McMaster & Commander

John McMaster's football dream started almost as soon as he could walk. Working his way through the classical, of its day progression of street to school to age-group football, John suddenly got the chance to follow his dream to the far-off oil capital of Europe, Aberdeen. No one could have known at the time, especially during the struggles of his early years away from home, that the making of him would come from a man who had just been sacked by St Mirren but who would go on to become one of the greatest football managers of all time-Sir Alex Ferguson.

John suffered agonies on his way to the top of the game, but he got there with incredible self-discipline and desire and the unwavering support of the Boss. And through it all, John saw first-hand how Sir Alex managed his people and achieved greatness in the game and beyond, fuelled by an unstoppable will to win.

In McMaster and Commander: The Business of Winning, John tells his story from tragedy as a young child through to becoming an integral part of possibly the greatest club side in Europe, if not the world, in the mid-eighties. With his co-authors he examines the methods Sir Alex used, weaving the story through anecdotes from the team's journey from good losers to great winners. But more than that, John builds on the leadership lessons drawn from working with Sir Alex-lessons that have been used to improve leadership and individual performance across some of the biggest businesses in the country. The stories serve as lessons in leadership applicable to any business, sport or self-development, all wrapped up in a unique insight into the working ways of Sir Alex Ferguson.