When you hurt yourself, you hurt your team. Being in good mental and moral Condition is crucial to strong leadership. It starts with good physical Condition, because a leader lacking it is less likely to summon the strength to stand up and fight for beliefs, ideals, and standards. You may have observed how those who weaken themselves physically often fall prey to an assortment of lapses in the area of good judgment. Imbalance in one or the other creates vulnerability in both. Physical fitness is crucial.
So is mental and moral fitness. The Heart of the Pyramid is essential to being a consistently effective and productive leader. SKILL Fundamentals for Coach Lambert meant having a comprehensive knowledge of the Xs and Os and physical mechanics of basketball— where to go and when to go there, how to shoot correctly, and more. Thus, Skill is at the heart of the Pyramid. You must know all facets of your job—not just parts of it—and be able to execute quickly and correctly. Being prepared to do all that your job requires will quickly separate you and your organization from much of the competition.
I saw many coaches who could teach offense but who were limited in their knowledge of defense. Whether in basketball or business, you must be able to perform all aspects of your job, not just part of it. The range of skills necessary for leadership, of course, differs from job to job and organization to organization. Those skills required to manage a small business differ from those needed to lead a Fortune company, just as skills needed for coaching basketball differ from those necessary for coaching baseball.
But regardless of the specific skills required in a profession, you must master all of them. Unless the leader communicates this up and down the line—and puts mechanisms in place to ensure it gets done—your team will not be at percent in its performance level.
The best leaders are lifelong learners; they take measures to create organizations that foster and inspire learning throughout. I recognized this fact quickly when I began my career as a basketball coach.
While I understood the fundamentals necessary for playing the game, I had little understanding of the second part of my job, namely, the ability to teach the fundamentals of basketball. Once I recognized this, I set out on a journey to educate myself to become a better teacher. That, in turn, made me a better leader. I wanted to be able both to get open and to shoot. I wanted my skills to be as complete as possible. Coach Lambert called it unity, a good word, but I wanted a more expressive description of this valuable quality so directly The Heart of the Pyramid linked to the success of an organization.
Teamwork is an obvious choice of words, but it suggested to me a cold efficiency in performance, something akin to a well-oiled machine, everybody doing his or her job correctly. Of course, there is nothing wrong with everybody doing his or her job correctly, but I sought something more. I wanted a powerful and efficient machine, but one that also had heart and soul.
The words I chose to describe the presence of this powerful block are Team Spirit. Nevertheless, I left the description in place for several years. When it came to Team Spirit, willingness was not enough; eagerness was the exact description of what I sought in myself and in those I coached.
A willingness to be selfless suggests a begrudging aspect of doing what is required for the team. I wanted each player to be eager to sacrifice personal interests for the good of the group. To me, there is all the difference in the world between willingness and eagerness.
Thus, I changed that single word in the definition. Members of such an organization are unselfish, considerate, and put the goals of the organization above their own, even at the expense of their own personal desires.
When this happens—and the leader is the one who makes it happen—the result is almost magical. It is so because it creates a deep desire on the part of each individual to do everything within his or her power to improve and strengthen the organization.
Team Spirit has the potential to increase the productivity of your organization exponentially: Your team becomes greater than the sum of its players; the organization greater than the number of employees on its payroll. Each individual revels in the glory of the group rather than the glory of the individual. Team Spirit was difficult to teach when I was coaching, perhaps even more so today, although I doubt it.
Television has made actors—stars—out of many players, coaches, officials, and referees. In similar fashion, in recent years some CEOs have become media personalities whose own star, they seem to believe, shines brighter than the organizations they lead. Finding the right players who put the interests of the team ahead of their own involves probing for the qualities discussed in this and the previous two chapters.
It also requires finding mature individuals who understand that what helps the organization ultimately helps them. The Heart of the Pyramid There is only one star that counts: the team. Any organization whose leader seeks stardom at the expense of the team is one I would not want to join, regardless of the paycheck.
That attitude goes against everything I believe about effective leadership and great teams. The presence of such an individual weakens the team and makes it vulnerable during competition to a disciplined group filled with Team Spirit. Each has a unique purpose, and there is logic behind its position in the pyramid.
