Winning Every Day: The Game Plan for Success – 10 Strategies for Improving your Personal and Professional Life from the Beloved College Football Coach

by Lou Holtz

Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.-- Lou Holtz Meet Lou Holtz, the motivational miracle worker who revitalized the Notre Dame football program by leading the legendary Fighting Irish to nine bowl games and a national championship. During his twenty-seven years as a head football coach, Holtz garnered a 216-95-7 career record. Each new assignment brought a different team with different players, but, invariably, the same result--success. How did he do it? By designing a game plan for his players that minimized obstacles while maximizing opportunities. Now he wants to pass his game plan on to you. In Winning Every Day, you'll discover ten strategies that will drive you to the top of your professional and personal life. Coach Holtz will reveal how you can acquire the focus and commitment it takes to be a champion. It won't be easy; it takes sacrifice to be the best. But now you'll have a proven winner alongside you in the trenches. Winning Every Day demonstrates how you can elevate your performance while raising the standards of everyone around you. Follow Coach's strategies and winning becomes habitual. You will learn to welcome sacrifice as you dedicate yourself to excellence. He will show you how to clearly define your short-term and long-term goals, to develop an unwavering sense of purpose without compromising flexibility. Through it all, Coach Holtz will help you discover the courage you need to live a life of unremitting triumph. You couldn't have a better guide. He will provide you with the strategies he has shared with Fortune 500 companies, groups, and organizations. Voted the top motivational speaker two years running by a survey of speakers' bureaus, Coach is going to present you with all the Xs and Os, the basics of his game plan for success in life and business.

Genres: Sports, Leadership, Football, Business, Self Help, Nonfiction, Personal Development

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 1, 1998

About the author

Louis Leo "Lou" Holtz (born January 6, 1937) is a retired American football coach, and active sportscaster, author, and motivational speaker. He served as the head football coach at The College of William & Mary (1969–1971), North Carolina State University (1972–1975), the University of Arkansas (1977–1983), the University of Minnesota (1984–1985), the University of Notre Dame (1986–1996), and University of South Carolina (1999–2004), compiling a career record of 249–132–7. Holtz's 1988 Notre Dame team went 12–0 with a victory in the Fiesta Bowl and was the consensus national champion. Holtz is the only college football coach to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. Holtz also coached the New York Jets of the NFL during the 1976 season.

Over the years, the slender, bespectacled Holtz has become known for his quick wit and ability to inspire players. In 2005, Holtz joined ESPN as a college football analyst. On May 1, 2008, Holtz was elected to the College Football Hall of Fame. Holtz is a master motivational speaker and a former analyst for CBS Sports. Lou Holtz and his wife, Beth, are parents to four grown children.

Reviews

[Zachary Wrightsman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid book. Good examples and has a lot of humor in it. I’m giving it three stars because it has a lot of football references (obviously) that he does explain but I don’t think this book would be for everyone. He has a different approach then most personal development books. I think most anyone would enjoy.

[Paul Pessolano · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Winning Every Day, The Game Plan for Success.” by Lou Holtz, published by HarperBusiness.

Category - Inspiration/Business. Publication Date - 1998.

You may or may not like Lou Holtz but he puts forth a message that should be read and heeded by all.

This book was initially, I believe, for the business community but it transcends that and can be applied to everyday life. Holtz’s insight to being successful not only in business but in all aspects of one’s life is a little uncanny.

Holtz is able to bring his message across by using his life and football experiences. The stories he tells are very poignant and sometimes show the Holtz ability to use comedy in bringing his point across.

Holtz is not only a motivator but makes you look into your inner self. He challenges you to discover your talents and use them wisely. You must not only seek to improve yourself but also those around you.

The book not only will help one become a better person but is a fun book to read.

[Matt Davenport · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the books I’m most glad I’ve read. Lou Holtz is easily one of my biggest role models, and his mix of wisdom and humorous anecdotes combined with applicable coaching and leadership advice made for an incredibly easy and enjoyable read. I plan on reading this book over and over whenever I can.

[Terry Combs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pure Lou! Coach Holtz is a paragon on common sense and it shines through in this book. From humble, small town roots he has used common sense and hard work to make it to the pinnacle of his profession. Even if you aren't into sports his wisdom shines through and can help practically anyone who is on a journey of self improvement.

