The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to be a Great Teammate

by Jon Gordon

Great teammates don’t just impact you today; they impact you for the rest of your life.

From the moment Jon Gordon heard about George Boiardi and the Hard Hat he was intrigued and captivated. Over the years he visited George’s coaches, attended several “21 Dinners” held in his honor, met his family, talked to his teammates and observed how he inspired all who knew him.

The Hard Hat is an unforgettable true story about a selfless, loyal, joyful, hard-working, competitive, and compassionate leader and teammate, the impact he had on his team and program and the lessons we can learn from him.

The book features:

A True Story about George Boiardi, his Team and their Legacy. 21 Lessons to be a Great Teammate Insights from George’s Teammates and Coaches that Bring the Lessons to Life. 21 Exercises to help you Build a Great Team 

Infused with practical insights and life changing lessons, The Hard Hat will inspire you to be the best teammate you can be and to build a great team.

*100% of author’s royalties go to support the Mario St. George Boiardi Foundation

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

124 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 11, 2015

About the author

Jon Gordon is an American business consultant and author on the topics of leadership, culture, sales, and teamwork.

Jon Gordon's best-selling books and talks have inspired readers and audiences around the world. His principles have been put to the test by numerous NFL, NBA, and college coaches and teams, Fortune 500 companies, school districts, hospitals and non-profits. He is the author of The Wall Street Journal bestseller The Energy Bus, The No Complaining Rule, Training Camp, The Shark and The Goldfish, Soup, The Seed and his latest The Positive Dog. Jon and his tips have been featured on The Today Show, CNN, Fox and Friends and in numerous magazines and newspapers. His clients include The Atlanta Falcons, Campbell Soup, Wells Fargo, State Farm, Novartis, Bayer and more.

Jon is a graduate of Cornell University and holds a Masters in Teaching from Emory University. He and his training/consulting company are passionate about developing positive leaders, organizations and teams.

When he's not running through airports or speaking, you can find him playing tennis or lacrosse with his wife and two "high energy" children.

You can find him on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jongordonpage

Reviews

[Clancy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a quick read, but it felt like a high school student wrote it along with too intensely glorifying George for me.

[Alyssa Keptner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a quick read and my coach gave me this to read. It was a little repetitive but it made me think about being a good teammates in a new light and was a great read as an athlete and person. If you want to get the most out of life, relationships, and every activity you do you have to live intentionally and mindfully and this book really helps reinforce how to do that. I enjoyed taking the time to slow down and annotate and reflect on it.

[Dunori · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ahite... its possible I may have liked it more if I hadn’t already read a lot of books or seen a lot of movies that’s similar. It’s still worth recommending though to anyone who thinks they may benefit from an inspirational push to do their best at whatever they are doing and being nice to others whom they might be doing them with.

[Jodi Hoag · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several good things to take from this book and implement in your own life. I am going to try to do some takeaways from this book to implement at work for my “work team”. It’s quick read and worth it. “Well done is better than well said!”

[Brooke Hoag · Rating 5 out of 5]

Our coach gave this book to us to read as a team. I enjoyed the story and it definitely showed my empathetic side. It was a gut wrenching story with an incredible message

[Jenna Gauding · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick, short, and inspiring read that I think any coach, athlete, anyone involved in sports, or honestly anyone would find inspiring. One of my athletes gave me this to read after he did. He could not stop talking about how inspired he was by this all day. I completely agree with him. A heartbreaking story to hear as an AT, but the impact he left behind was amazing.

[Calla Defries · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is supposed to teach you ways to be a great teammate and while it does give you 21 ways--it does something else as well. It give the 21 ways through a very unrealistic story of a young man who passed away very young. The way this young man is described, he may as well be Jesus. Completely without fault, a perfect person and teammate. The way he is written makes this book completely unrelatable, unachievable and unrealistic. Some of the tips are good, but a google search would have been a better use of my time.

[Chandler Elmore · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is just boring and stale. It is about a white guy that inspired other white guys to be good leaders on a lacrosse team. There is about as much depth to this book as a 7 inch kiddie pool.

[Sam T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hard Hat was a great book for a athlete. It has a life lesson every chapter of the book. Although it was short, it was still an awesome book to read. It starts with how a player from Cornell died. He was a huge part of Cornell because he was the leader of the lacrosse them and did so many great things for the team. The narrator didn't play with George, but he did play at Cornell. The book shares a great story and George shows how to be better teammate and better athlete in whatever sport you are playing. The narrator tells all the great things George did. He cared for each player on his team. He wasn't the loudest player, he was actually one f the quietest. It shows that you don't have to be loud to be able to be a role model. You just have to show it. Overall I rate this book a 4/5 stars because t it one of the best reads and I can relate to it a lot.

