Legacy: What the All Blacks Can Teach Us about the Business of Life

This is a brilliant read. Its easy to pick up and read and then dip back into. Management models and practices are included though for me it was the All Blacks as a team that drew me to the book. It gives wonderful insight to a team that has been and continues to be at the top of the sport. It also offers so much more on the country the team is grounded in and the heritage of the team. At times this is not just about sport, more about embodied leadership or purpose and masterful action. I have already shared some of the thoughts and practices this team have applied with many clients. How many corporate teams live by 'sweeping the shed' ? I think Jim Collins might well have included some practice in his brilliant book 'Good to Great' to remind leaders and their teams to find ways not only to talk about humility, but put it into practice. So many things stood out for me though perhaps most was how different a sports team is to a corporate team. Not everyone in a corporate environment has chosen to be the best they can be, or set out to be role models for the youth of the country and yet the essence of the messages from the All Blacks and James Kerr's attentiveness to capturing the experiences makes this a great book. If you buy it on kindle you miss out on the physically picking up the book. It even has a quality feel to the cover.

This book was recommended to me when I was on a football coaching course. The tutor used it as an example to stress the importance of the collective mentality needed to succeed at the highest level and how the development of a culture that has been cultivated over time is deep rooted in success. It is a fascinating read and one from a coaching perspective encapsulates what top level sporting success looks like - it is more than just about talented individual parts and the All Blacks owe their success to a far greater appreciation and application of what team work, ethics, morals and the collective desire requires. Interviews and quotes throughout the book help hugely paint the picture with the overriding message being that passing these superstars of the game know they have a limited time wearing the iconic all black shirt and that what went before and comes after is their responsibility. A truly incredible mindset and beautifully captured by the author. A powrful book that is highly recommended. There are lessons here beyond sport too...

I was initially disappointed with Legacy because I think it was not what I expected. I expected an immersion in the world of the All Blacks rugby from an insider perspective. I quickly realised this is a voyeur's perspective. It is the outside perspective of some who is passionate about leadership and uses the All Blacks as one of his case studies. So I felt just a little conned by the book's title and its good cover. Having said that, James Kerr is a great writer and knows his stuff on leadership so I found the book got better and better with each chapter. I took some good learning from it and it is an enjoyable read.

This book was recommended to me by a fellow CEO, particularly in light of the agreement the All Blacks made with themselves that nobody else cleans up after them as a team. Regardless of your interest in sport or in rugby, this is a book well worth reading. In their pursuit of consistently outstanding performance, the All-Blacks and their coaches have come up with an approach that demands the highest of standards, that roots the people on the team in a clear continuum of history, culture, space and time, yet which values and supports each of the people that make the grade as people as much as players. It is a belief and values system that does not distinguish between life off the pitch and life on the pitch. Players are people - and as such they need to be treated as such, and challenged as such. While I am not sure if each of the 15 rules or insights is totally distinct from all the rest, they do make sense once you understand this overall context.

Absolutely glued to this book. Such a brilliant and useful read for anyone but obviously managers and leaders. I work with leaders and the concept of this book is the difference that is often missing in businesses. The depth that the All Blacks go to so they are the best is incredible.

As a millennial who grew up during the epicurean capitalist epoch of the 90s and 00s, the financial crisis was probably the beginning of a shift in a deeply embedded belief that more is always better. I've read a lot of books on personal development, business and leadership and have to say that this is certainly one of the best and really any person at any stage of life could benefit from reading it. I think it's especially important for my generation because, speaking personally, I believe that the root cause of 'inequality' popularised by the left leaning media is largely the outcome of different mind sets. I can already see a divergence with my peers - those studying and working hard, who will no doubt enjoy successful careers and as a likely consequence successful lives. And there are others who expect everything today, right now and are unwilling to work towards anything. The future certainly belongs to the former and this book encapsulates the reason why.

This started off really brilliantly - he has a truly compelling writing style, builds up a great tension and tells a great story. But it soon became just a bit too simplistic with too much emphasis on big statements without a lot of substance. For example, in the chapter on Authenticity when quoting one of the team's mental skills coaches - 'development of the self is hugely powerful to performance'. That just seems like common sense. But there was little on how All Blacks do this. The book relies heavily on snippets from other books (no bad thing) but just drops in ideas from them without saying how the team used them. Yes we all know a sense of purpose is vital (quoting Dan Pink's book 'Drive' but HOW do the All Blacks maintain that sense of purpose day in day out so we can learn from them in this book? I think this book is great for busy leaders who want to a boost to their mojo. I'm sure it will inspire many to go deeper by reading more about the subjects it touches on. But this book itself won't go deep nor really guide anyone with more than headlines and soundbites on how to build a world class team.

Enjoyed the concepts & methods shared