reinforced for me that a good leader is always teaching.
- His level of concern for the details was tremendous. He talks about paying close attention to the right details (and not the wrong ones). This is something that also seemed true to me from the Alan Mullay book (American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company) and the David Marquette book(Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders). All three of them dove very deep into the details as part of the turn around effort.
There were a couple things that really stood out to me in the book.
- A big part of leadership is teaching. He spent a huge a amount of time teaching everyone what he wanted done. I think (and he admits at the end of the book) that he didn't delegate enough. However, he reinforced for me that a good leader is always teaching.
- His level of concern for the details was tremendous. He talks about paying close attention to the right details (and not the wrong ones). This is something that also seemed true to me from the Alan Mullay book (American Icon: Alan Mulally and the Fight to Save Ford Motor Company) and the David Marquette book(Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders). All three of them dove very deep into the details as part of the turn around effort.
November 15, 2019
Must read book. So fantastic at so many levels.
November 12, 2017
The good: it's a fun tale of how Bill Walsh helped turn the San Francisco 49ers from the worst team in football into one of the NFL's greatest dynasties. The strongest parts of the book are those that feel like Walsh's memoir, where he shares gritty, down-to-earth stories of success and failure which allow you to extract lessons for yourself.
The bad: the story is awkwardly twisted into a "business book" format, which just doesn't work. The weakest parts of the book are when it relies heavily on managerial-speak, full of dry "top 10" lists, empty platitudes, and "try it in your office" style advice. These parts of the book feel like they were tacked on as an afterthought to broaden the market for the book, and it just doesn't work. In part, that's because the writing in the "business parts" is poor, and does not convey the message nearly as well or as memorably as Walsh's storytelling. In part, that's because much of what worked for Walsh and the 49ers simply does not apply to other types of businesses. The fact is that most of us are NOT dealing with the world's top athletes, or the demands of physical performance, or the kind of command structure you see in sports franchises.
Despite that, there are a few gems in here:
* The key to winning is not to focus on winning, but to focus on getting better. You can't completely control the outcome of a game, but you can control the effort you put into your training, and if you relentlessly focus on improving, you increase your chances of success. Focus on continuously bettering yourself, and the score will take care of itself.
* It's best to keep your competitors faceless and nameless. That way, you won't be distracted or intimated or focused on them at all and can instead focus on yourself and what you can do to get better.
* Create a standard of performance—an extremely high standard of performance—that applies to every detail of your work and spend every day trying to move a little closer to that standard. Great results come from small improvements made on a regular basis over a long period of time.
* Copious planning, playbooks, and preparation are essential for success. As an introvert, I find planning to be essential in all aspects of life: I simply need to give my mind time to get used to things and then I can perform well. It turns out this same trait is essential in football and many other aspects of life. No one performs as well under extreme stress, so being able to prepare in a pressure-free environment beforehand, and having your plan of attack ready to go before the stress kicks in, is essential, both in football, and in many other aspects of life.
* Inspirational speeches are rarely useful. Most of them don't have much of an impact, and even if they do, the impact doesn't last long. Real motivation must come from within. It comes from the inner voice: the voice that each person hears inside their head every day, all day, that produces the long-lasting motivation you need to accomplish great things. Great leaders don't motivate through fancy speeches; they motivate by helping people build and grow that inner voice.
* The ending of the book, and the ending of Walsh's career, is tragic. Many of us work hard, assuming that when we achieve success, life will be easy and worry free. But Walsh's career, which was one of the most successful in NFL history, shows that success alone is not enough. Despite his incredible accomplishments—or perhaps because of them—Walsh found himself under extreme stress to always succeed, and eventually, this relentless pressure broke him down. The book preaches over and over again that you should focus on improvement rather than success, and that you should tie your identity to how you went about getting results rather than the results themselves, but it's clear that Walsh wasn't able to do this himself, and it cost him dearly. It's a sad and powerful lesson.
As always, I saves some of my favorite quotes:
"The culture precedes positive results. It doesn't get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they're champions: they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners."
