Llewellyn - Commonsense leadership: no nonsense rules for improving your mental game and increasing your teams performance

I met Jack in 1992 when I had been traded from the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Yankees. It is no coincidence my best years in baseball were in New York. Jack helped me change my career and life and helped me realize how my faith could drive me on and off the field.

Paul O'Neill, Former All-Star Outfielder and American League Batting Champion for the New York Yankees

As a corporate executive, I think this book will have a significant impact on young corporate leaders. It fills a void in corporate life.

Mitchell Modell, Modell Sporting Goods Chairman, CEO, and President

As a lawyer and entrepreneur, and having known Jack for many years, I have witnessed his commonsense approach to life and business. He has touched the lives of so many people both professionally and personally. The ideas in this book are very special.

Randall Bentley, Partner, Bentley, Bentley, and Bentley

I have been honored to know Jack for nearly 25 years. I have seen him improve the performances of hundreds of athletes from the ranks of amateurs to the professional elite. During this time he has also mentored me in various aspects of my business life. I cannot count how many times I have walked away from a conversation with Jack, gaining a commonsense solution to a business challenge. The challenges of his clients pale in comparison the Jack's personal challenges with adversity. His commonsense approach to leadership is refreshing, entertaining, and very effective.

Chet Burke, Chairman, Chet Burke Productions

I have worked with Jack since the late 70's on both business and sport projects. As owner of a sport organization which spans 32 countries, I have found an ever increasing lack of commonsense in resolving complex issues. This book has been needed for a very long time. I look forward to making it available to our administrators in all 32 countries.

Donald Ruedlinger, Chairman and CEO Youth Basketball of America

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Copyright 2017 by Jack H. Llewellyn. All rights reserved

Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey
Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data:

Names: Llewellyn, Jack H., author.

Title: Commonsense leadership : no nonsense rules for improving your mental game and increasing your team's performance / Jack H. Llewellyn.

Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2016] | Includes index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2016023029 | ISBN 9781119287827 (cloth) | ISBN 9781119287841 (epub) | ISBN 9781119287834 (epdf)

Subjects: LCSH: Leadership.

Classification: LCC HD57.7 .L5895 2016 | DDC 658.4/092dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016023029

This book presented a major challenge for me. Facing cognitive issues with my multiple sclerosis (MS), I am so appreciative of two friends and colleagues for helping me. With this in mind, I dedicate this book to Danny Gershwin, who transcribed the manuscript. He is a special friend who pushed me to get it done. I also appreciate my loyal friend, Chet Burke, who is always an inspiration to me on all my projects and shares my commonsense perspective toward dealing with both business issues and my personal challenges with MS. My son Tripp was very instrumental in helping me focus every day. I also dedicate the book to my three other children: Hunter, Tate, and Abbott. They helped me keep my focus on commonsense solutions to seemingly complex issues.

Anyone in a leadership role today has likely been exposed to some form of leadership trainingbe that classes, mentors, books, or remote courses. All of those have a place in leadership development. Yet rarely do you find a resource that combines the best of these various types of learning in a truly engaging format. In this book, Dr. Jack Llewellyn does just that. He taps into the critical importance of an individual leader understanding the internal mental game, as well as how that leader can use this to increase team performance.

I've known Dr. Jack for over 15 years. I have come to know him personally and professionally. During that time, he has successfully shared his leadership and life lessons with me, with several of my financial services management and sales teams, and with my wife's pharmaceutical management teams. No matter the industry, he is able to connect very common sense principles to the specific situation of the audience. He continues this connectivity in this latest book.

I met Dr. Jack at a national sales meeting for Prudential Retirement where he was our featured speaker. At the time, I was managing a team of 25 retirement sales professionals. I began using his assets and liabilities approach not only for myself but for our team as well. His research, commentary, and mentorship helped me become a more focused and meaningful leader. My interactions with him, whether at a national sales meeting, individually, or over the phone, are always positive and humorous. There are so many daily challenges that we all face as leaders, and it is so important to remain positiveno matter what the obstacle.

Since we have all read many leadership books, it is important to state that there is a certain magic to how Dr. Jack presents his concepts. He is very skilled at taking common, everyday life examples to illustrate his leadership principles. From his work as a sports psychologist, he overflows with stories of how individuals and teams can thrive when great leaders are present. Basically, he has lived through all of these principles as a life coach. He is expert in helping leaders in any industryfrom sports to corporate boardroomstap into the mental aspect of high performing teams.