[Andrew Urbanski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Superb book and very enjoyable read. I enjoyed how it was broken up into very small sections cause every page had its own unique style and it enabled you to read for either 2 minutes or 2 hours. If you need some quick life lessons paired with real world stories, this is a perfect book for you!

[L. Dorsey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this book 12 years ago. It had positive impact on my life and career. Picked it up again and read it from cover to cover in a day or two. Great insight and solid advice for anybody at any point in their career!

[Steven]

Coach Holtz is ever the optimist. His vision has a great deal of clarity. Good read.

[Jacob O'connor · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A turtle only makes progress if it's willing to stick it's neck out".

Winning Every Day caught me at a good time. I needed an attitude adjustment. Lou Holtz reminded me that my destiny is in my own hands, and excuses are for losers.


Notes:

People don't care how rocky the ocean is. They just want you to bring the ship in (42)

Personal note: I love to bellyache. I don't know what I'd talk about if I weren't complaining all the time.

Don't sell. Help people get what they want (49)

You can't make many catches when you take your eyes off the ball (51)

When you are hired by an organization, don't expect them to tear up your contract and pay you extra for the sacrifices you make to achieve excellence. That's what they hired you to do! (66)

I don't know if it's good or bad. We'll have to wait and see (82)

Dreams make the best chauffeurs (90)

WIN= What's important now?

Grab opportunity with both hands

Personal note: good section on limiting beliefs (114)

A turtle only makes progress if it's willing to stick it's neck out (114)

Project confidence subtly

Never let anyone know you're rattled (122)

While you should never be obsessed with your looks, you should maintain a neat appearance (126)

These days people talk about rights and privileges whereas in yesteryear people talked about obligations and responsibilities. (136)

Never be afraid to demand excellence, but the standard you set for others must reflect the standard you set for yourself (138)

Conflicts occur when you work with people whose standards are different than yours (143)

People are tacitly asking, "Do you care about me?"

The one mistake I will never forgive is failing to prepare (184)

[Brent Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

In Winning Every Day, Lou Holtz, the miracle coach who rebuilt the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to win nine bowl games, a national championship, and obtain a 216-95-7 career record, during his 27 years as head coach gives a lot of good advice and ten strategies for life. He tells us: "Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it."

I really enjoyed his book but wonder how many people, even with his amazing career, can still remember him or are aware of him? When I first read his book, published in 1999, I underlined his story of the wolf: “For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.” What more do you really need to say about teamwork and success? It seemed so relevant, but one time I was getting ready to use the quote and realized that Holtz only borrowed the quote. It was originally taken from Rudyard Kipling in his book, “The Jungle Book.”

Holtz’s strategies helped Notre Dame and they apply well to living a successful life. He was voted the top motivational speaker two years running by a survey of speakers' bureaus. A good book even if you don’t know who he is anymore. Find out, read the book. For more on this book and author see www.connectedeventsmatter.com

[Ruppert Baird · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interspersed with interesting vignettes and examples of Lou Holtz's life and career. But, I do have some complaints:

Calling Leon Hess an NFL pioneer wrong. Hess' entry in 1963 into pro football was as a partner of the AFL's New York Jets. Even then, the AFL was already 4 years old, and the NFL was 43 years old by then.

The editors did a poor job of proofreading. Names are frequently misspelled (which is strange - Forest Evachevski's name is correct, but Milt [not 'Matt'] Drewer, Rick Forzano [not 'Fortano'], Jimmye [not 'Jimmy'] Laycock, and Steve Regan [not 'Reagan'] are just 4 examples). Small typos and missing words (Michigan State being called 'Michigan'), incorrect stats, and claiming that "Most generals come from upper crust families" without evidence are grating.

I would have loved to see more insight into those players who did NOT make it to the pros - those who took the discipline and training to make themselves into successful fathers, husbands, businessmen, etc.

But, it is an uplifting tome that I honestly wish I'd read prior to my short, high school rugby coaching gig. I think it could have been quite helpful.

[Terry Koressel · Rating 4 out of 5]

For full disclosure, I have a bias. I've been an avid Notre Dame fan since 3. My wife and I lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana when Lou Holtz first arrived at Notre Dame. I am a fan of Lou Holtz: he knows how to win and he plays by the rules. Now let me get to the review of Winning Every Day: the book is excellent. Lou Holtz is not a complicated man with complicated ideas or a complicated philosophy about life. However, he recognizes that to be successful, one needs to live life in such a way as to increase the probability of success. There are universal guiding principles (steps) that one can adopt to nearly guarantee a happy, healthy vibrant life. Lou Holtz is inspiring....always has been to me. His book is no exception. Lou Holtz was not blessed with family wealth, extraordinary intelligence or physical ability. He was a small, skinny kid with a lisp who became an outstanding college football coach, sports analyst and motivational speaker through determination, hard work and right living. Winning Every Day is Lou Holtz' simple formula for success. I highly recommend.

