Let them lead : unexpected lessons in leadership from America's worst high school hockey team / John U. Bacon.

Includes index.

First year: changing the culture. When you're on the floor, you can't fall out of bed -- Be patient with results, not behavior -- Learning how to count -- Make sure you're the dumbest guy in the room -- Reduce your rules, but make them stick -- Second year: building trust. Let them surprise you -- You can't motivate people you don't know -- I work hard for you, you work hard for me -- Listen to their problems now, or you'll get more later -- Third year: giving control. Make peer pressure work for you -- The more power you give, the more power you get -- All credit goes to your people, not you -- Epilogue: Coach Lapper.

"When John U. Bacon played for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. Yet somehow, years later he found himself leading his alma mater's downtrodden program. How bad? The team hadn't won a game in over a year, making them the nation's worst squad-a fact they celebrated. With almost everyone expecting more failure, Bacon made it special to play for Huron by making it hard, which inspired the players to excel. Then he defied conventional wisdom again by putting the players in charge of team discipline, goal-setting, and even decision-making--and it worked. In just three seasons the River Rats bypassed 95-percent of the nation's teams. A true story filled with unforgettable characters, stories, and lessons that apply to organizations everywhere, Let Them Lead includes the leader's mistakes and the reactions of the players, who have since achieved great success as leaders themselves." --book jacket.