[Helfren · Rating 3 out of 5]

How to be a great teammate? I believe this book has a helpful guide as I navigate the world of teamworkship and hope it doesn't disappoint.

Teammate in the 20th century has larger than life impact than we realize. The hat used to symbolizes the blue collar worker as a culture with the blue collar approach.

Well done is better than well said.The story in the book focuses on George. Sometimes it get really repetitive but I keep reading. Quite good anecdote but the repetition is really get on my nerves.

[Titilayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am soooooooo underwhelmed!! The author did a poor job of carrying the hard hat theme throughout the chapters. The prose isn't very elegant. I thought it was going to be some elitist dribble about a golden child catholic Anglo-American who plays a culturally appropriated sport at an ivy league school. The author didn't really dispell any of my preconceived notions. This could have really pulled at my heart strings. It could have painted a vivid humanizing story about how a lacrosse athlete inspires his teammate in the wake of his untimely death. It could have rallied my work ethic and motivated me to become passionate about my work ethic. It did not.

[Patrick Eagone]

I read this book over the summer for summer reading and while I had it I enjoyed most of it. At some points in this book, I found myself asking question and just in general being confused. But overall I liked the story and would like to read similar books.

[Gavin Held · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone needs someone to learn from. Someone to look up to. Someone to guide their path in life. George Boiardi is the example of a servant to his fellow teammates, a leader, and a true warrior. Fantastic book about George's short, but impactful life.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I actually really liked this one, and I am not usually for team-building-type nonfiction. This was short and to the point and was very inspiring.

[Sophia Zegar · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book makes me want to be the best version of myself.

[Emma Ada · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing.

[Angelique Boyette · Rating 5 out of 5]

An inspirational and emotional story

[Andre Sokk]

Awesome book. We read it for our team in our offseason and it brought up a lot interesting point on how to be a good leader and a good teammate.

[Charles Delorme · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not as good as the carpenter

[Lesa Haney · Rating 4 out of 5]

At the end of each school year, we are given a different Jon Gordon book to read over this summer. Most of Gordon’s books are fables so I was interested in this as it was based on a real person. The book is filled with 21 lessons on becoming a great teammate. Pursue excellence, WD>WS, and love your team are ones That resonated the most with me.

[Dotty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I felt this individual was overglorified, the author stretched what could’ve been a good article into unnecessary book and stretched what are probably seven principles into 21. Very disappointing read.

[Lois · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly inspiring book...it really makes one stop and think about what they can do to have a positive impact on others.

[Luke Kerscher · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to be a Great Teammate is a compelling story written by Jon Gordon. George Boiardi was born on July 30, 1981. He grew up in Washington, D.C. and attended Landon School where he excelled academically and athletically, earning eleven varsity letters. His outstanding grades and undeniable athleticism landed the three-sport athlete at Cornell University. He Majored in history and was a part of their Men’s Lacrosse Team. Sadly, in March of 2004, George Boiardi died on the field his senior year. Gordon uses Boiardi’s story to teach twenty-one ways to be a great teammate and twenty-one ways to work for your team. He brings George’s friends and family’s thoughts into his book and they help tell the story and bring it into perspective. For example, Gordon met with Tim Kirchner, George’s college teammate, and he told him, ”He never took a play off, on or off the field. As a result, you always knew you could count on George.” (57). Gordon uses a copious amount of touching quotes to teach his lessons and allow you to get to know George and his story. He attended “21 Dinners” and met his coaches, friends, and family. This helped him really be able to write about the inspiration George had on all of them. In honor of George, the lacrosse team gives a freshman player a hardhat to carry around for the season. The hard hat is in all the team pictures and travels with the team everywhere. The hard hat is given to the player who shows the most heart, gives the most effort, and most importantly, tries to be the greatest teammate. The hard hat means a whole lot to the team, especially to anybody who knew George.
I would say there were definitely some positives and negatives to this book. On the positive side, I think this is a great book for athletes. I chose to read this because I love sports, and I thought it’d be cool to read about some ways to help your team. Considering I play two team sports, this was a great fit for me. The lessons Gordon teaches make me feel the need to treat my teammates better. Right now, I’m a freshman in high school so I know just what it’s like to be the underclassman on the team. One of my favorite stories that Gordon writes is about selfless leadership. One night at a team dinner, all the upperclassmen left, leaving the freshmen with no rides. George stayed back and fit twelve freshmen in the back of his Jeep Cherokee. On the way home, George got pulled over and the cop laughed when he saw twelve guys get out of the back, one by one. Gordon assures, “But that’s how George was; he was there for everyone and wouldn’t leave anyone behind.” (19). Most people wouldn’t let all of those teammates in their car, especially some annoying freshmen. On the negative side, the book gets a little repetitive. If you're looking for a book to keep you on the edge of your seat, this wouldn’t be my first choice. The plot doesn’t change much, he just tells more and more about George’s life. If you’re looking for a book that you want to get something out of, I would definitely consider reading this one. One of George’s former teammates, Andrew Collins, remembered, “I would always look at George and say to myself, he’s trying to be as good as he can be, so I need to strive to be the best I can be.” (49). This one really stuck with me. When I’m in the weight room or when I’m running sprints with the team, I’ll look around and see my teammates pushing themselves and tell myself that I’m not going to let them outwork me. This forces me to keep pushing, resulting in improvement. Thanks to my hardworking teammates, I train effectively. I’m striving to be the teammate that everybody else looks at and thinks, “I won’t let him outwork me.” I can honestly say I think this book has made me better at getting better, if that makes sense. I recommend this book to anybody who wants to learn ways to better themselves or their team. I believe it can really help you out in the real world.