Industriousness and Enthusiasm make up the foundation; they must be present at the outset, or nothing will be accomplished. They power all that follows. To them we must add the qualities of the heart—Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation—which allow you to create a powerful and honest bond with those in your organization. Have the courage to offer them, and they will, in turn, be offered back. Considered in isolation, this third tier of values constitutes a remarkable set of personal assets.
Now, something quite powerful is about to occur. Each of these 12 blocks is necessary, in my opinion, for leaders and organizations to excel, to become extraordinary. However, these qualities do not come easily. Great results come only with great effort. The Pyramid of Success is no exception. However, when you have given your best to assemble these three tiers, they will, in turn, give something significant back to you: a rich and rewarding harvest, one that will take you and your organization the rest of the way.
POISE I define poise as being true to oneself, not getting rattled, thrown off, or unbalanced regardless of the circumstance or situation. Leaders when all about you lacking Poise panic under pressure. Are losing theirs and Poise means holding fast to your beliefs blaming it on you.
Kipling less of how bad or good the situation may be. Poise means having a brave heart in all circumstances. The competitive environment increasingly challenges your composure and equanimity as the stakes increase and the challenges to you and your organization mount.
Few characteristics are more valuable to a leader than Poise, especially when she or he is under pressure. How do you acquire Poise? Poise acquires you. It is part of the harvest you reap near the top of the Pyramid.
In spending many years thinking about the requirements necessary for success, I was eventually startled to see that when an individual acquires and implements the first 12 hard-won blocks of the Pyramid, a fourth tier arrives unexpectedly and without fanfare.
Suddenly it is there, part of you and your leadership style and substance: Poise. In effect, Poise is a powerful gift from the Pyramid of Success. And, where you find Poise you will also find its valuable companion, which I placed next to it near the top of the Pyramid.
Real abiding Confidence, like Poise, is earned only by tenaciously pursuing and attaining those assets that allow you to reach your own level of competency—the potential you have within. For me, those assets are contained and provided by the Pyramid of Success.
Arrogance, or elitism, is the feeling of superiority that fosters the assumption that past success will be repeated without the same hard effort that brought it about in the first place. Thus, I have never gone into a game assuming victory. All opponents have been respected, none feared. I taught those under my supervision to do the same. In fact, the quality of our opponent had nothing to do with my own Confidence.
The other team was not part of my equation. Rather, I drew strength, Confidence, from the sure knowledge that I had done all things possible to prepare myself and our team to perform at our highest level in competition. The opponent might perform at a higher level—or not. Success requires Poise and Confidence.
They come with proper preparation. Acquiring the personal characteristics and values of the Pyramid, I believe, constitutes proper preparation. When you have made the effort to prepare to the fullest extent of your ability—and do not underestimate the great challenge of proper and complete preparation—you will reap the crowning block of the Pyramid of Success.
They have done so because only in that supreme effort is there an opportunity to summon your best, The Heart of the Pyramid a personal greatness that cannot be diminished, dismissed, or derided because of a final score or bottom line.
Competitive Greatness is not defined by victory nor denied by defeat. At the exact moment when the going gets tough, the thrill of competition gets going for a leader who has acquired Competitive Greatness. I believe this is one of the most crucial concepts you can convey to those within the organization, namely, a love for the hard bat- 53 54 Wooden on Leadership tle, and the test it provides against a worthy opponent.
The hard struggle is to be welcomed, never feared. In fact, when you define success this way, the only thing to fear is your own unwillingness to make the full, percent effort to prepare and perform at the highest level of your ability. A leader who is a Great Competitor teaches the organization the same thing.
When you have achieved Competitive Greatness, you have arrived at the top, prepared to bring out your best in yourself and your team. You are ready for whatever the battle brings. And where the barriers my wait, built up by the opposing Gods, He finds a thrill in bucking fate and riding down the endless odds.
Where others wither in the fire or fall below some raw mishap, Where others lag behind or tire and break beneath the handicap. He finds a new and deeper thrill to take him on the uphill spin, Because the test is greater still, and something he can revel in. The struggle itself, the test, is what gives value to the prize and is something the competitive leader truly revels in.
