Though there are 100 books recommended below, this is not an exhaustive list. In fact, I’ve probably accidentally left some of my favorite books off the list. I apologize to the authors of some of my favorite books if I did that. If you have suggestions for this list, please reach out via Twitter @CoachBechler.
** = Must-read top-10 recommendation!
COACHING
- GENO: In Pursuit of Perfection (Geno Auriemma)
- SUCCESS IS THE ONLY OPTION: The Art of Coaching Extreme Talent (John Calipari)
- COACHING TEAM BASKETBALL (Tom Crean & Ralph Pimm)
- RUNNIN’ THE SHOW: Basketball Leadership for Coaches and Players (Dick DeVenzio)
- CATCH THEM BEING GOOD (Tony DiCicco & Colleen Hacker)
- WHY THE BEST ARE THE BEST: 25 Powerful Words That Impact, Inspire, and Define Champions (Kevin Eastman)
- A SEASON ON THE BRINK (John Feinstein)
- EDUCATION OF A COACH (David Halberstam)
- SACRED HOOPS: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior (Phil Jackson)
- REACH FOR THE SUMMIT (Sally Jenkins)
- FIVE POINT PLAY (Mike Krzyzewski)
- LEADING WITH THE HEART (Mike Krzyzewski)
- THE CONFIDENT ATHLETE: 4 Easy Steps to Build and Maintain Confidence (Tami Matheny)
- BELICHICK: The Making of the Greatest Football Coach of All-Time (Ian O’Connor)
- EVERY MOMENT MATTERS: How the World’s Best Coaches Inspire Their Athletes and Build Championship Teams (John O’Sullivan)
- THE WINNER WITHIN (Pat Riley)
- TO THE HILT: Coaching Character for Life (Kevin Templeton)
- JOE TORRE’S GROUND RULES FOR WINNERS (Joe Torre)
- HOW GOOD DO YOU WANT TO BE (Nick Saban)
- RAISE THE ROOF (Pat Summit)
- BO’S LASTING LESSONS (John U. Bacon & Bo Schembechler)
- **THEY CALL ME COACH (John Wooden)
- PRACTICAL MODERN BASKETBALL (John Wooden)
MODERN-DAY FABLES
- THE BUS TRIP: The Story of a Team, A Challenging Season, and Lessons Learned on a Bus Ride (Jamy Bechler)
- THE GO-GIVER INFLUENCE: A Little Story About a Most Persuasive Idea (Bob Burg)
- THE SECRET: What Great Leaders Know and Do (Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller)
- THE SOUL OF A TEAM: A Modern-Day Fable for Winning Teamwork (Tony Dungy)
- **LEAD…FOR GOD’S SAKE!: A Parable for Finding the Heart of Leadership (Todd Gongwer)
- TRAINING CAMP: What the Best Do Better Than Everyone Else (Jon Gordon)
- THE COFFEE BEAN: A Simple Lesson to Create Positive Change (Jon Gordon)
- **THE ENERGY BUS: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy (Jon Gordon)
- SOUP: A Recipe to Create a Culture of Greatness (Jon Gordon)
- THE ADVANTAGE (Patrick Lencioni)
- THE FIVE DYSFUNCTIONS OF A TEAM: A Leadership Fable (Patrick Lencioni)
CULTURE
- A CIVIL WAR: Army vs. Navy (John Feinstein)
- **YOU WIN IN THE LOCKER ROOM FIRST (Jon Gordon & Mike Smith)
- WAR ROOM: The Legacy of Bill Belichick & the Art of Building the Perfect Team (Michael Holley)
- HOW TO BUILD AND SUSTAIN A CHAMPIONSHIP CULTURE (Jeff Janssen)
- GRIDIRON GENIUS: A Master Class in Building Teams and Winning at the Highest Levels (Michael Lombardi)
- BUILD A CULTURE OF GOOD: Unleash Results by Letting Your Employees Bring Their Soul to Work (Scott Moorehead and Ryan McCarty)
- ANCHOR UP: Competitive Greatness the Grand Valley Way (Tim Selgo)
- THE WINNER’S MANUAL (Jim Tressel)
- THREE AND OUT: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines (John U. Bacon)
- **THE SCORE TAKES CARE OF ITSELF (Bill Walsh)
LIFE & ENTERTAINMENT
- COACH WOODEN AND ME: Our 50 Year Friendship On and Off the Court (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar)
- The Fab Five (Mitch Albom)
- CHOOSING TO SEE: A Journey of Struggle and Hope (Mary Beth Chapman)
- GRIT: The Power of Passion and Perseverance (Angela Duckworth)
- LOVE YOUR LIFE NOT THEIRS: 7 Money Habits for Living the Life You Want (Rachel Cruze)
- RELENTLESS: A Memoir (Julian Edelman)
- BECAUSE OF BURT (Mark Fauser)
- LIVING WITH A SEAL: 31 Days Training with the Toughest Man on the Planet (Jesse Itzler)
- CAN’T HURT ME: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds (David Goggins)
- ONE WORD THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE (Jon Gordon, Dan Britton, and Jimmy Page)
