The Right Call: What Sports Teach Us About Work and Life
by Sally Jenkins
Buy: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Bookshop (Support Independent Bookstores!)
The Net-Net
In The Right Call, Sally Jenkins shares how lessons from sports can help us become better leaders, teammates, and performers in all aspects of life. Leveraging decades of experience as a sports journalist for The Washington Post, Jenkins pulls together examples from a diverse array of sports—from football, to tennis, to basketball, and even chess—to highlight the habits of successful athletes while also warning against common pitfalls that contribute to underperforming. Although the The Right Call‘s key points are conveyed exclusively through sports anecdotes, the book relies heavily on stories of extremely well-known sports figures, making it accessible for all readers.
Top 3 Insights
- The best leaders are dynamic, flexible, and constantly improving. Jenkins spends meaningful time discussing sports figures who have sustained success for multiple decades, such as former Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski, NBA player and coach Steve Kerr, and former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. What shines through from the stories of these legends is their willingness to adapt and adjust in the face of changing times. Great leaders understand that being rigid and dogmatic in one’s approach to a craft will only yield temporary success; success that is resilient against a sport’s dramatic cultural changes (Krzyzewski), persists after a career change (Kerr), or outlives the limitations of one’s body (Brady) is only found by continually exploring and iterating on one’s leadership style over time.
- React to losing with a “spirit of inquiry” (150). Jenkins puts on a pedestal leaders who respond to failure with wonder, curiosity, and thoughtfulness about how they can improve. That doesn’t mean successful sports figures don’t get frustrated after losing or underperforming, but they do uniquely channel that frustration in an effort to ensure mistakes are not repeated. As Jenkins puts it, “great leaders fail with a more organized sense of purpose,” (157) which means they reflect on their shortcomings, seek objective feedback, and respond with well-informed modifications to their behavior. This productive—rather than disjointed—reaction to failure is a key trait of those who achieve sustained success.
- In moments of uncertainty, look to others for inspiration and guidance. Given the book’s premise, it’s no surprise that Jenkins shines a spotlight on sports figures who display a willingness to look beyond themselves—and sometimes beyond sports entirely—when striving for success. Steve Kerr, for example, brought in a Hollywood filmmaker to speak to the Golden State Warriors during a bad slump, and NFL coach Tony Dungy drew from his father’s Air Force-inspired reticence while constructing his own leadership style of “Quiet Strength” (187) en route to a Super Bowl victory. The best leaders, Jenkins argues, are not those who impose their will because of ego, but rather are those who seek the input of others by acting as “searching conversationalists” (109) in moments of indecision.
Actionability
Jenkins’ book equips readers with a sports-inspired mindset with which to approach leadership, problem-solving, and goal-seeking, but The Right Call‘s most substantial takeaways are more attitudinal than tactical. The downside of using sports legends to illustrate the book’s main points is that the qualities embodied by these figures can seem out of reach or unattainable, an obstacle Jenkins doesn’t completely overcome. You’ll finish the book wanting to emulate the world’s greatest athletes and coaches, but a bit unsure of exactly how to get there.
- Incorporate more conversational and collaborative elements into my leadership style.
- React to my next failure more productively—with objectivity, curiosity, and rational behavior modifications.
- Evaluate which elements of my working and leadership style are worth refreshing.
Good Stories
The Right Call is chock full of great stories from sports legends, which lends to the book’s accessibility and appeals to even the most casual sports fans. More serious sports enthusiasts, though, may find some of the book’s anecdotes stale or familiar, as many of the book’s main characters are well-known and have already been well-profiled by others. I began the book hoping to read about myriad untold stories and sports secrets that only a journalist of Jenkins’ caliber could offer up, but finished the book with a lingering disappointment about not having this itch scratched.
- Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr forcing his team to coach themselves after a sluggish start to a game.
- Former NFL head coach Tony Dungy discovering his father Wilbur was a member of the prestigious Tuskegee Airmen only after Wilbur’s death—emblematic of his father’s quiet humility that inspired Dungy’s own coaching style.
- Michael Phelps’ unparalleled preparation for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, where he attempted to break the all-time record for gold medals won in a single Olympics.
Key Quotes
- “A boss who ‘imposes’ decisions, and who blocks out other because of ego or a need to consolidate power, is a lonely and ultimately blinkered, even fearful leader. Good deciders are searching conversationalists, who learn from their associates.” (109)
- “When everything that attaches to an organization is bent to the same thematic end—mission, hierarchy, personalities, vocabulary, daily practices and rituals, even office décor—then you can create the powerful ongoing identity narrative called a ‘winning’ culture.” (136)
- “Game strategists who refuse to experiment will eventually find themselves in a desperate position against faster and more innovative competitors. Playing it safe, ironically, over time, may require ever-greater gambles with higher probabilities of failure.” (157)
- “The very best leaders don’t tell people what to do. They ask them what they want to do together.” (184)
If This Were an MBA Class, it Would Be Called:
From the Outfield to the Office: Applied Athletic Insights for Business Success
Best For:
- Athletes and avid sports fans
- Those feeling out of place during sports discussions at work
- Anyone seeking inspiration while crafting their leadership style
Can’t get enough? Consider:
- Nyad (Netflix) – The story of Diana Nyad, the first and only person to swim the 110 miles from Florida to Cuba without the use of a shark cage. Nyad’s story is featured prominently in The Right Call.
- The David Rubenstein Show: A Conversation with Duke’s Coach K and Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business Distinguished Speaker Series: Mike Krzyzewski
- Eliud Kipchoge at the Oxford Union
Subscribe to our newsletter for weekly book summaries