"Sometimes you snarl; sometimes you bite; sometimes you smile and give thumbs-up. There’s a little bit of the actor in all good leaders."
"When the audience is bored, it's not their fault."
"Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize."
The bad: the story is awkwardly twisted into a "business book" format, which just doesn't work. The weakest parts of the book are when it relies heavily on managerial-speak, full of dry "top 10" lists, empty platitudes, and "try it in your office" style advice. These parts of the book feel like they were tacked on as an afterthought to broaden the market for the book, and it just doesn't work. In part, that's because the writing in the "business parts" is poor, and does not convey the message nearly as well or as memorably as Walsh's storytelling. In part, that's because much of what worked for Walsh and the 49ers simply does not apply to other types of businesses. The fact is that most of us are NOT dealing with the world's top athletes, or the demands of physical performance, or the kind of command structure you see in sports franchises.
Despite that, there are a few gems in here:
* The key to winning is not to focus on winning, but to focus on getting better. You can't completely control the outcome of a game, but you can control the effort you put into your training, and if you relentlessly focus on improving, you increase your chances of success. Focus on continuously bettering yourself, and the score will take care of itself.
* It's best to keep your competitors faceless and nameless. That way, you won't be distracted or intimated or focused on them at all and can instead focus on yourself and what you can do to get better.
* Create a standard of performance—an extremely high standard of performance—that applies to every detail of your work and spend every day trying to move a little closer to that standard. Great results come from small improvements made on a regular basis over a long period of time.
* Copious planning, playbooks, and preparation are essential for success. As an introvert, I find planning to be essential in all aspects of life: I simply need to give my mind time to get used to things and then I can perform well. It turns out this same trait is essential in football and many other aspects of life. No one performs as well under extreme stress, so being able to prepare in a pressure-free environment beforehand, and having your plan of attack ready to go before the stress kicks in, is essential, both in football, and in many other aspects of life.
* Inspirational speeches are rarely useful. Most of them don't have much of an impact, and even if they do, the impact doesn't last long. Real motivation must come from within. It comes from the inner voice: the voice that each person hears inside their head every day, all day, that produces the long-lasting motivation you need to accomplish great things. Great leaders don't motivate through fancy speeches; they motivate by helping people build and grow that inner voice.
* The ending of the book, and the ending of Walsh's career, is tragic. Many of us work hard, assuming that when we achieve success, life will be easy and worry free. But Walsh's career, which was one of the most successful in NFL history, shows that success alone is not enough. Despite his incredible accomplishments—or perhaps because of them—Walsh found himself under extreme stress to always succeed, and eventually, this relentless pressure broke him down. The book preaches over and over again that you should focus on improvement rather than success, and that you should tie your identity to how you went about getting results rather than the results themselves, but it's clear that Walsh wasn't able to do this himself, and it cost him dearly. It's a sad and powerful lesson.
As always, I saves some of my favorite quotes:
"The culture precedes positive results. It doesn't get tacked on as an afterthought on your way to the victory stand. Champions behave like champions before they're champions: they have a winning standard of performance before they are winners."
"Sometimes you snarl; sometimes you bite; sometimes you smile and give thumbs-up. There’s a little bit of the actor in all good leaders."
"When the audience is bored, it's not their fault."
"Concentrate on what will produce results rather than on the results, the process rather than the prize."
Read
September 21, 2015One of the best management books that I've read. Very actionable advice.
August 1, 2023
lowkey i was into this
February 4, 2016
Truly inspiring story, great leadership lessons! For many years throughout my career I had this idea, that everybody should be doing their best job and the results will come. That has been my default mode of operation for years now. It was so good to see, that the standard of performance idea worked for someone, especially in the situation like the one described in the book.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to work with other people on achieving a common goal: from CEOs, to middle and low level management and leadership. Even individual contributors may benefit from this story, since once again it touches on the old and very powerful idea of a strong connection between practice and performance/excellence.