It is your responsibility to pass this on to those under your leadership. Thus, I added mortar at the top of the Pyramid in the form of Patience and Faith. At the apex they are symbolic and remind us that these two qualities must be present throughout the Pyramid, holding the blocks and tiers firmly in place. A leader must have Faith that things will work out as they should—a boundless belief in the future.
A wise leader also knows that accomplishing important things takes time. If difficult goals could be achieved quickly, more people would be achievers. But, most people, and many leaders, lack real Patience. With that as your standard you will not fail. The 15 personal qualities, these durable blocks of the Pyramid, if embraced and acted upon, will elevate you and your organization to success.
SUCCESS As a teacher, coach, and leader, my goal was always to help those under my leadership reach the ultimate level of their competency, 55 56 Wooden on Leadership both individually and as productive memwhich is a direct result of selfbers of our team. Success is my subject matter.
Only you can answer that question now and in the future. Am I a Success? I believe I am, but not because of any final scores, titles, or championships.
Instead, define yourself and those you lead by the qualities and characteristics of the Pyramid and its definition of Competitive Greatness and Success. The Heart of the Pyramid me. Furthermore, my success comes not from championships, but the knowledge that I did everything possible to be the best teacher, coach, and leader I was capable of being. The quality of that effort is where I found—and continue to find—success. Throughout my career I did not allow others to make me adopt their standard, their definition of what constitutes success.
That is the standard I have applied for most of my professional life, in preparing myself and others for competition, over many years of teaching, coaching, and leadership.
Did I succeed? Today, when I look back over those decades, I can hold my head high just like I wanted our players to do when they walked off the court after a game or practice. For me the foundation of my own leadership—who I am—is contained in the Pyramid of Success. The teams that compete at the highest level love the thrill of the contest. They may have winning in their heads, but they have a love for the effort and struggle in their hearts.
A strong leader inspires teams to relish the competition itself and view the outcome as a byproduct—an important by-product, yes, but still a by-product. This is why conditioning—physical, mental, and moral—is so important. A leader must impress upon his or her team the paramount importance of ownership and personal accountability.
Only you, the leader can and should define the finish line—Success. Others will attempt to force their definition upon you. Define it properly, and Success along with Competitive Greatness will belong to you and your team. No team will consistently succeed unless the leader is able to achieve this critical goal.
I was a good free throw shooter back then, and at one point over a period of many, many games sank in a row. When I sank the one-hundredth free throw, Mr. Kautsky asked the officials to stop the game momentarily. Then he walked out onto the court and announced to the crowd that he was rewarding me for making straight free throws with a brand new one hundred dollar bill. Of course, the crowd loved it and so did Nellie Wooden, who was soon holding the money for safekeeping. Keep in mind that Mr.
Kautsky had no obligation to pay me anything extra for making or 1, straight free throws. It was not part of our agreement, nor did I expect even an extra penny for doing my job as best I could. A couple of years later I started the season playing for another team because it was based closer to home.
Early in the season we were scheduled to play in Cleveland, and at the last minute I decided to drive there with a teammate who needed a ride. Unfortunately, we got caught in a blizzard along the way and were slowed down to about 10 miles an hour on a narrow highway caked with ice and snow.
After a few hours of torturous driving I stopped at a filling station to call our team owner in Cleveland to explain our predicament and let him know that we might be late for the game. We both suited up quickly, and when the game resumed I was on the court, played well, and helped our team come out on top.
Afterward, I showered and went in to collect my pay from the owner, who, thanks to the victory, was wearing a big smile on his face. We needed you in the game to win. My friend and I had risked our lives driving through that snowstorm for him, and I had then helped his team secure victory.
But, as I learned when he handed me the money, all this meant very little to him; it meant a lot to me. His values were not my values. Otherwise, I was heading home. There was some hesitation, but he realized that he needed me on court the following day because they expected a full house and a boisterous crowd. The owner paid up even though it was clear to me he did it grudgingly. After the game I resigned and signed up again with the Kautskys, a team run by a leader with a decent set of values, someone I respected and who respected me and what I was willing to give to his team, namely, everything I had.
