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The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership

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When it comes to leadership and team building, few professions compare with the ranks of organized sports coaches. From the ranks of coaching we have been given a vastness of leadership training with which to shape and improve our lives. Every venue of athletics has made its' coaching contributions. From football, we have the hard nosed precision of Vince Lombardi and the stoic presence of Bear Bryant. Baseball has given us the lighthearted leadership of Casey Stengal and the chess game cunning of Jim Leyland. Boxing has produced such brilliant motivators as Lou Duva and the no-nonsense yet compassionate Eddie Futch. And basketball has been no exception from the explosive emotionalism of Bobby Knight to the intensity of Pat Summitt. But even among such greats as these, when it comes down to success, few can even be mentioned with the name of John Wooden.

His leadership and team building philosophy differs from many, lacking the emotionalism and intensity of what coaches typically display, and I wont go so far as to say Wooden's methods are better, but they certainly proved to be a championship building formula for him. In fact, Wooden even guarded against allowing emotions to reign supreme in his players.

The book focuses primarily on Wooden's 15 component Pyramid of Success. Wooden explains why each component is a part of the pyramid and why it is located where it is within the pyramid. There are also bits and pieces of letters to his teams as well as brief comments from his former players throughout the book.

I don't believe this is the best book with Wooden's name on it, but it is certainly, as expected, filled with sage advice ranging from simple profound statements to more complex principles of leadership, team building and ultimately, success. If you appreciate, as I do, that the coaching profession has produced some of the greatest leaders of the last century and you want insight from one of the best of the best, you'll appreciate this book.

If you are looking for a good introduction to keys of legendary UCLA coach John Wooden's success, look no further. Much has been written about Wooden over the years. The Essential Wooden breaks it down in a simple format.

The book is a quick read and can be finished in an evening.

To quote Wooden, "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming."

You can summarize it this way, the key to success is working hard on your own skills and abilities, and working toward constant improvement. That is in many ways the same secret to the success of companies like Toyota and Honda, continuous improvement and a focus on the team.

What's great about this book is that Wooden has had time to reflect on his achievements and successes. Wooden strikes me as a humble and honest man. When he says his focus was on each member of the team pushing themselves to the limit, exceeding their own expectations and focusing on being the best they can be, not winning, I believe him.

Wooden briefly discusses his Pyramid of Success,and it's 17 steps. These are mutually supporting building blocks of a successful mindset and they are not complicated. Industriousness, self-control, poise, etc.

Wooden's genius is building it into a system, that proved itself many times over.

Success takes work, a fact that is lost on many today.

My Highest Recommendation, and a book I look forward to reading again.

Here is a book that is sure to inspire you. From the first pages it grips you, then keeps your attention until the very end. Wooden's philosophy emphasizes that sucess is not measured in "bottom-line" results -- such as games won, sales figures, or other analogous metrics -- but rather on reaching the maximum potential one can achieve -- either individually or as a team. The measure of this becomes self-evident through honest preparation, intensity of practice, selflessness, and so-on. End results, then, are simply byproducts of hard work that was paid up front. Other discussions center around concepts of teamwork, and how to handle people. These have value for everyone, not just leaders and players.
The book is an easy read, and very well written. You won't be disappointed with this one.

He was born in a small town within a state that was a hotbed for basketball. Reading this short but informative book, one gathers that Mr. Wooden never lost sight of his roots. Life lessons from his father, Joshua, seemed to present him with a blueprint of hard work, discipline, common sense, courtesy, repetition, organization, and self-confidence. Ultimately, being respected as the premier coach in his chosen field. "UCLA" entered the American sports lexicon for perpetual excellence.

While the theme is basketball and leadership, Coach Wooden weaves personal stories, along with insightful reflections by several of his former players, to make this a very entertaining and educational book. He stresses the importance of the team over the individual in very clear language. He provides many examples of this aspect in a respectful yet enlightening tone. This book was structured like one of his legendary and intense practices: Every page was scripted for efficiency and future reference. At his core, Coach Wooden was the consummate teacher.

One quote, among many others, sums up this book for me: "I rarely scouted other teams. Except for UCLA." He believed that the real competition occurs from within, even though he maintained a healthy respect for his opposition. He also stressed that coaches and bosses should lead by example. Kareem Abdul Jabbar, one of his most famous student athletes, said, "He was 40 years older than us, but he was out there on the floor demonstrating what he wanted."

Thank you for the opportunity to review this intriguing book by one of our greatest teachers of teamwork and leadership.

I am a teacher in middle school. I am also a former active duty soldier and a current reservist. I find Wooden's ideas practical and inspirational. Read it. Absorb it. Apply it. There are lessons for life, learning and basketball. His lessons would be equally effective i the classroom, boardroom, or the battlefield. Don't pass it by.

This man was an excellent leader, he did it by keeping things simple and basic. Most of all he put people first and placed high value on giving 100% all the time. Coach would be upset if you won and only gave 50% while on the other hand he would be proud of you if you gave 110% and still lost. Great guy, good book.

This book is a great book on leadership and life in general. I am just a little too young to remember Coach Wooden's great teams, but I have always heard of them. Coach Wooden's philosophy is that winning will take care of itself if you will always give your best effort and just do the best you can do. This book is different because so much of the time teams today only care if they win and not if they did their best and this book takes the exact opposite view. GREAT BOOK on leadership, teamwork and effort!

John Wooden exemplifies selflessness. His model for winning and success is infallible. What I got out of this book was the principle of listening to yourself and not trying to live up to other people's expectations. You do what feels right for you. The other valuable lesson I got out of this book was selflessness. In this world, you don't get to where you want to go by being selfish. What I was so impressed by so much was his definition of "winning". If you give it your best effort in a competition, than you have won, regardless of the score. This man is truly a legend.