[Mari McR · Rating 4 out of 5]

Took me forever to read this book because it was chock full of gold nuggets of wisdom that I took time to savor. Both grandfather passed away before I could meet them as a child, but I imagine that meeting Mr. Holtz would be similar to meeting a practical grandfather to set children AND adults on the straight path throughout life's meanderings. His words of advice are simple and speak honestly to human nature, but they are in no way simplistic. I will read chapters over and over to remind myself to WIN (What's Important Now?) and ask these three critical questions to assess one's actions when faced with a dilemma:
1. Are you exhibiting excellence?
2. Are you doing the right thing?
3. Are you showing those around you (friends, family, colleagues) that you care about them?

The only reason I rated the book four stars is that it didn't necessarily have a clear direction...Mr. Holtz wrote similarly to a stream of consciousness.

[David Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lou Holtz held college head football coaching jobs at William and Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota, Notre Dame, and South Carolina, and worked as an analyst at ESPN. He has also been a highly sought-after motivational speaker. Winning Every Day has several football anecdotes, but it's far from simply being a book about football. It is a book about attitude, handling adversity, having purpose, good leadership, hard work, and excellence. My copy has been underlined and referred to often.

[Steve Wegman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me and I've always liked Lou Holtz, so I thought I might as well read it. Unfortunately, it read like it was written by a football coach or some other type of salesman. The football stories were fun, but the life advice was, well, let's just say skimming was giving it more time than it deserved. Not that it's wrong. Just I'm not interested in a pep talk on being my best every day.

[Hal Wezeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding book for putting a plan together to change the way you think, and allow you to influence those around you in business, sport, or community. What does it take to be successful? Read this book and you will be well on your way to the answer. Lou gives you the encouragement, and the how to; so that you can positively impact your thinking. A truly "good read".

[Mark Teague]

Good read on leadership lessons shared by Coach Holtz. Coach does a great job in showing real life examples of leadership on display by sharing his experiences in the coaching ranks. He tells great stories from his experiences and show how the reader can use these lessons to promote leadership in all walks of life, whether on the field of play or in the business world.

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great insight into the intelligent mind of Lou Holtz and how he attacked every day. Throughout this read, you learn about the many challenges he faced and how their themes relate to a lot of scenarios we all face throughout our lives. Some reflection along with some wisdom shared by Holtz really made me feel like I was sitting down at lunch listening to him tell me his life story.

[Paul Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read. I wasn't sure how much I was going to enjoy. This was very easy to read. Coach Holtz has a very simple way at looking at how to live your life while staying true to the morals that we all should embrace

[Dylan Dudlext · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lou was an interesting character with a dedicated gameplan that he enthusiastically shared throughout his life. This book shines a light on the benefits it had for his athletes and those he coached off field throughout his career.

[Edward Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very easy to read but oh, so inspirational. Holtz teaches important lessons through stories of his own life. Sometimes glorious, sometimes embarrassing, but always instructional. You’ll want to mark this one up for future reference.

[Jayson Whalen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book with great life lessons. Lou Holtz does a good job mixing in humor to keep it entertaining. So many strong comparisons between the grid iron and real life. A must read for any football fan that’s a leader.

[Brad Partridge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book with some great points.

[Tyler Buescher · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book because Lou Holtz goes into great detail on what Leadership actually is and the way his culture system worked when he coached.

[Steve Sandifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of short positive messages.

[Daniel Wszolek · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book that integrates football a little bit with life lessons. Would highly recommend this book.

[Abby Powell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Spent time with it and a highlighter and found a lot of good advice. Lots of football references obviously. Great humor

[Kaelen Kinnaman]

Lou is one of a kind. His personality and sense of humor alone make this a fun read.

[Ieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

man ļoooti patika. laba grāmata on mindset un attitude. very good

[Albert Gonzales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great coach, great leader!!

[Bee Gibson · Rating 3 out of 5]

i read this on a plane