Book Review — The Leader’s Mind by Jim Afremow with Phil White
How Great Leaders Prepare, Perform, and Prevail
The Bottom Line Up Front (BLUF): Cultivating a leader’s mind develops the leader and enables them to develop others to make a difference.
Executive summary
The Leader’s Mind explores how leaders think and act during challenges, including times of trial, tribulation, and when overcoming the seemingly impossible. It shares various scenarios seen through the experiences of real-world leaders to show how their mental focus helped them navigate both good and bad times. With eight storylines related to their unique and difficult situations, the leaders featured in the book demonstrate how communication, energy, information gathering, collaboration, outward support, imagination and reflection, teamwork, recognition, shared purpose, and balance are vital in effective leadership. The Leader’s Mind isn’t just about overcoming leadership obstacles; it’s also about reaching one’s goals and empowering others to do the same.
The content
Chapter one introduces Nick Peters, a distinguished leader in the U.S. Forest Service. He shares his leadership journey as an adventure and highlights the importance of effective communication and understanding that stress management is mainly influenced by knowing what you can and cannot control. Nick explains his decision-making method, called the Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act (OODA) loop. He also shows his leadership priorities by living according to his values during challenges and recognizing trigger points early to adapt and adjust his leadership style. Additionally, he talks about his use of after-action reviews, which are valuable tools for reflection and growth. Finally, he stresses leading with a positive attitude because it gives him a mental edge.
Chapter two explores the leadership journey of Steve Kerr, the Head Coach of the Golden State Warriors. It covers his upbringing overseas and his path to playing basketball at the University of Arizona, where he set records and became a superstar under a legendary coach. This chapter also discusses his NBA experiences and how playing for one of the greatest coaches of all time shaped his leadership outlook. Finally, it offers insight into Coach Kerr’s leadership philosophy of Joy, Mindfulness, Compassion, and Competition, building the right staff to reflect his values, how he embraced a coach-mentor’s vision, and how he used his leadership approach to inspire and guide the Golden State Warriors to success.
Chapter three focuses on the pilot of Southwest Airlines Flight 1330, which experienced a catastrophic in-flight failure resulting in tragic consequences, including loss of life. This chapter explores the career of Captain Tammie Jo Shults, a U.S. Navy veteran and decorated pilot. It discusses her composure under pressure, where it originated, and how it proved essential in the most difficult moments. Captain Shults’ story highlights the importance of responsibility and ownership, mentorship, effective engagement and disengagement strategies, and using faith to persevere through adversity.
Chapter four introduces readers to the All Blacks, the famous rugby team from New Zealand, and their longtime strength coach, Nic Gill. His story of growth and small victories is inspiring; he draws potential out of every player he works with. Through his perspective, readers see that leading a team that consistently defies the odds requires full team commitment and a focus on communication, building trust, and maintaining balance. Coach Gill shows us that empowerment, rallying after defeat, embracing setbacks, and thriving in high-stress environments are key ingredients to building a culture of excellence.
Chapter five introduces readers to the operating room, where Dr. Katrina Firlik practices neurosurgery and values lifelong learning, teamwork, and self-awareness. Mindfulness moments are essential before major procedures; Dr. Firlik mentally prepares for the most challenging scenarios and relies on countless hours of practice and repetition with her team to achieve an almost mystical level of intuitive mental and physical collaboration. The chapter deeply explores the importance of finding balance, the power of mentoring, succession planning, and teamwork.
Chapter six examines the career of one of the most successful college soccer coaches in sports history, Stanford Women’s Soccer Coach Paul Ratcliffe. Essentially, he identifies and develops leaders in a way that leads to victories. Coach Ratcliffe understands the importance of being a figurehead and finds common ground in his players’ backgrounds to foster greatness from within by creating a culture that harnesses the strengths of each individual and internal influencers. He emphasizes growth, reflection, and future-focused dedication alongside grit, mental toughness, and work ethic. While his win-loss record is impressive, a common theme of balance is clear; leaders must respect their teams’ time to get the best results.
Chapter seven is an interview-style reflection on stoicism from the perspective of Donald Robertson, a subject matter expert on evidence-based psychological skills. Through the interview, readers will learn the importance of goal setting, acknowledging and reframing negativity, broadening focus, and mental acuity. Using the principles of stoicism as a strategy to overcome obstacles is the premise; a winning formula for bringing out the best in oneself to accomplish any challenge.
In the final chapter, readers meet Daniel Lubetzky, the serial entrepreneur and founder of KIND LLC, the company behind the Kind Bar. Inspired to push himself and succeed by his father, who faced great hardships growing up, Lubetzky worked tirelessly with a clear purpose; he understood his mission and never lost sight of it. His leadership style is notable for treating employees not just as owners but as equals, all working toward a shared goal of making the world better through kindness.
The final chapter begins with a relevant quote from Jim Collins, the author of Good to Great. This chapter summarizes many of the highlights throughout the book, such as the importance of creating a mental savings account to draw from in times of need, effective communication, appropriate application of energy, processing information, sharing the learning, being supportive in a leadership capacity, and recognizing that leadership is not a self-fulfilling responsibility but instead an inherent one to develop others. Lastly, the final chapter reminds readers of the importance of finding balance. In conclusion, by focusing on the highlights that the book presents, leaders are better positioned to overcome challenges and make a meaningful difference for many.
