Synopsis
Leadership is Eddie Jones's reflection on leading high-performance teams in rugby—from Japan and Australia to England and beyond. He writes about building culture, selecting and developing players, dealing with pressure and the media, and the daily habits that create consistency. The book is grounded in his long career and his willingness to challenge convention.
Jones covers the importance of clarity, the role of conflict in improvement, and the need to adapt style to context. He's candid about failures and what he learned from them, and about the personal cost of top-level coaching. The focus is on what leaders do when no one is watching and how that shapes the team.
Why I Recommend It
Sports leadership books can feel generic; Jones's is specific. He talks about actual decisions, conversations, and trade-offs. The parallels to business leadership—building trust, making hard selection calls, sustaining performance under scrutiny—are clear without being forced. For anyone leading in a high-stakes, high-visibility environment, there's practical insight.
Key takeaways:
- Clarity of purpose: Everyone must understand what we're here to do and what good looks like
- Challenge and support: High standards require both pressure and care; one without the other fails
- Continuous learning: Even at the top, the best leaders stay curious and adapt
Practical application: I've recommended it to leaders in fast-moving, competitive contexts. The sections on handling criticism and on building resilience in teams translate well. The emphasis on preparation and detail—"train like you play"—resonates with engineering and product work where consistency under pressure matters.
A sharp, readable take on leadership from someone who has done it at the highest level.
Favourite Quote
"Leadership is about making people better than they thought they could be. It's not about you—it's about them."
Jones keeps returning to the idea that the leader's job is to elevate others. Ego and credit matter less than the growth and performance of the team.