2. AUTHOR: TONY DUNGY WITH NATHAN WHITAKER
University of Minnesota- Bachelor’s degree in
Business Administration
University of Minnesota Quarterback 1973-1976
NFL Player 1977-1980 (3 years)
NFL Coach & Head Coach 1981-2008 (27 years)
Head Coach Indianapolis Colts – Super Bowl XLI
First NFL Coach to lead teams to the play-offs for
ten consectutive years
Studio Analyst for NBC Football Tonight in
America 2009-present
Author of popular books (Quiet Strength & Uncommon)
3. PURPOSE
To promote the concept of Mentor Leadership and
to demonstrate the value and spirituality of being
committed to the advancement and well-being of
other people that “we are called to serve and lead”
(Dungy, 2010)
To encourage leaders to engage in the regenerative
aspects of Mentor Leadership. That is leaders who
build leaders, who then carry-on with the
mentoring process.
To express his personal philosophy on leadership
and how it relates to family, business, friends,
Christian values and beliefs.
4. MENTOR LEADER
(SITUATIONAL + SERVANT + REGENERATIVE)
Situational leadership
Stay close enough to the situation to
be knowledgeable
Assess follower readiness
Follower preparation first, then
appropriate empowerment
(Chen & Silerthorne, 2005)
Regenerative aspect
Mentoring vs Directing
Promote judgement & decision
making
Intentional mentoring (shaping,
nuturing, empowering, relationship
integrity etc.)
Create a culture that will live on
through succeeding generations
(Dungy, 2010)
Servant leadership
Commitment to the Growth of Others
Passion to Serve first,, then Lead
Persuasion vs Coercion
Empathy & Understanding
Stewardship
Building Communities
Surrender the desire or need for
personal recognition
(Greenleaf, R. 1996)
5. TARGET AUDIENCE
Dungy professess the generalization of a Mentor Leadership style to
family, business, friends, and to the community. However, the true target
audience for his book is much narrower. It is an easy to read, self-help
type of book, with heavy use of Christain Scriptures and National
Football Leagure (NFL) insider stories. Dungy frequently quotes the
Scriptures to demonstrate the alignment of his Mentor Leader approach
with the teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in the English Standard
version of The Holy Bible. He also includes many football related stories
of mentoring players, leadership interventions and support to provide
examples of positive outcomes from his approach. A self-improvement
enthusiast or a football enthusiast would be more likely to enjoy the
book. In both cases, the use of the Scripture comparisons are so
integrated into the work that the reader would also need to be
comfortable with the Christian faith values of others.
6. STRENGTH
The strengths of this book are that it is written by
an author known as a football celebrity who has
achieved notoriety for his leaderhsip capabilities
with NFL football teams. He is considered an
expert in the football coaching industry (NBC.com).
The Mentor Leader approach is based on the wellestablished theories of Situational Leadership and
Servant Leadership.
There is social and spiritual appeal for the altruistic
nature of the Mentor Leader approach.
7. SHORTCOMINGS
Dungy has many years of experience in leading NFL football
teams. However, these followers are already identified as
high performers. This narrows the majority of his experience
to high performing, physically fit young males, who are
qualified to play in the NFL.
Dungy did not pursue any advanced education after the intial
completion of his Bachelor’s degree in Business
Administration. An advanced degree would have included
formal education on other leadership styles and theories.
This book relies heavily on the use of Scriptures from the
Holy Bible. This may not appeal to individuals of different
religious faiths and or Christians who do not share his
Evangelical views of the Holy Scriptures and their meanings.
8. THE AUTHOR ACHIEVEMENT OF OBJECTIVES
Conveyance of Message
Dungy presents his leadership
advice in a concise manner and
creates a smoooth link to his
scripture analogies and
antidotal football stories. He
created a reader friendly book
that clearly conveys his views
on leadership and life.
This is Dungy’s 3rd book on
leadership, the path to
achievment and self-reflection.
YES, OBJECTIVES WERE ACHIEVED
Marketing of Book
Debuted at No. 2 on the New
York Times best seller list
(hardcover advice section) and
top 10 for 5 weeks
(www.nytimes.com)
Religious context of book limits
acceptance
Football context of book limits
interest groups, although
American football has a
significant following
DUNGY’S BOOK IS READILY AVAILABLE AT
COUNTLESS BOOK VENDOR WEBSITES
9. SECRETS TO BUILDING PEOPLE AND TEAMS THAT WIN CONSISTANTLY
I would be hesitant
to recommend this
book as a
leadership resource
based on the heavy
use of religious
references and
football theme. I
believe that
Dungy’s
underlying
message of
altruistic
mentoring support
for the individuals
in your life is very
meaningful;
however, his
delivery method is
not suited for many
who would seek to
increase their
leadership
knowledge and
skill.
10. REFERENCES
Chen, J., & Silverthorne, C. (2005). Leadership effectiveness,
leadership style and employee readiness. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 26(4), 280-288.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/01437730510600652
Dungy, T. (2010). The mentor leader: Secrets to building people
and teams that win consistently. Carol Stream, Illinois: Trindale
House Publishers, Inc.
Greenleaf, R. K. (1996). On becoming a servant leader (1st ed.).
San Francisco, California: Jossey-Bass Inc., Publishers.
