The title of Coach Michael Burt’s book, “The Anatomy of Winning,” could not be more perfect for the points made in the book. Everyone has within them the anatomy to be the best; it is a matter of rewiring yourself to win.
“One of the questions I ask in the book is, how do you build a culture on making people better?” said leadership expert, former Riverdale High girls basketball coach and author Michael Burt. “I have applied this with the sports and business worlds and this book is to share that experience.”
Burt teamed up with MTSU’s womens basketball coach Rick Insell to write this how-to book about building a culture that wins through seven key components. The two men took what they learned on the court, about molding a team to win, and then wrote about how to apply it to any life situation.
“Once you have people on your team, you then help them grow,” Burt said. “There is good growth and there is bad growth and what’s important is encouraging and helping those on your team grow in a positive way. You have to invest in training to help people get better and keep the drive to learn going.”
Without giving away everything the book teaches, Burt and Insell go into the seven components that consist of the dream, the leader/leaders, the blueprint, the systems, the journey and the mindset. Each step builds one on top of the other to complete building a winning culture.
Burt was the girls basketball coach at Riverdale High School for 12 years, giving the school seven consecutive 20-plus win seasons. He retired in the spring of 2008 to pursue a different career path in business. Burt wanted to apply what he had learned as a coach and take it to businesses that sought to change into a winning team themselves. He has been hired by companies in Middle Tennessee to do just that. It took Burt a year and a half to complete “Anatomy,” his fourth book.
Insell became a household name for high school basketball when he was head coach for Shelbyville High School. He led Shelbyville to 10 TSSAA championships and 2 USA Today National Championships. He was named USA Today National High School Coach of the Year in 1989 and 1991. Since becoming head coach of womens basketball at MTSU, the team has been led to multiple consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament and increased the popularity of the womens basketball team.
Burt joined Insell on the road with the Lady Raiders while making notes for the book. Together the two men have accomplished many championships and built foundations for lasting winning teams.
“You can never stop learning in order to keep winning,” Burt said. “It is important to keep challenging yourself and keep the dominant focus on bettering yourself.”
For more information on “The Anatomy of Winning,” visit anatomyofwinning.com.
