Battles in the Trenches, Perry Rettig’s newest book on leadership, motivation, and organization, engages us in a distinctively different, novel approach. He breaks rank from the plethora of traditional leadership books sitting on my office shelves, comparing and contrasting historical theoretical underpinnings of higher education leadership with the perspectives of athletes and coaches collected from hours of personal interviews. The result is a fascinating analysis of theory and practice across two seemingly disparate worlds, handing us a reflective opportunity to reconsider leadership and management in the post-pandemic, technologically transformed educational world we now inherit. Only Perry can give us a book that is intellectually sound and fun to read!

Martin Tadlock, Regional Chancellor, University of South Florida, St. Petersburg

Rettig and Sims score big with Battles in the Trenches. The stories of elite coaches and athletes paint a poignant portrait for the juxtaposition of theory and practice provided by the authors. Rettig's Congruency Model pulls the full Leadership dynamic together into a coherent body for leaders in K-12, higher education, and even corporate America.

Mai Yia Change, deputy superintendent of academics, Noble Academy, Minneapolis, MN