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By Dr. Harry Tennant

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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success

Although John Wooden thought of himself as a teacher, as the head basketball coach at UCLA, he was the winningest coach in college basketball. Yet, he never mentioned winning to his players.

Winning is something you don't have control over, but you do have control over yourself. Coach Wooden defined success this way:

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.

He emphasized to his players that success is the result of a set of habits which he called the Pyramid of Success as shown below.

Coach Wooden's
Pyramid of Success

Competitive Greatness
Be at your best when your best is needed
   
Poise
Just being yourself
Confidence
Comes from being prepared and keeping proper perspective
     
Condition
Mental, Moral, Physical.
Moderation must be practiced
Skill
A knowledge of and the ability to execute the fundamentals
Team Spirit
An eagerness to sacrifice personal interest for the wellfare of all
   
Self Control
Practice self-discipline and keep emotions under control
Alertness
Be observant and eager to learn and improve
Initiative
Don't be afraid of failure but learn from it
Intentness
Being determined and persistent
 
Industriousness
There is no substitute for work
Friendship
Requires a joint effort
Loyalty
To yourself and all those depending on you
Cooperation
Be interested in finding the best way, not in having your own way
Enthusiasm
You must truly enjoy what you're doing

I highly recommend his book, Wooden on Leadership. Despite its title, it's not just a book about business leadership and despite its author, it's not a book about sports. It's a book about the habits of character that lead to success: doing the best of which you're capable. It's a great message to pass on to students as well as great advice on how to set an example for the students and staff you work with.

Posted at 8:42 PM Keywords: success 3 Comments

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