By Dr. Harry Tennant
Saturday, November 27, 2010 Coach Wooden's Pyramid of SuccessAlthough 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.
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. |