What happened in Cleveland taught me a good lesson. I saw how character—doing the right thing—is fundamental to successful leadership. It became more and more apparent over the years of my own coaching, including for UCLA. He was, however, in my opinion, the most valuable player in the history of the college game.
During his three years on the varsity team, the Bruins won three consecutive NCAA championships and 88 of the 90 games on our schedule. Nevertheless, he scored 31 points, with 21 rebounds against the NCAA national basketball champions.
His presence obviously had a profound, positive, and lasting impact on our program. But before it did, something had a profound impact on Lewis. He was also an outstanding student who came from a good home.
Col- Good Values Attract Good People leges and universities nationwide courted him with such abandon, lavishing praise and promises on the gifted seven-foot two-inch student-athlete, that, at times, it perhaps bordered on the embarrassing. However, Abe Lemons, the great Oklahoma basketball coach, told me later he would never have Lewis on his team after what the young man said to him when offered a scholarship. Throughout my career I had a policy of doing virtually no off-campus recruiting of student-athletes.
In those rare instances when I did visit a young man and his family at their home—perhaps 10 or 12 over a period of 29 years as a college coach—it had to be preceded by an inquiry directly from them or someone speaking on their behalf. I would not make the first move to meet a prospective student, and Lewis was no exception. I believe my policy, in effect, helped keep things in perspective for the young man. If any selling was going to be done, I preferred to have the young athletes try and sell me something; let them take the initiative, reach out and contact us.
That would serve as a good indication they had a strong desire to come to UCLA and be a part of our team. My policy of not contacting players had its downside, of course, but one with which I was willing to live. Before I talked to an individual about joining us, I first wanted to see evidence of his desire to be a part of the Bruins.
The last thing you want is people in your organization who had to be talked into being there, who needed convincing that your team was worthy of them. Recruiting should be a two-way street. While I would have been interested in having either, or both, of them join us at UCLA, I was not contacted by them or by anyone speaking on their behalf.
Subsequently, Wilt attended Kansas, and Bill went to the University of San Francisco, where he led the team to victory against us in the NCAA regionals on their way to a second consecutive national championship. Coach Donahue went on to say that his young student-athlete had narrowed the list of colleges he was considering down to five.
UCLA was on his short list. I agreed. At the clinic, Coach Donahue asked a few questions about our program at UCLA and told me about Lewis—his family, academic achievements, attitude, work ethic, ability to get along with team members, and more.
Coach Donahue said he would pass my request along to Lewis and his family. During his trip to our campus—even though it rained the whole time—Lewis realized that we had much to offer, including a new sports facility, Pauley Pavilion. Nevertheless, other schools had good basketball programs and excellent facilities. In other words, he had a number of alternatives—many fine schools and opportunities— when it came to making a decision on his future.
There were several reasons, but four in particular resonated with the young man and his parents. All four reasons had to do with their values. He was its president. UCLA students, predominantly white, had elected a black student to represent them. There were other schools with the same ideals, of course, but on that night, Ed Sullivan provided visible evidence to the Alcindors of what UCLA stood for.
Student-athletes who attended our school received a good education. And they graduated. Credible, heartfelt testimonials: Lewis had also received a letter from a former UCLA basketball player who vouched for the ideals and standards of our school.
It came from the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Dr. Ralph Bunche, who had written on his own initiative. Bunche was black. Jackie Robinson, the first black professional baseball player in the major leagues, had also written a letter expressing similar sentiments. Values and standards, ideals and principles mattered to Lewis and his parents, Cora and Lewis, Sr. They also mattered at UCLA and to me. Good values are like a magnet—they attract good people. A prison guard does that.
Let me be clear: Results matter. They matter a great deal. This is the kind of person who is quick to quit in tough times, eager to leave when offered a better chance of winning or making more money elsewhere. A person who values winning above anything will do anything to win. And such people are threats to their organizations.