Ten insightful quotes from the book
1. On leadership cues: “The simple gaze of a leader on a meeting participant can either encourage or discourage communication.”
2. On communication: “When leaders communicate, they transform their audiences into one body that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
3. On team building: “If you can get somebody who’s a better teammate, better character, more coachable, better learner, and more calm under stress, and you get a collection of those, you get a better team.”
4. On mentoring: “Mentoring is always a two-way exchange.”
5. On handling difficulty: “Sometimes it’s necessary to take a break, step back, and realize that absorbing and evaluating the situation requires time.”
6. On becoming a leader: “Events that unfold over the course of years shape a leader’s character, personality, and modus operandi.”
7. On achievement: “Nobody on our management team or in our playing group ever thinks they’ve made it. If you start to believe that, you’re in a lot of trouble.”
8. On being the best: “The best of the best walk around with a target firmly affixed to their backs. When you’re at the top of whatever your game is, all your competitors know it.”
9. On respect: “You might think that you’re the boss, but if you don’t respect your team members, it’s harder for them to respect you.”
10. On information-sharing: “Strong confident leaders are often those most willing to share and pass on their knowledge.
The wrap-up: why you should read The Leader’s Mind
The Leader’s Mind highlights how leaders recognize the influence of their actions and words on others, one person at a time. The book demonstrates the importance of strong mental skills to handle challenges, overcome setbacks, and maximize their own potential and that of those they lead. It features a diverse group of leaders from various backgrounds, industries, and professions to emphasize a message of effective leadership through tools and best practices from top performers.
I enjoyed the book for numerous reasons. First, reading stories about others’ experiences is a form of learning, especially when the experiences are annotated in a manner that allows readers to understand what the person was going through and how they reflected on it. I found that to be the case in every chapter. Second, there’s a common theme in each story: the inherent responsibility to find balance and to develop others. I appreciate the emphasis placed on these two activities. Lastly, most of the chapters included a series of leadership-reflective questions for readers to consider after a critical learning moment. I found the questions to be insightful and practical, helping to absorb the chapters’ meaning and key takeaways.
So, who is the book for? It’s for both experienced leaders and aspiring ones. If you’re into sports, you’ll appreciate the many stories of sports leadership from Coach Steve Kerr, Nic Gill, and Paul Ratcliffe. If you’re interested in the military and aviation, Captain Tammie Jo Shults’ story will amaze you. If you’re into thrill-seeking, the stories of firefighting in the U.S. Forest Service will definitely catch your attention, and if you’re curious about what it means to work in the operating room, Dr. Firlik’s story will also intrigue you. Lastly, if you want to understand what it truly means to build a corporation on purpose, Daniel Lubetzky’s story will inspire you. But overall, all of these stories are intertwined with common themes of leadership best practices and, to an extent, Stoic principles. I enjoyed this read and recommend it for the leader who is looking for the hidden gems that give a competitive leadership edge.
With that, thanks for reading!
About the book’s author
Dr. Afremow is a Mental Game Coach with the San Francisco Giants baseball organization. He is also the founder of Good to Gold Medal, PLLC, a leading mental training consulting practice. Though his practice is located in Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Afremow provides individual and team mental training services across the globe to athletes, teams, and coaches in all sports, as well as to parents, business professionals, and all others engaged in highly demanding endeavors. He is passionate about helping others achieve peak performance and personal excellence, and reach their full potential.
For over 20 years, Dr. Afremow has assisted numerous high school, collegiate, recreational, and professional athletes. Major sports represented include MLB, NBA, WNBA, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, NHL, and NFL. In addition, he has mentally trained several U.S. and international Olympic competitors. He served as the staff mental coach for two international Olympic teams, the Greek Olympic softball team and India's Olympic field hockey team. From 2004 to 2013, he served as a senior staff member with Counseling Services and Sports Medicine at Arizona State University.
Follow Jim Afremow on LinkedIn
Phil White is an Emmy-nominated writer and the co-author of The 17 Hour Fast with Dr. Frank Merritt, Waterman 2.0 with Dr. Kelly Starrett, Unplugged with Dr. Andy Galpin and Brian Mackenzie, and Game Changer with Fergus Connolly. He is also a frequent contributor to Onnit, Momentous, HANAH, StrongFirst, TrainHeroic, and TrainingPeaks.
Phil lives in Evergreen, Colorado, with his wife and his two sons. When not writing about himself in the third person, he can be found hiking, sipping stout and single malt at Revival Brews, paddleboarding on Evergreen Lake, shooting hoops with his family, or swinging a kettlebell.
Book details:
Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership (November 9, 2021)
ISBN-1400225620
ISBN-13: 978-1400225620
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Reading is one of my passions, and I hope you find this book review insightful! As a leader and educator, I love learning and sharing. With each book I read and summarize, I consider how its content can be applied to teams and organizations, searching for resonant elements such as impactful quotes while discerning who the ideal readers are. I seek opportunities to implement what I’ve learned from each book and share that knowledge to improve myself, my teams, colleagues, peers, and those pursuing personal and professional growth alongside me. I write these reviews partly because I love to read and write, but also to share leadership lessons.
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