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The Bowden Way: 50 Years of Leadership Wisdom
As head football coach at Florida State, Bobby Bowden has won two national championships and compiled an astounding resume of all-time credentials. Filled with personal anecdotes, famous names, and fascinating stories, The Bowden Way promises to be the leadership book that will redefine the game. With lessons from his years of coaching, this book puts readers inside the mind of a legend in modern sports.
- GenresSportsLeadership
280 pages, Paperback
First published November 25, 2001
7 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Bobby Bowden
34 books1 followerRobert Cleckler Bowden was an American football coach.
He is best known for coaching the Florida State Seminoles football team from 1976 to 2009.
During his time at Florida State, Bowden led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships once FSU joined the conference in 1991. Bowden's Seminoles finished as an AP top-5 team for 14 consecutive seasons, setting a record that doubled the closest program.
He is best known for coaching the Florida State Seminoles football team from 1976 to 2009.
During his time at Florida State, Bowden led FSU to an Associated Press and Coaches Poll National Title in 1993 and a BCS National Championship in 1999, as well as twelve Atlantic Coast Conference championships once FSU joined the conference in 1991. Bowden's Seminoles finished as an AP top-5 team for 14 consecutive seasons, setting a record that doubled the closest program.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
March 24, 2022
A great book on leadership.
Nice and simple and full of clear language about what Bowden did. You don’t have to follow it all as a step by step guide but you can’t really go wrong if you do.
Very honest about some of the mistakes he made and what he would do now and how his approach has changed over the decades.
Some might not like his religious references but I find it hard to fault a man of such integrity who clearly uses his belief for good.
Nice and simple and full of clear language about what Bowden did. You don’t have to follow it all as a step by step guide but you can’t really go wrong if you do.
Very honest about some of the mistakes he made and what he would do now and how his approach has changed over the decades.
Some might not like his religious references but I find it hard to fault a man of such integrity who clearly uses his belief for good.
July 21, 2008
Everything that occurs within an organization reflects back upon its leader.
Nothing looks more ridiculous than a leader who is indecisive, uncertain, or reluctant to make difficult decisions. I’d rather be wrong than indecisive.
Twenty-nine former Bear Bryant assistant went on to become head coaches. Twenty-seven of them got fired. You can learn from a guy like Bryant, but no one can be like him, no matter how hard they try. Each person must be himself. Draw insights and lessons from others, but don’t try to imitate them, because you aren’t them.
Integrity is all about doing the right thing – no matter the consequence.
Religion isn’t magic. Devotionals don’t mean that God favors us more than he favors our opponents. God won’t cause us to win just because we pray. But genuine faith has an enormous impact on the way we work together and the way we work with our players. Faith makes us better coaches because it helps us to keep our jobs in perspective. We learn not to worry about things over which we have no control. And we remain focused on the things that matter most.
No matter how badly I want to win, I realize that an undue emphasis on winning will skew everything. It will skew our moral values, which take priority over winning. It will skew our faith, which recognizes that life is bigger than football. And it will require me to evaluate my staff in ways I’m not willing to do. WINING WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.
If good moral meant contentment, I would’ve failed at my job long ago. You simply cannot make everyone happy or give them what they believe they deserve. Grumbling will happen. Some will walk off and quit the team. I’ve learned to accept a measure of discontent as the cost of doing business. Heck, if a player will quit over a slight discontentment, he probably would’ve quit down in the trenches during a game when things got tough.
I view adversity, n all its forms, as a test of my faith in God. If I develop the habit of trusting God on a regular basis with the myriad little problems that constitute daily life, then I’m prepared when the larger issue of adversity arises.
Nothing looks more ridiculous than a leader who is indecisive, uncertain, or reluctant to make difficult decisions. I’d rather be wrong than indecisive.
Twenty-nine former Bear Bryant assistant went on to become head coaches. Twenty-seven of them got fired. You can learn from a guy like Bryant, but no one can be like him, no matter how hard they try. Each person must be himself. Draw insights and lessons from others, but don’t try to imitate them, because you aren’t them.
Integrity is all about doing the right thing – no matter the consequence.
Religion isn’t magic. Devotionals don’t mean that God favors us more than he favors our opponents. God won’t cause us to win just because we pray. But genuine faith has an enormous impact on the way we work together and the way we work with our players. Faith makes us better coaches because it helps us to keep our jobs in perspective. We learn not to worry about things over which we have no control. And we remain focused on the things that matter most.
No matter how badly I want to win, I realize that an undue emphasis on winning will skew everything. It will skew our moral values, which take priority over winning. It will skew our faith, which recognizes that life is bigger than football. And it will require me to evaluate my staff in ways I’m not willing to do. WINING WILL TAKE CARE OF ITSELF.
If good moral meant contentment, I would’ve failed at my job long ago. You simply cannot make everyone happy or give them what they believe they deserve. Grumbling will happen. Some will walk off and quit the team. I’ve learned to accept a measure of discontent as the cost of doing business. Heck, if a player will quit over a slight discontentment, he probably would’ve quit down in the trenches during a game when things got tough.
I view adversity, n all its forms, as a test of my faith in God. If I develop the habit of trusting God on a regular basis with the myriad little problems that constitute daily life, then I’m prepared when the larger issue of adversity arises.
Currently reading
October 2, 2013Good leadership comes from the mistakes you made in your career. Bobby Bowden stressed this over and over in his book The Bowden Way. He learned the best techniques about coaching with the mistakes that came with the job. As an athlete I enjoyed reading this book because it shows how a team needs to click to be successful. The passion and hard work that comes with being successful in college football made me be more interested in this book. Bobby Bowden was one of the most popular head coaches in the history of college football. It is a very easy book to read because Coach Bowden kept it simple and straight to the point just like his game plans. During his years at Florida State University he had the highest winning percentage in the entire nation. The road to all his success wasn’t always easy though. He went through some very tough moment with his players and his staff. In the book Coach Bowden also informs about his past coaching jobs which were very interesting to me. Learning where Bobby Bowden made me very happy because he started in a college in Georgia where I currently live. I recommend this book because it will not only teach you about leadership. Morality is one of the biggest themes in the book. Top live a peaceful life you need to practice good morality. Religion was a very big influence in Coach Bowden’s career. Loyalty is the most important asset to a successful organization.
May 30, 2009
Unlike "The Book of Bowden," which was a third person collection of quotes, this is a first person guide on how to coach/lead. Though I did not care for some parts with over religious tones, over all I liked the book. Then again, I am a Florida State Seminole fan.
June 19, 2008
Coach Bowden writes about running a team as corporation and how to deal with the never ending number of variables that a head coach faces in big time college football.
January 28, 2016
It was okay but there were a lot of coaching things that didn't pertain to basketball.
June 16, 2015
Great book from a great coach
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews