Lead from the Heart Up, Not the Neck Up

Hello everyone, my name is Claudio Reilsono. I am the Head Baseball Coach at Carnegie Mellon University as well as the General Manger/Professional Baseball Scout for the Global Scouting Bureau. As of this writing, I have been coaching or scouting baseball for 37 years. I am 55 years old which means I started coaching right out of high school at the age of 18. 

I am writing this book as if I am speaking to you. It will come from "The Heart up, not the Neck up" ...How I lead my players/teams. I work in both college baseball and professional baseball. I have coached some of the most amazing and wonderful people. They have played their hearts out for me. Many of them have become friends, some even brothers. I have been asked to be in their weddings, thought enough of to be (sadly) pall bearer for funerals, my players call me to meet their girlfriends and possible wife. They send me pictures of their newborn babies. I have gone golfing, fishing, dinners, watched World Series games with them.

What I will talk about in this book is how I was able to build and maintain a very special relationship with my players. And at the same time, lead them. Does this mean every single player was crazy about me? Of course not. I will mention that as well. But as you will read, many have incredibly positive things to say about me that I will include at the end of the book. I will share stories with you. Some dealing directly with me, or coaches I have worked under, admire or coached against. A lot of times I will not mention a particular school or coach because I am not here to embarrass anyone. I am here to help YOU become a better Coach, a better Leader by being better at developing relationships with your players or employees.