[John Diggins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Hard Hat is a book written by Jon Gordon. This book really pulls you in and makes you want to keep reading. I would highly recommend this book because it shows you how to be a great teammate in anything you do and the right attitude to have when you live life.
The book is about a man named George Boiardo who goes to Cornell University to play college lacrosse. George is the type of guy to go 110% at everything he does. He leads with both his words and his actions. If a guy was talking bad about someone else or saying mean things to someone, George would stand up for the guy and defend him. When the coach made him switch positions he didn’t argue at all or put up a fit, it was just the type of guy he was. This is why everybody had so much respect for him. But one game he got hit with a ball straight to the chest and dies on the field. It had all his teammates traumatized. The team didn’t know If they wanted to continue the season because he died. But the death of George helped the team come together and live more as a family as George would have wanted. The games went from being about winning, to being about playing as a family and for a bigger purpose. They would all play for George because they all knew that he would have done the same for him.
In this book, a hard hat is a very big symbol. Cornell lacrosse would give a hard hat to a freshman who worked the hardest out of the whole team. The freshman would carry the hardhat around everywhere they go including games and practices. If you got to carry it around it was a great honor. When George was a freshman he had the hardhat because he outworked everybody on the team. When he died, the whole team got a hardhat patch with his number, 21, on their jersey to always remember him. Cornell lacrosse still continues this tradition to this day.
The Hard Hat shows you how to be a great teammate and a great person in life so that is why I would recommend this book. It tells you the right way to live your life.

[Juan Chavez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a big Jon Gordon fan. Love his books...this tho..eh. Not one of my favorites. It is a great story of George and the 21 Dinners and other George inspired events. However, I found it to be very repetitive. I thought this could have been a great blog post or short story. I felt it was stretched to make it a book.

Some quotes and big ideas from book:

1 - As a team member, one of the things you control each day is your effort. Effort is a cornerstone value that you can control and allow oneself to be the best.
2 - While well done is greater than well said, don’t just show effort, demand it vocally to your teammates.
3 - The key to success is be a life-long learner. Stay humble and hungry along the way.
4 - Try to be the best you can be. Pursue excellence. Give more percent of yourself each opportunity you get.
5 - Stay positive and spread that positivity.
6 - Don’t complain.
7 - Work hard for your team. Put your team first. Give credit where credit is due.
8 - If you want commitment, be committed.
9 - Be consistent in your attitude, effort, and actions.
10 - Before you expect the best of yourself, you can expect the best from your team.
11 - If you respect everyone, they will respect you
12 - Be an energy fountain, not a drain.
13 - Without communication, you can’t build trusting relationships
14 - Connect with your teammates. Get to know them as people on and off the field.
15 - Greatness is a focus a focus on making oneself better and ones team better.
16 - Be selfless.
17 - Show you care, don’t just say how much you care.
18 - Be a loyal friend to your teammates.
19 - Love your team first. Commit to that. They will then love you back.
20 - Be willing to sacrifice some of your wants for what the team needs.
21 - Leave the place better than you found it.

