Böcker av Bill George

The ultimate underdog story of a swim coach who could not swim, a swim club that accepted minorities when others would not, and a group of young swimmers who became Olympic champions.Before the United States was the swimming power it is today, a novice coach named Sherm Chavoor formed a swim club that accepted all swimmers-no matter their religion, race, or social status-and started a dynasty. Following Chavoor's intense and unorthodox coaching methods, his young swimmers quickly began dominating competitions across northern California-and then the world.In Victory in the Pool: How a Maverick Coach Upended Society and Led a Group of Young Swimmers to Olympic Glory, Bill George tells the inspiring story of Sherm Chavoor and his dedicated athletes who rose from obscurity to win twenty Olympic gold medals during the 1960s and '70s. They triumphed in two of the most tumultuous and dangerous Olympic Games ever held, the 1968 Mexico City Games and the 1972 Munich Games marred by the terrorist attack that killed eleven Israeli athletes. Mark Spitz and Debbie Meyer were the two most prominent members of the team, but they were challenged every step of the way by teammates and fellow Olympians Sue Pedersen, Mike Burton, John Ferris, Jeff Float, and more.Featuring exclusive interviews with the athletes and with Sherm Chavoor before he passed away, Victory in the Pool delivers an inside look at this unparalleled time in Olympic history. But more than that, it is the story of young people overcoming incredible odds-often in the face of insults and bigotry and under the intense glare of the spotlight-and coming out triumphant.

The challenges we face these days are so great that we cannot rely entirely on ourselves, our communities, or our organizations to support us and help us stay on track. We need a small group of people with whom we can have in - depth discussions and share intimately about the most important things in our lives - our happiness and sadness, our hopes and fears, our beliefs and convictions. For the past thirty - five years, Bill George and Doug Baker have found the answer in what they call True North Groups. ''At various times,'' George and Baker write, ''a True North Group will function as a nurturer, a grounding rod, a truth teller, and a mirror. At other times the group functions as a challenger or an inspirer. When people are wracked with self - doubts, it helps build their courage and ability to cope.'' Drawing on recent research in psychology and sociology, George and Baker explain why True North Groups are so critical to helping us develop the self - awareness, compassion, emotional intelligence, and authenticity required to be inspired human beings and inspiring leaders. They cover every detail from choosing members, establishing norms, and dealing with conflicts to evaluating progress and deciding when it's time to restructure. True North Groups provides a wealth of practical resources, including suggested topics for the first twelve meetings, advice on facilitating groups, techniques to evaluate group satisfaction, and much more. For the millions of people who are searching for greater meaning and intimacy in their lives, this book will help them to grow as leaders and as people - and to stay on course to their True North.

Navigating life's challenges on your own isn't just lonely, it is also counterproductive to personal growth and development. Whether you are looking to develop your leadership skills or to grow as a person, you need long-term feedback, support, and encouragement. For the past thirty-five years Bill George and Doug Baker have found this in what they call a True North Group, a small, diverse collection of individuals who meet on a regular basis to explore their lives and develop their self-awareness, self-compassion, authenticity, and EQ. Unlike a typical affinity group such as a book club or prayer group, the purpose of True North groups is to help its members succeed in their work and in their lives by providing a consistent environment in which personal development is not just possible, but the aim. In this desperately needed new book George and Baker have uncovered a new secret to success in work and life. They demonstrate why these small groups are the vital link to both leadership and personal development, and adapting an established five-stage team-building format, show exactly how to form a new group or transform an existing group into a True North Group. They provide a wealth of practical resources, including advice on selecting members, suggested topics for the first twelve meetings, techniques to evaluate group satisfaction, and much more. For the millions of people who are searching for greater meaning and intimacy in their lives, this book will help them to grow as leaders and as human beings and to stay on course to their True North.