Dungy begins his memoir by making sure we know that though football is fun, life is more than football: "The point of this book is not the Super Bowl. In fact, it's not football. Don't get me wrong - football is great. It's provided a living and a passion for me for decades... But football is just a game. It's not family. It's not a way of life. It doesn't provide any sort of intrinsic meaning. It's just football. It lasts for three hours, and when the game is over, it's over" (xiv). For Dungy, winning the Super Bowl is not the ultimate victory. Instead, touching lives, leaving a positive legacy, and changing the world for the better are qualities of a winning life (xv). One of the dominant characteristics of Dungy's leadership is his quiet demeanor. He refuses to lead by fear or intimidation. He treats his team as he would like to be treated. He writes, "'A lot of people say I've got to make you afraid - afraid of being cut, afraid of me. I don't believe that's true.' I have always believed that if you tell people what needs to be done, they will do it - if they believe you and your motives for telling them. I knew these guys would see through manipulation but would respond to motivation. I also told the team that, despite my soft-spoken approach, I would hold each of them accountable" (121-122). His style is not about doing extraordinary things, but doing ordinary things better than others. In one chapter, he reflects on his teenage son's suicide, and how God has used him in other's lives since then: "We live in a lost and hurting world, and God wants us to get beyond ourselves, whether it's to help hurting kids or grieving parents or artistic inmates or striving fathers. I'm not doing anything extraordinary. I'm just trying to do the ordinary things - as directed by God - well" (263). This is an inspiring look at a sincere, godly, patient leader. Great reading at the start of the new NFL year. Go Colts!
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