...Zach Gibson Dr. Tom Capozzoli OLS 284 2 April 2014 John Wooden John Robert Wooden was born in 1910 in the town of Hall, Indiana. His parents, Roxie Anna and Joshua Hugh Wooden, moved his family to a small farm in Centerton in 1918. Their farm had neither running water nor electricity and money was often in short supply. In 1924, the Woodens, like many farm families, went bankrupt and lost their farm. The family moved to Martinsville, a small town that, like so many in Indiana, took great pride in the performance of its high school basketball teams. One of Wooden’s role models was Fuzzy Vandivier of the Franklin Wonder Five. The Franklin Wonder Five was a legendary Indiana high school basketball team that compiled an 89-9 record and won three straight state championships from 1920 to 1922. Wooden went on to star on his high school team, leading them to the state championship three years in a row. Wooden won the state title in 1927 and was named an All-State selection three times, a feat matched only by Fuzzy Vandivier, Oscar Robertson, and George McGinnis. After graduating in 1928, Wooden went on to attend Purdue University. He went on to letter all four years in basketball and was the first player ever to be a three time All-American. Wooden earned the nickname “The Indiana Rubber Man” for his fearless play and tenacity diving for balls on the court. He led the Boilermakers to the 1932 National Championship, which was then called the Helms Athletic Foundation National...
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...“arguably the best basketball coach ever, with a record 10 national titles as the [head] coach of [UCLA basketball] and the distinction of being the first person to be voted into basketball’s Hall of Fame as both a player…and coach,” John Wooden is a great leader to take a look at and examine (Leadership Lessons). Coach Wooden believed that “leadership itself is largely learned [and] most of us have a potential far beyond what we think possible” (Wooden 4). Furthermore, John Wooden stated, “those who aspire to be leaders can do it [and] those who wish to become much better leaders can also do it” (Wooden 5). Coach John Wooden falls within the category of a much better leader and his leadership skills were learned through a variety of experiences. John Wooden’s journey to becoming a great leader can be traced back to the single most important person in his life, his father Joshua Wooden. Wooden stated multiple times that his father was “at the core of [his] philosophy of leadership (Wooden 6). More specifically, the “character and achievements of John Wooden can largely be traced to a piece of paper his father gave him on the day he graduated [grade school],” a “defining moment” if you will (Williams and Denney 26). Joshua Wooden handed a young John a small card with a seven-point creed to which he asked his son to live by. The seven points contained on the card were: “1. Be true to yourself. 2. Help others. 3. Make each day your masterpiece. 4. Drink deeply from good books...
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...Coach John Wooden, the legendary men’s college basketball coach who led UCLA to 10 national championships in the late 60’s and early 70’s, wrote “Wooden on Leadership.” He has been called the greatest coach of all time, regardless of sport, and has written several books about character habits and leadership. Some of his remarkable achievements are the 10 national championships, seven of them in a row, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight tournament playoff wins, four perfect seasons (all but the 88 consecutive wins are still records), and in 41 years of coaching he only had one losing season which was his first. Of course with this type of success coaches and business leaders around the world wanted to know what was his secret. How did he do it? The secret, he reveals, is simple, and parallels many of the same principles of servant leadership. Coach Wooden does not simply offer up random thoughts on leadership and coaching. He graduated Purdue as an English teacher and, barring a few financial hurdles, he would have been quite satisfied to have become a teacher rather than a coach. But he had been a highly successful athlete at Purdue and was sought after as a coach for a high school program in Indiana. It was then that he began to develop an overall concept for leadership that has over the years solidified into a tangible philosophy that has been used by many leaders since then. The reader can tell that Coach Wooden took great pride in this pyramid of success...
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...“Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.” This is one of my favorite quotes of all time by debatably the greatest coach who ever lived, John Wooden. John Wooden was a coaching master. “The Wizard of Westwood” was born in Hall, Indiana, took his brilliant mind to UCLA where he became a legend, winning 10 National Championships in 12 years, including 7 in a row as the head coach of the Bruins. He was a 6 time NCAA coach of the year, and at one point during his National Championship streak, his teams won a record 88 games in a row. I chose this quote because I believe that it is appropriate in all aspects of life. Natural talent, ability, and connections can only get someone so far. They may be on top of the world, but if they don’t have any character, or any morals, they won’t last very long at all. To be the best one can be, they have to be well respected and liked so they can work together with other companions to stay at the top. Wooden’s teams were the best because they not only had amazing talent, but they also worked together as a team. They were a family, and they didn’t let selfishness get in the way. I could apply this to my own coaching style in that I would want my players to be role models on and off the court. To be well respected and to be at the top, they obviously have to be a great team, but they also must be a great team off the court. Character is who they really are as people. If a team has good character and are well...
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...“The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding” The idea of winning and succeeding is described differently by different people from different walks of life. In his Ted Talk, “The Difference Between Winning and Succeeding”, John Wooden makes the statement that a person can win every game of every season and not succeed due to marginal ideals placed upon a team by the school district. John Wooden challenges the idea of a person realizing that perfect grades or ideals do not exist to everyone and do not apply to everyone. He challenges the idea that God created every person in a different way with a different ability to learn and grow. Wooden earns the right to be heard through his techniques used in his talking and through the rhetorical analysis...
