The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football

The Art of Winning: Lessons from My Life in Football

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “Coach Belichick brought out the best in me. His book will do the same for you.” —Tom Brady • “This book shares the valuable lessons about excellence and leadership that Coach Belichick has learned.” —Michael Jordan • “Powerful, insightful, and remarkably personal, The Art of Winning is a playbook for life.” —Admiral William H. McRaven, US Navy (Retired) • “Invaluable for anyone trying to succeed in any aspect of life. I urge you to read this book.” —Ray Dalio • “A remarkable deep dive into the mind of a champion.” —Nick Saban Winning isn’t a science. It’s an art. And it can be learned. No one embodies winning more than Bill Belichick, the greatest football coach of all time. Over the past fifty years, Belichick has been a man of notoriously few words, believing that a coach should keep a low profile. After he left the Patriots in 2024, he briefly became a coach without a team. He spent that year writing down the principles he learned from his father, Navy football, and from his forty-nine-year coaching career. Belichick’s philosophy goes far beyond football. He presents a whole-year, whole-life, whole-mindset approach to greatness that encompasses preparation, motivation, confidence, and leadership. The principles in this book are adaptable to wherever you work. No matter where you are on the ladder, they will help you think like a leader in anticipation of being one. Drawing on decades of studying the greats of the game, handling colorful personalities and egos, and playing for the highest stakes in sports, Belichick shares memorable examples and practical takeaways from his lived experience. Winning is not about being perfect—it’s about growth. And you will improve only as much as you recognize where you’re weak. Belichick owns up to mistakes like deciding to go for it on 4th and 13 in the 2008 Super Bowl. Then he breaks down how to learn from your mistakes like a leader does—an approach that sustained him throughout his early career challenges and ultimately brought him to the top of the sport. Belichick’s principles might surprise you at times. At other times, they might seem strangely obvious. (His rule for how to win football games? Score the most points.) Football is about strategy, human nature, and business. Your vision of success might involve breaking into a new, competitive market in your industry; seeing solid returns on a portfolio that you’ve carefully prepared; inspiring your students to earn the highest scores in the district; or raising up trainees to take over your job someday. Whatever the situation, your performance is up to you. Practical, authoritative, and bursting with unforgettable inside stories, The Art of Winning is an indispensable guide to success from the greatest coach in NFL history. “Interesting and revealing. It’s largely a book about emotion. About emotional intelligence. About connection. About how a leader should treat people. . . . What has made Belichick successful, and fascinating, is that underneath that severed-sleeved hoodie is someone with a deep and diabolically genius understanding of the human condition. . . . There are chapters on how to motivate people. How to prepare, improve, how to move on, and how to handle success. How to balance long-term strategy against short-term necessities. But classic Belichick, he spends more time on his mistakes than his historic successes.” —Seth Wickersham, ESPN “Genuinely intriguing . . . An enjoyable, breezy read, with fascinating insight . . . Will satiate not just Patriots fans, but anyone who follows the NFL or appreciates the inner workings of leadership at the highest levels.” —Ben Volin, The Boston Globe “The principles that made Bill Belichick one of the greatest coaches in pro football history are invaluable for anyone trying to succeed in any aspect of life. I urge you to read his book.” —Ray Dalio, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Principles “Powerful, insightful, and remarkably personal, Bill Belichick’s The Art of Winning is a playbook for life. Whether you are a barista, a coach, a parent, or a CEO, this book will give you all the tools you need to be successful. Every leader should read this book—and read it now.” —Admiral William H. McRaven, U.S. Navy (Retired), #1 New York Times bestselling author of Make Your Bed “Bill Belichick’s legendary career spans nearly half of the NFL’s existence, and for the first time in The Art of Winning he takes readers deep inside the philosophies that made history.” —Roger Goodell “Bill Belichick may be famous for football, but the incisive and profound leadership lessons in his book are for anyone who wants to understand what it takes to win—in business and in life. He’s right. Winning is an art. But Bill turns it into an art anyone can learn, just by diving into these bold and unflinching pages of universal advice and guidance.” —Suzy Welch, NYU Business Professor and bes