Character counts, and without it even the most talented individual is hamstrung—a potential danger to the team. I wanted to run the race with those with whom I shared a code of conduct, those who subscribed to the same set of values that mattered to me. But one of the primary ways to ensure it occurs is to make your values visible, to let the outside world—potential employees and others—know what you stand for and who you are.
In doing so, you will attract those who share similar principles and standards—your code of conduct for competition. For me, of course, the Pyramid of Success defined the code of conduct and characteristics that I valued, both on and off the court. Nevertheless, it was behavior I expected, and taught, to all I coached. Deeds count more than words, but words count too. You may have to take steps to ensure that people know what you stand for.
I handed out copies of the Pyramid of Success at the start of each season and had a big drawing of it hanging in the office.
Find the means and methods that work for you, depending upon your industry and organization. What is your version of the Ed Sullivan Show and the testimonial letter of Dr.
Ralph Bunche? Basketball players would often take home their cotton UCLA practice T-shirts as souvenirs to wear around campus and elsewhere. For some reason, those T-shirts were very popular. I viewed it differently. It made me feel bad to look the other way while individuals I cared about were doing something wrong. I thought it mattered, and I still do.
I also have no doubt that others changed their behavior for the good because of my words. Furthermore, knowing I would take a stand on this issue gave players an insight into my value system and what I stood for. I wanted to create good habits in those under my leadership, not only in the mechanics of playing basketball, but also in the fundamentals of being a good person.
Thus, a small issue such as putting towels in the towel basket where they belonged was something I viewed as big, something that connected to my overall principles and beliefs—values—that went beyond just picking up after yourself.
A student-athlete who feels so privileged that he can throw things on the floor while a student manager follows behind clean- Good Values Attract Good People ing up the mess has a bad habit, one that contributes to selfishness, sloppiness, and disrespect—three character traits I particularly dislike.
By requiring each student-athlete to pick up after himself, I may have encouraged a positive habit, good behavior, and a way of thinking that carried over to the court and our team.
It was my hope that some of my teaching might even carry over to what the players did in their lives after basketball. Character starts with little things 73 74 Wooden on Leadership like picking up after oneself, and it ends with big things like not cheating to win. A leader with character attracts talent with the same.
Think of the quality of human resources on your team when they adhere to your high ideals and standards. This is a terrible mistake for a leader to make. Thus, I believe who you are inside—what you believe—is important, but what you do means more, much more. Warsoft, sensitive or assertive, ren Bennis, a professor of business adminisbut about a set of tration at USC and founding chairman of attributes.
First and the Leadership Institute, says it like this: foremost is character. First and foremost is character. In part, this is why Lewis Alcindor, Jr. From a variety of sources he learned that his values were our values.
I once interviewed a very talented young man who wanted to attend UCLA on a basketball scholarship. I was even prepared to offer him a scholarship during our meeting. His mother was there, and at one point she politely asked me a question. Just keep your mouth shut and listen to what the coach says. In fact, it was unacceptable to me: disrespect for his mother. I politely ended the meeting and excused myself. The scholarship was never offered.
The individual who had been so rude to his mother went on to play for another school and did very well. In fact, he helped his team defeat UCLA on more than one occasion. Coach Lombardi believed in the power of good values, and so do I. Character counts and values matter. And you, the leader, set the standard for both in your organization. Let me offer these additional thoughts that may help you lead by example in creating a winning organization.
While you, the leader, can teach many things, character is not taught easily to adults who arrive at your desk lacking it. Have the courage to make character count among the qualities you seek in others.
Character Starts with Little Things. Remember the T-shirts. Every leader should create his or her agenda of things that make a difference. It could be everything from being punctual to completing projects on deadline. But it could also be something a bit subtler, such as how a manager talks to an employee or administrative assistant. The important thing is to let people know what you expect of them and to inform individuals when they violate your code, values, or standards.
Character Is More Than Honesty. An individual can be honest as the day is long and still be short on character. He or she can be honest but selfish, honest but undisciplined, honest but unfair, honest but disrespectful, or honest but lazy. Winning at any cost can be very costly—fatal, in fact. A good set of values is part of successful leadership and great organizations. Be wary of those who will do anything to win.