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...Wooden on Leadership Book Report for Contemporary Issues in Servant Leadership Coach John Wooden, the legendary men’s college basketball coach who led UCLA to 10 national championships in the late 60’s and early 70’s, wrote “Wooden on Leadership.” He has been called the greatest coach of all time, regardless of sport, and has written several books about character habits and leadership. Some of his remarkable achievements are the 10 national championships, seven of them in a row, 88 consecutive victories, 38 straight tournament playoff wins, four perfect seasons (all but the 88 consecutive wins are still records), and in 41 years of coaching he only had one losing season which was his first. Of course with this type of success coaches and business leaders around the world wanted to know what was his secret. How did he do it? The secret, he reveals, is simple, and parallels many of the same principles of servant leadership. Coach Wooden does not simply offer up random thoughts on leadership and coaching. He graduated Purdue as an English teacher and, barring a few financial hurdles, he would have been quite satisfied to have become a teacher rather than a coach. But he had been a highly successful athlete at Purdue and was sought after as a coach for a high school program in Indiana. It was then that he began to develop an overall concept for leadership that has over the years solidified into a tangible philosophy that has been used by many leaders since then. ...
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...While the classical debate rages in classrooms across the country as to whether true leaders are born or made, I posit that anyone who follows the guiding principles set fort by Wooden and Jamison will immediately become a stronger and more persuasive leader. Spiced with interesting anecdotes from past players and assistant coaches, Wooden on Leadership details the techniques of John Wooden, former UCLA Bruins basketball coach whose leadership guided the Bruins to a remarkable 10 national titles in 12 years. The book begins with a discussion of Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success” – his 15 building blocks for leadership. Even Wooden’s definition of success is refreshing and unique: “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.” Unlike most leadership texts that are highly academic and contain a few “nuggets” that must be diligently mined, this book provides page after page of real-world examples of leadership through the eyes of a coach – or a “teacher,” as Wooden prefers to call himself. Each example is shared through basketball coaching experiences, but carefully applied back to everyday life and business. Wooden discusses the importance of budgeting every minute of practice time, setting his players’ sights on personal improvement rather than victories, and choosing hard-working team players rather than the most talented athletes. Taught to spurn emotion and never focus on the...
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...Today’s Business Environment Several principles that have been developed by John Wooden can be implemented into today’s business world in order to build a strong and lasting organization. This can be done by building fundamentals and then training to promote these fundamentals from within the organization. This needs to start with the highest point on the organization’s hierarchical level. The head of the organization needs to learn and implement the pyramid’s base principles which are: industriousness, loyalty, friendship, cooperation, and enthusiasm. Industriousness and enthusiasm are the two cornerstones of Wooden’s pyramid of success. The head of the organization needs set the tone of the organization. He or she must work hard and inspire employees to rise to their extraordinary level of success. The leader must remain positive and continually motivate employees in their organization. The second level of the Pyramid of Success, known as: Self-Control, Alertness, Initiative, and Intentness. The head of the organization is responsible for making decisions and he/she should not let their emotions get in the way of what is best for the organization. As seen in the case of Valley, a former player of Wooden who owns a business and coped with the death of his daughter while conducting business (Edelhauser, 2007). Wooden stresses that knowing the people that work under you can help them in understanding how to care for an organization as a whole rather than for their own interests...
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...different aspects of coaching. Overall I believe my coaching philosophy will be based the morals and values that were taught to me by my parents. I have also played for some great coaches so far in my athletic adventure and I will be sure to take different philosophies and mannerisms from them. Some positive things I have seen firsthand are how to relate to your players, how to adapt, and most importantly how to communicate. On the other hand I have also played for some horrible coaches that I believe have taught me an abundance amount of information on how not to carry yourself, handle certain situations, or treat players. As far as professional coaches that I have been able to read about, admire, and implement ideas from are Phil Jackson, John Wooden, and Tony Dungy. I do believe it is important to establish a unique philosophy that fits my personality and natural coaching style, while also intergrading some ideas from the great coaches mentioned before. So far in my search to create a solid philosophy the constants have been leadership, empowerment, communication, relationships, trust, motivation, and love. Coach Phil Jackson with eleven NBA titles has obviously been able to implement a coaching philosophy that best suites his coaching style and personality. Coach Jackson was the “Joe cool” of the NBA for years and I enjoyed watching him. Phil was always cool, calm and collected, nothing seemed to break him. I think that short of style displays great confidence and composure to...