Highly recommend this book to anyone who needs to work with other people on achieving a common goal: from CEOs, to middle and low level management and leadership. Even individual contributors may benefit from this story, since once again it touches on the old and very powerful idea of a strong connection between practice and performance/excellence.
June 4, 2024
I believe The Score Takes Care Of Itself definitely belongs with some of the best leadership books ever written. It made me smile to know that Bill Walsh loved reading about the Civil War, as I also was reading and enjoying Shelby Foote’s The Civil War Volume 2 in parallel with his book.
Bill’s wisdom and advice goes beyond football, I am thankful that a book like this was written, so that through this book, he can continue to be a mentor to people like me.
Bill’s wisdom and advice goes beyond football, I am thankful that a book like this was written, so that through this book, he can continue to be a mentor to people like me.
April 16, 2017
One of the best leadership books I've read.
November 30, 2019
I love a book that makes me think. This one did in surprising ways.
There is much about Coach Bill Walsh's philosophy I applaud: his "Standards of Performance", his idea of everyone on the team/staff were connected "success belongs to everyone" no matter the job title, and his approach to leadership "listen, learn, lead".
I was also astounded about how much I learned about football. There is method (and appreciation) to the madness of men reenacting tribal warfare. As well as how it IS a business. Which led me to recall when I first learned libraries were also a business - how novel.
I especially enjoyed the chapter included at the end about his faults and what he "thought" (the book was written posthumously) were mistakes. It takes a lot of reflection and self-awareness to admit one's errors. I admire Coach Walsh (and his co-author) for including it. There is much to like about his philosophy of leadership but I can see his methods encroaching into micromanaging.
Like much in life and philosophy discover what works for you then cultivate those habits into your character. In my opinion Coach Walsh's philosophy is a good starting point.
There is much about Coach Bill Walsh's philosophy I applaud: his "Standards of Performance", his idea of everyone on the team/staff were connected "success belongs to everyone" no matter the job title, and his approach to leadership "listen, learn, lead".
I was also astounded about how much I learned about football. There is method (and appreciation) to the madness of men reenacting tribal warfare. As well as how it IS a business. Which led me to recall when I first learned libraries were also a business - how novel.
I especially enjoyed the chapter included at the end about his faults and what he "thought" (the book was written posthumously) were mistakes. It takes a lot of reflection and self-awareness to admit one's errors. I admire Coach Walsh (and his co-author) for including it. There is much to like about his philosophy of leadership but I can see his methods encroaching into micromanaging.
Like much in life and philosophy discover what works for you then cultivate those habits into your character. In my opinion Coach Walsh's philosophy is a good starting point.
February 5, 2025
Bill Walsh lead the San Francisco 49ers to three Super Bowl victories in his tenure as head coach, turning a floundering franchise into the hottest ticket in the league for a time. In this book, Bill shares anecdotes from his time in San Francisco and elsewhere to illustrate the leadership skills he put into play with each organization he worked for. He uses these to highlight similar ways such philosophies can be applied to any type of leadership situation, whether on the field or in a corporate conference room.
While some of the ideas seemed repetitive, and others were a bit too OCD for my personality, I did find some pearls of wisdom to take away and apply to my current role. I liked the conversations around "walk-around" management styles, developing your staff, and celebrating but not resting on your laurels. Being from the Bay Area, I also really enjoyed the storytelling of his anecdotes as names and events familiar to me were shared.
While some of the ideas seemed repetitive, and others were a bit too OCD for my personality, I did find some pearls of wisdom to take away and apply to my current role. I liked the conversations around "walk-around" management styles, developing your staff, and celebrating but not resting on your laurels. Being from the Bay Area, I also really enjoyed the storytelling of his anecdotes as names and events familiar to me were shared.
