Bill Campbell was an extraordinary coach. His experience coaching Columbia’s football team clearly influenced his approach to business. But this book isn’t really about Campbell’s coaching style. He cursed a lot, he gave good hugs, and he was a good listener: those are the memorable aspects of Campbell as a coach.
The book is really about the power of networks; Campbell had the good fortune of being connected to the right people at the beginning of Silicon Valley’s meteoric rise. His connections led to relationships with Steve Jobs, Larry Page, Sergey Brin, Eric Schmidt, Marissa Mayer, Sheryl Sandberg, and more. So, the takeaway: be a great coach, but make sure you have the right friends.