As the title indicates this book condenses coach Wooden's philosophies on leadership. What is truly surprising is the applicability of these principles to the corporate world just as much as that on the court.

The fundamental basis of Wooden's coaching philosophy is best described in the preface: "...success. as measured by each one of us individually, is the peace of mind derived from making the absolute and complete effort to do the best of which you are capable. The quality of our effort to realize your potential counts first and foremost. For John Wooden that is success. And it is different from winning - beating an opponent in basketball, business, or life." Built on that is Wooden's infamous pyramid of success which captures the beliefs, behaviors and character attributes required to reach success - "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming."

I personally have not watched Wooden coach a game, or follow his championship winning teams - but I can tell through reading this book that he was and through his work continues to be a great leader and inspiration. A highly recommended read, in which everyone can find numerous lessons to be learned and applied.

Below are some excerpts that I found particularly insightful:

1- "Here is Dad's simple guide for knowing what is right: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.""

2- "Adversity makes you tougher, more capable of dealing with trouble the next time it comes looking for you. Over and over I've seen the great benefit that comes to those who face adversity. Tough times make you tougher. A free ride isn't free."

3- "The Pyramid of Success: Industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, condition, skill, team spirit, poise, confidence, faith, patience, competitive greatness -> Success "

4- "How to teach: 1- Explanation, 2- Demonstration, 3- Imitation (correction when necessary) 4- Repetition"

5- "10 Team Tips: 1) Be thinking at all times. 2- If you do your best, never lose your temper, and never be out-fought or out-hustled, you'll have nothing to worry about. 3- Without faith and courage, you are lost. 4- Have respect for, without fear of, every opponent, and confidence without cockiness in regard to yourself. 5- Never be a spectator. Be in the fight at all times. 6- Unselfish team play and team spirit are two of the foremost essentials for our success. 7- We have tough battles ahead. Enjoy the thrill of being in a hard fight. 8- Never stoop to playing dirty - play hard and don't complain. 9- Be sure you acknowledge and give credit to a teammate who hits you with a scoring pass or for any fine play he may make. 10- Be a competitor. When the going gets tough, really get going."

6- "My normal expectations of team members: 1- Always be a gentleman. 2- Always be a team player. 3- Always be on time whenever time is involved. 4- Always be learning. 5- Always be enthusiastic, dependable, and cooperative. 6- Always be earning the right to be proud and confident.7- Always keep emotions under control without loosing fight or aggressiveness. 8- Be spirited, not temperamental. 9- Always work to improve, knowing you can never improve enough."

7- "Everybody's got buttons, including you. The smart leader knows where the buttons are on those under his or her supervision. The wise leader also knows where his or her own buttons are."

8- "Admonitions and Truisms: 1- Do nothing that will bring discredit to the team. 2- Develop great personal pride in all aspects of your job. 3- The player who has done his best has done everything, while the player who has done less than his best is a failure. 4- Competition is perhaps 50 percent fight and 50 percent knowledge. 5- Truly believe that you are better than your opponent in fighting spirit and you will be mighty difficult to defeat."

9- "Suggestions for all team members: 1- Never nag, razz, or criticize a teammate. 2- Never expect favors. 3- Never make excuses. 4- Never be selfish, jealous, envious, or egotistical. 5- Never lose faith or patience. 6- Never waste time. 7- Never load, sulk, or boast. 8- Never require repeated criticism for the same mistake. 9- Never have reason to be sorry afterward."

10- "Good leadership requires all the resources of the head and heart you can muster. Too much from the head and you forget all leadership is about people; too much from the heart and you can't make those tough decisions that may hurt some of those people."

11- "Seven ways to make your criticism count: 1- Get all of the facts. 2- Don't lash out. 3- Be specific. 4- Don't make it personal. 5- Do it privately to avoid embarrassment. 6- Only the leader gives criticism. 7- Once done, it's done."

12- "The leader's to-do list: 1- Promote sincerity, optimism, and enthusiasm. 2- Stamp out pessimism and negative sarcasm. 3- Recognize the value of a valid commendation. 4- When disagreeing, do not become disagreeable. 5- Make sure each person understands his or her specific role in making the team a success."

13- "Promise yourself: 1- Promise to be so strong that nothing can disturb your piece of mind. 2- Promise to be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are of your own. 3- Promise to be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear, and too happy to permit the press of trouble."

First off, I have to admit I did not know who Coach Wooden was. It was not until his passing that I heard about him and his many, universal acknowledgements in his leadership. That's when I looked on Amazon and ordered 2 of his books, including this one.

If you are in a leadership position (people mgr, coach, head of household, etc), then I would say this is one of the best books on leadership ever written. I read >20 business books a year so that is not a statement I say lightly, including many other ones that has greatly shaped me as Ken Blanchard's Leadership at a Higher level, etc. However, Wooden's book here stands out like a tall mountain, in that he goes straight to the point, bares his heart & values in full transparency, and is genuinely unselfish in sharing his wisdom. Other books tend to glorize the author and his/her book concepts too much, but in this book Wooden shares it without any attempt to bask himself in the spotlight. Jamison does a great job in the writing style of this book and I wished more business/leadership books were like this. His points are easy to understand, stimulates thoughts in your own situations, and made me hungry to read more. In the end of this short book, I found his words helped me improve my leadership styles/skills greatly, identified gaps where I need to improve, and overall more inspired to be the best leader I can be - which is precisely what coach Wooden set out to do. This is an invaluable book that clearly communicates what this great man believed in - that all of us owes ourselves to give 100%, and be the best we can be. As leaders we need to teach that to our team, and if we do that effectively, winning will come as a byproduct automatically.

highly recommended. I can't say more.