[Delina · Rating 4 out of 5]

My soccer team read this book and I really learned a lot from it! The story was narrated by Jon Gordon and described George Boiardi, a lacrosse player from Cornell. It sets up twenty one ways on how to be a great teammate. While this book is good for teams and groups that work together, I think the lessons learned from George can be applied to everyday life. For example, George led his team through actions. He stayed after practices to continue mastering his skill, he put everything into every game, and he never complained. Not only was he hard-working, but he did anything for his teammates and his team. He was always there for his teammates, always intervening if he heard someone speaking badly about someone else. He even got pulled over for stuffing too many guys into his car when they needed rides home from practice. Though he died after suffering from a strike in the chest in the middle of a lacrosse game, his memory is ingrained into the Cornell Men’s Lacrosse team philosophy. This book inspires me because George embodies everything a good person and a good teammate should be. Reading this reminded me of who I need to continue to be and how to better myself.

[Griffin Demers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Right from the start this was a hard-hitting book, it had me laughing and smiling and on other pages the brink of tears. Jon Gordon had the opportunity to meet a man named George and at that time he was just a kid really playing Lacrosse at Cornell University, although he was a legacy at Princeton and would have gotten in easy. He still visited Cornell and the funny thing is he chose Cornell because his host gave him his bed and slept on the couch but that's just who George was. He judged on actions and that's the way he led as well if you were to ask his teammates they'd say he was quiet, he kept to himself but when he did talk EVERYONE listened. If someone was being hazed and he saw it didn't happen anymore but that's the kind of respect George commanded and not because he was "cool" because he gave his all to everything he did. The Hard Hat: 21 Ways to Be a Great Teammate
by Jon Gordon is not just a book it's a legacy, it's an attitude, it's a way to live and George knew that better than anyone. I just wish that he was here to see the impact he had on so many people and possibly you.

[Evan Roach · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great representation of how a leader should be. “The Hard Hat” is about a man who took his role on a team closer to his heart than anyone else. He lived and breathed lacrosse and for the Cornell team. The story about George Boiardi was written to inspire young athletes to always do more than their best, even when it gets hard. It shows ways to be at a team's heart and always be reliable. This was shown and taught to be applied in all of life's aspects. Between working as a team, on a job, or in a relationship. The lesson to be learned from this story is to always do your best and expect nothing in return.

If a young athlete is interested in becoming a better player or teammate, this is the perfect book for them. Not only for lacrosse players but any athlete trying to be a big part of their team. The story of George Boiardi is to show players to be the best they can be for the people who they rely on and who rely on them. For a short read of only 128 pages, that can be done in a week or sooner. For any coaches looking to enlighten their players on how they should hold themselves, this is the perfect book.

[Kennedy Froebe]

My new boss has us read books as a team which I honestly really like… it’s giving Luke 9:23 and many biblical principles without the Bible mentioned at all. Overall not bad things to emulate but is missing the main thing (Christ) which is sad to me but excited to what conversations it can lead to. Short, simple, nothing crazy note worthy. Would say it def could be good convo starter in the working space with those that want to grow in leadership, character, and loving others but seems very elementary.. It is basically a self help kind of thing rooted in following examples (George and his story) to build character, consistency, hard work, selflessness and be a good teammate through good character. I honestly don’t like books like this bc ultimately we need God to change us.. George seems to be over glorified.. simple writing that is also a bit repetitive. Honestly would recommend many other books to help someone grow in character before this one. Grateful though to get to even have conversations about caring for one another and growing personally at work and a natural way to have deeper conversations.

[Brett · Rating 3 out of 5]

George Boiardi was more than a Lacrosse player for Cornell University, he was an inspiration to not only a sports program but a school. It could be said that the pinnacle of his impact was the legacy he left on and off the field. Through the tragedy of dying while playing the sport he loved, the players and coaches at Cornell found inspiration in the life #21 lived - he gave it his all - no matter what it was (sports, academics, relationships ). The spirit of George is living life to the fullest by inspiring others to be the best they can be. This story is encouraging and filled with good traits that we should embody; however, his life has almost be elevated to a platform beyond that of a man...even to where people ask "what would George do?" Overall this is a good book and at time somewhat redundant (repeating principles and ideas) but the message is the same push yourself and other to be the best they can be.