This is not the attitude of a great competitor, but rather of a competitor who is greatly flawed. Find those who love the battle and play by the rules. He built his basketball program a certain way—athletically, ethically, morally—because he believed it would attract a certain type of person; the kind of individual he wanted on the team. So he was going to do it that way. Coach was almost a mystic in knowing what would happen. And, he was right—when he built it, they came. I was one of them.
And one of the most important things in my decision was seeing Rafer Johnson on the Ed Sullivan Show. I knew he was a world-class athlete, but he was on the show as president of the student body at UCLA. That told me the school appreciated him for more than just being a jock. It told me a whole lot about what UCLA was about.
With his hair parted in the middle, Coach looked like he fell off a box of Pepperidge Farm cookies. That was mislead- 77 78 Wooden on Leadership ing. In the gym he was a very, very tough man, extremely demanding. He wanted it done a certain way, and he would get out there and demonstrate what that way was. You appreciate that, when the leader is willing to get right out there and work alongside you.
He knew what he was talking about, so he had that credibility. He got respect. Winning was never mentioned by him. What mattered was the effort you made on the court and in the classroom.
What mattered was your behavior, your conduct, your values. Of course, that included a strong work ethic. He wanted our best effort.
Mentally, I got past the rule change outlawing the dunk shot very quickly. A lot of players were skeptical about various things, and it would take a while to win them over. Coach would let them try it their way and fail. He was good at that. Because after they failed they wanted to know how to do it right.
They wanted to learn how to do it right more than they wanted to prove Coach wrong. He knew how to do it right—in all departments. A coach, teacher, and leader, in my view, are all basic variations of being a parent. I revere the opportunity and obligation it confers, namely, the power to change lives and make a difference.
For me, leadership is a sacred trust. A leader in sports, business, or any other field of endeavor should possess and provide the same qualities inherent in a good parent: character, consistency, dependability, accountability, knowledge, good judgment, selflessness, respect, courage, discipline, fairness, and structure.
And while all these will make you a good leader, they will not make you a great leader. For that, one additional quality—perhaps the most important of all—is necessary. Although it may sound out of place in the rough-and-tumble context of sports or corporate competition, I believe you must have love in your heart for the people under your leadership. I did. Use the Most Powerful Four-Letter Word For a parent, the family counts most of all; for a good leader, the team is nothing less than extended family.
Those you lead are not just a random collection of people who show up at your doorstep, put in time, and collect a paycheck. In fact, next to my own flesh and blood they were the ones closest to me. Those I led were my extended family.
And love is present in every good family. You must truly care about the lives and welfare of your team members, and demonstrate it with concern and support within a disciplined environment. However, it took me a while to figure out what this really means and how to apply it in my own way.
Of course, this turned out to be false. There were some whom I could barely stand. This troubled me because it seemed that a coach should have affection for—and be friends with—those under his supervision. I wanted to like all the players on our team. That had been my own experience as an athlete.
Coach Ward Lambert at Purdue seemed to like all of us on the team equally, and I considered him a friend. My teammates, I assumed, felt the same. This had also been true when I played basketball in high school at Martinsville.
Making friends was will not interfere with my not the responsibility or the goal of leaderjudgment of your effort and ship, and I cautioned the team of this. You will be This is no different than a parent who treated fairly.
What decisions? Andy had been a good player in high school, and it was difficult for him to accept the fact that he was not in the starting lineup at UCLA. He was extremely upset—perhaps bitter—with my decision to sit him down. After 27 years he decided that what his old coach had been doing made sense. He even called me up to say so—that I had been right, after all. You are the person charged with making the final, tough choices, while everybody else has the option of sitting on the sidelines, complaining about it.
Hard feelings occur even within the best of families. But a strong family survives when love is present. You can also find the best places to read it online for free or for a stipend. Find the free audiobook versions in mp3, youtube, or otherwise as well as other books by this author. Therefore, we have made the book available to you as a cheaper version online or as a free download.
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John Maxwell, Dr. Nido Qubein, etc have borowed numerous Wooden quotes.
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