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... Javonie Ellington Jr. NU Idea Final Paper Northwood Harris Many schools have what they think is the key to success. These keys to success usually are in forms of hymns, mantras, engraved morals and or values. Northwood’s method to success is compiled into a book referred to by students and faculty as the “NU bible.” In this book When we are Free the Northwood idea is found. It’s not just a page, it’s the entirety of the book that encompasses this successful ideology. The Northwood idea incorporates four main principles in which their students follow. To be successful in the business world, one must know of these basic principles: freedom, capitalism, private property and limited government. America is known to grant “freedom” but there’s more to read in fine print. Freedom is a basic right given to each citizen in the U.S. The person has the freedom to pave their own path in the market. From yard sales to becoming the CEO of a huge company. The sky is the limit they say until it comes to playing by the rules and following regulations. People use their freedom in different ways, some use it selflessly and others are still finding their way. In When we are free there are various ways freedom is interpreted. Independence is broken down into a “Human Taxonomy” chart to explain the importance of human interaction and decisions. It all begins with the individual’s preference of being isolated or cooperative with others. Very few successes occur from isolation...
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...helped them reach their ideas to the world. John Wooden is one of those many people who displayed great leadership qualities. John Wooden was a basketball coach and player who had the qualities to be a part of the Basketball Hall of Fame. Wooden possessed leadership qualities such as, not craving for victory, but the process of getting there, motivational speeches before games, and losing did not matter to him as long as his players tried their best. Wooden had taken these ideas and helped his students follow his lead to help them reach their goals more efficiently. John Wooden had strong leadership skills that helped others reach their goals and improve...
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...for a ride to go on. We continued walking while I was feeling a little queasy looking at all the different rides they had. I walked straight up to what looked like an old antique roller coaster made out of wood. I tipped my head up looking at the roller coaster which appeared to go on forever into the sky. “That one!” I said steadily. We got in the back of the line and I was a little nervous I was about to go on my first ever roller coaster. The coaster came back the where the line was at, and I was the next up.I saw the people waddling off very slowly. I sat in the two person wooden seat. I stared straight ahead at the wood rails with tiny metal bars underneath and a giant fake crack on the right wooden post. straight ahead of us.I sat in fear on the rough black plastic seat that reflected the sun right above me....
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...looking for a ride to go on. We continued walking while I was feeling a little queasy looking at all the different rides they had. I walked straight up to what looked like an old antique roller coaster made out of wood. I tipped my head up looking at the roller coaster which appeared to go on forever into the sky. “That one.” I said steadily. We got in the back of the line and I was a little nervous I was about to go on my first ever roller coaster. The coaster came back to where the line was at, and I was the next up.I saw the people waddling off very slowly. I sat in the two person wooden seat. I stared straight ahead at the wood rails with tiny metal bars underneath and a giant fake crack on the right wooden post. Straight ahead of us. I sat in fear on the rough black plastic seat that reflected the sun right above me....
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... “Ahhh!”screamed the other people on the ride. As I neared the line of the roller coaster I could see the terrifying dips and turns on the ride. Once I did, I regretted stepping in the line, but I came to Adventure Land for a reason. So I decided to suck it up and ride the first roller coaster of my life. Nearing the front of the line I could feel my nerves tingle and my fear of heights sink in. It was the last day of school and all the eighth graders had to wake up and go to school at 6:00 in the morning. On that wet and foggy day the farther we rode in a bus, then the sun slowly began to rise. With our meals packed and ready for the day the trip was pretty tiresome as well as boring since it was so early in the morning. As we neared Adventure Land we were handed entrance tickets to enter the park. Setting off to have fun with a buddy of our choosing; I picked one of my good friends Jacob Wenger. Eventually meeting up with some of our other friends to make the day even more fun. I was as slow as a sloth as the day progressed because we walked around the park dozens of times looking for our friends. Once we did, we decided to go on the first ride of the day, which I was talked into riding. The one we road was called the Outlaw and I had the smart idea to actually take off my glasses. Although the line was kind of long, it seemed that we were strapped into the sets in no time. My body began to shake and shiver as the ride started. Once the roller coaster started to speed up...
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...ne hot sunny day at Six Flags over Georgia a little boy thought to himself, “how does the roller coaster go up so high?” A worker spots him and go over and asks “hey young man what are you thinking about?” The little boy smiles and asks “how does a roller coaster work?” I grin and say “Well young man you're in luck because today I'm doing a tour,and i will be talking about the physics of roller coasters. Do you want to join?” He jumps and gets excited, “ YES YES!” With that, i gather more kids and begin tour. This roller coaster is called the Loopdy Loop and it is one of the biggest roller coasters in the park. A roller coaster is a machine that uses gravity and inertia to send a train of cars along winding train. This combination of gravity and inertia, along with g-forces and centripetal acceleration give the body certain sensations as the coaster moves up, down, and around the track. As the coaster gets higher in the air, gravity can pull it down.“Oh thats cool, but what is inertia and gravity?” he asks kind of confused. Well that’s a good question, inertia is a tendency to do nothing or to remain unchanged. While gravity is the force that attracts a body toward the center of the earth, or toward any other physical body having mass. For most purposes Newton's laws of gravity apply, with minor modifications to take the general theory of relativity into account. I will also give you a little background on the Newton laws. “Oh no need to explain my science teacher told me all...
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