Thanks to so many people for posting reviews of Goal Play! on Amazon.  I am deeply appreciative of the comments received.  Here are some excerpts from some people in the health care world:

ICU Doc in Ohio:  In Goal Play!, Paul Levy uses examples from his own professional career and lessons learned as a soccer coach to explore the role of leaders and the culture of high-functioning teams. While the concepts may have been proposed in earlier books, Levy’s approach is straightforward and exceedingly personal – making it a terrific read even for those well-versed in the concepts. He paints a picture of a just organization in which leaders are charged with asking more questions than making decisions. In the context of healthcare, such organization are few and far between. I shared Goal Play! with several colleagues. We all came to the same conclusion: “I would love to work for him.” I suspect Levy would correct us, explaining that we would work WITH him, not FOR him. This shows the gap between the usual structure of healthcare organizations and the ideal. The ideal view provides inspiration and heartens one’s desire to improve the status quo. The current state and the tremendous inertia opposing any change drives the depression one feels at the unrealized potential.

EM Doc:  As a hospital director, I am continually surprised by how many poorly managed healthcare organizations are out there– and how energized hospitals with visible leadership are so rare. Some healthcare companies do well financially, but are miserable, cut-throat and unsupportive. Others seem to lack any sense of mission or purpose. Healthcare is important and requires earnest, thoughtful, pragmatic and uncynical leadership.

Over the course of several chapters, Levy recounts some of the management decisions that made him one of the most renowned hospital CEOs of past decades. These include: an open, inclusive management style; managing a hospital like it was family; the importance of avoiding blame (with attention paid to systems, not just people); the necessity of open communications (Levy was the Great Communicator). He also offers a chapter on forgiveness and the human character. Over the course of the book he continually returns to the soccer field, and notes than most of the management decisions he employed at work were the ones that he learned as a girl’s soccer coach.

This is a timely, important and occasionally profoundly moving book. It is been distributed to all executives and managers at my hospital. It should be on the reading list of any healthcare management program.

Dr. Susan Shaw:  Paul Levy’s new book . . . is a must-read for anybody who wants to learn how to be a more effective leader. You should also buy this book if you are curious about how you might join forces with others to collaborate and improve the culture of your organization. Mr Levy writes from his extensive personal experiences as both a soccer coach and a transformative leader.

This book is easy to read but is by no means light on content. While based on solid academic theory, the lessons in this book are easy to both understand and relate to your own world thanks to Mr Levy’s writing style. Stories, anecdotes, and aphorisms, all told with a personal touch. Highly recommended – I am already rereading it!