November 27, 2021
-Very careful planning [for|thinking through] all eventualities will greatly improve outcomes when push comes to shove. Similar to practicing speeches and rhetoric
-Strength of will is the common denominator of leadership. Balance this with not being rigid. "Being wrong for the right reasons" is key
-Look at intractable problems instead of dealing with busywork
-sees enemy team as nameless, faceless objects
-fires team up not by pleading with individuals but by fostering underdog image and necessity to prove oneself
-characterizing others (e.g. compliments) makes you build a "fake" character of them. Don't confuse yourself with the fake character
-surprise ("nobody will expect it") is grossly overrated
-Strength of will is the common denominator of leadership. Balance this with not being rigid. "Being wrong for the right reasons" is key
-Look at intractable problems instead of dealing with busywork
-sees enemy team as nameless, faceless objects
-fires team up not by pleading with individuals but by fostering underdog image and necessity to prove oneself
-characterizing others (e.g. compliments) makes you build a "fake" character of them. Don't confuse yourself with the fake character
-surprise ("nobody will expect it") is grossly overrated
October 30, 2023
If you’re looking for a philosophy of leadership that‘s strives through perfectionism, preparation, high work ethics and accountability, then Bill Walsh is the leader to study. Even though most practices are explained around football, there is so much that you can apply to the corporate world.
I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to get the most out of his teammates or employees.
As Walsh says: „Employees can thrive in an environment where they know exactly what is expected from them - even when those expectations are very high.“
I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to get the most out of his teammates or employees.
As Walsh says: „Employees can thrive in an environment where they know exactly what is expected from them - even when those expectations are very high.“
February 3, 2025
(3.5) Some bright moments of insight however most of the principles feel dated and exhausted. Football is of course much different than the design profession but influence and leadership seem universal. I missed the timelessness of Walsh’s principles but appreciate the candor he shares about moments where he did not lead well - not delegating to talented staff, and sacrificing everything for his football success. This book is a lot of what not to do which turns out to be useful and educational.
December 31, 2022
This is probably one of the most recommended books by Silicon Valley founders / CEO’s — including Dorsey of Twitter — so I had to see what the hype was all about.
Not just an excellent book on leadership, but an excellently written book in general. Walsh took pro football from checkers to chess, by bringing highly refined strategy and leadership tactics to an otherwise barbarian sport — and wiped out the competition year after year as a result. Entertaining and humorous throughout, even for non-NFL fans.
Not just an excellent book on leadership, but an excellently written book in general. Walsh took pro football from checkers to chess, by bringing highly refined strategy and leadership tactics to an otherwise barbarian sport — and wiped out the competition year after year as a result. Entertaining and humorous throughout, even for non-NFL fans.
January 29, 2019
Really enjoyed this biography. Made me appreciate Bill Walsh and his perspective on coaching. My previous knowledge of him was no more than superficial. His diligence and style have much more to offer a business environment than most other sports coaches in my estimation.
August 23, 2019
Just a shame that I wasn't able to meet this great human being, at least being at one of his 49ers game. Bill Walsh is a clear example of perseverance and grit. I haven't been interested in football before, never thought how complex it could be. Leadership is not in business guys...
August 12, 2018
Get the small things right.
September 16, 2020
In the book, the author talks about how being a leader has more to do with your mindset than your skills. Walsh speaks about how champions behave like champions before they are champions by obsessing about improving themselves and their team and focusing on the things within their control. When they do that, the score will take care of itself. Also, it’s a great book for sports fans!
March 3, 2022
Ok this was a great educational book
May 24, 2022
Quite simply the best leadership book I’ve read
My 400th book by goodreads count.
My 400th book by goodreads count.
March 9, 2025
There are some truly superb lessons in this book from one of the all-time great NFL coaches. I highly recommend to coaches in any sport, and to leaders in general. Bill Walsh's honesty about his own imperfections brings a realism to his leadership philosophy that is uncommon in the genre.
May 6, 2025
Football wisdom is not always professional wisdom, but I love coaching speak
May 23, 2025
Truly wonderful book.
June 17, 2025
Really informative and insightful without coming across as having a huge ego like a lot of leadership books / autobiographies do. Found myself agreeing and liking literally all of his points of view and examples and they’re mostly all applicable to sports.
March 15, 2023
I did not finish this book. I’m certain there are good point but I was lost in all of the football.
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