- SHOE DOG: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike (Phil Knight)
- SKIN TO FUR: Takes on Fantasy Sports, Gambling, and Life (Adam Levitan)
- LIVE TO FORGIVE: Moving Forward When Those We Love Hurt Us (Jason Romano)
- WAR AS THEY KNEW IT: Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, and America in a Time of Unrest (Michael Rosenberg)
- REPUBLICANS BUY SNEAKERS TOO: How the Left is Ruining Sports with Politics (Clay Travis)
- 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PEOPLE DON’T DO (Amy Morin)
- START WITH WHY: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Simon Sinek)
- NEVER SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE: Negotiating as if your life depended on it (Chris Voss)
- IT’S CALLED WORK FOR A REASON (Larry Winget)
FAMILY
- THE LENS: Raising a Champion Athlete and Man in Today’s Myopic World (Travis Daugherty)
- HAVE A NEW KID BY FRIDAY: How to Change Your Child’s Attitude, Behavior & Character in 5 Days (Kevin Leman)
- 13 THINGS MENTALLY STRONG PARENTS DON’T DO: Raising Self-Assured Children and Training Their Brains for a Life of Happiness, Meaning, and Success (Amy Morin)
- I PLAYED FOR MY DAD FOR 9 YEARS, AND WE STILL TALK (Josh Templeton)
- COACHING YOUR KIDS TO BE LEADERS (Pat Williams)
BUSINESS
- QUITTER: Closing the Gap Between your Day Job and your Dream Job (Jon Acuff)
- STADIUM STATUS: Taking Your Business to the Big Time (John Brubaker)
- EVERYBODY NEEDS A COACH IN LIFE: Isn’t It Time You Found Yours? (Micheal Burt)
- ZEBRAS & CHEETAHS: Look Different and Stay Agile to Survive the Business Jungle (Michael Burt)
- GOOD TO GREAT (Jim Collins)
- **THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE (Stephen Covey)
- TRIBE OF MENTORS: Short Life Advice from the Best in the World (Tim Ferriss)
- iPOSSIBLE: How to Achieve Success Faster in Whatever You Do: Turning Impossibilities to Possibilities (Benjamin Foo)
- UNSTOPPABLE: 9 Principles for Unlimited Success in Business & Life (Kelly Roach)
- THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich (Timothy Ferris)
- THRIVE: The Third Metric to Redefining Success and Creating a life of Well-Being, Wisdom, and Wonder(Arianna Huffington)
- DIG YOUR WELL BEFORE YOU’RE THIRSTY (Harvey Mackay)
- THE 5-SECOND RULE: Transform your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage (Mel Robbins)
- OPTION B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy (Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant)
- RAISE YOUR GAME: High-Performance Secrets from the Best of the Best (Alan Stein)
- #ASKGARYVEE: One Entrepeneur’s Take on Leadership, Social Media, and Self-Awareness (Gary Vaynerchuk)
LEADERSHIP
- **THE LEADERSHIP PLAYBOOK: Become Your Team’s Most Valuable Leader (Jamy Bechler)
- **HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE (Dale Carnegie)
- THE LEADERSHIP GAP: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness (Lolly Daskal)
- HIDDEN TALENT: Uncovering What Really Makes a Champion a Champion (Travis Daugherty)
- LEADERSHIP IS AN ART (Max De Pree)
- THE LEADERSHIP SECRETS OF COLIN POWELL (Oren Harari)
- TEAM OF RIVALS: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln (Doris Kearns Goodwin)
- THE POWER OF POSITIVE LEADERSHIP: How and Why Positive Leaders Transform Teams and Organizations and Change the World (Jon Gordon)
- TWO FEET FORWARD: Everyday Lessons in Leadership (Heather Macy)
- DEVELOPING THE LEADER WITHIN YOU 2.0 (John C. Maxwell)
- **THE 21 IRREFUTABLE LAWS OF LEADERSHIP (John C. Maxwell)
- THE 360-DEGREE LEADER: Developing Your Influence from Anywhere in the Organization (John C. Maxwell)
- INTENTIONAL LIVING: Choosing a Life That Matters (John C. Maxwell)
- CALLING UP: Discovering Your Journey to Transformational Leadership (J.P. Nerbun)
- THE PARADOX OF POWER (Pat Williams)
- CHARACTER CARVED IN STONE: The 12 Core Virtues of West Point That Builds Leaders and Produce Success (Pat Williams)
- EXTREME OWNERSHIP: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win (Jocko Willink and Leif Babin)