...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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...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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...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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...as “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...
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...inspiration, persuasion, and personal connections. One example of leadership is coaching. When someone possess leadership traits, that person will be able to become a great coach. John Wooden is among one of the winningest sports coaches of all time, he led UCLA to 700 victories and ten national championships throughout his 30-year career as a basketball coach. This is one achievement that might not happen ever again. “Wooden and his extraordinary leadership abilities are lauded and emulated by contemporaries in a variety of sports. His leadership style can transcend any industry and any aspect of one’s life.” (Farfan, 2014) Wooden believed that good coaching is based purely in leadership. He also believed that, “leadership is influence derived from one’s character.” (Dobbs, 2011)For Wooden, the ideal leader is someone whose life and character motivate people to follow. “The best kind of leadership derives its capacity from the force of example, not from the power of position or personality.” Everyone has their own view of what leadership really is. His accomplishments during his coaching career shows that his leadership style is something that should be inspiring to others that are following his footsteps. If someone was to become a coach, not only in basketball, they should follow his leadership style since it made him so successful at completing a task that many coaches wished that they were able to achieve. Wooden influenced players through the character he displayed in...
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...had great leadership qualities that 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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...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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...1. Think about someone you have encountered in your career that you consider to be an effective leader. 2. Post a note in the Leadership discussion forum with the following information: a. Title your posting: “your name - Leadership Assignment” b. Briefly describe the individual (you don’t have to use their real name) c. Describe the characteristics that you feel make this person an excellent leader. d. Describe one way in which you would like to make yourself a better leader. Over the years I have encountered many effective leaders. In my last position as a medical intern, I had the pleasure of working with a man by the name of Dr. Wesley Wilborn. Dr. Wilborn, a very well known and respected man in his field, has been a dermatologist for more than 30 years. His knowledge far surpasses much of that in textbooks as it relates to his field, and some of his knowledge can be found in the books and articles that he has created as well as on his website which promotes his product line DPL. That which makes him a great leader is that although he is very knowledgeable, he did not make any of his staff, including the interns and medical students feel less than sufficient when they were unaware of a diagnosis. Instead he manipulated our minds through various questions that helped us derive our own answers. Many times people assume that a leader only leads. It is in my opinion that an effective leader not only leads, but teaches along the...
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...David G. Farragut Ironically, David G. Farragut was born in the southern state of Tennessee, but was a Union Rear Admiral in the U.S. Navy. Farragut’s fleet consisted of 14 wooden ships and four iron monitors (Trudeau 1; Lusted 1). Before leading a fleet, Farragut carried out his U.S. Navy service work at a desk, but his foster brother, David D. Porter, gave him a chance at commanding the 1862 New Orleans expedition (Trudeau 1). It was during this time that Farragut showed great leadership abilities. Because of his bravery, commitment, and leadership skills, David G. Farragut was a great U.S. Navy military leader. During the Civil War, ships had to worry about many things other than enemy ships. There was also a threat of torpedoes, which in that time were called floating mines. Some torpedoes blew up as soon as the ship hit them. The torpedoes were usually covered with tin or wooden cases (Trudeau 1). In the Battle of Mobile Bay, there were tones and tones of torpedoes in the water, so Farragut had to watch for these to protect his crew. At one...
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...Business ethics and leadership can be a very interesting subject. This paper addresses the thoughts and leadership skills of a former boss of mine, Gail Painter. It contains a leadership assessment of me. And it also addresses how the concepts learned in this class can be applied at my current job. Business ethics and leadership styles and concepts are an ever changing thing. Interview Gail Painter was the Staffing Supervisor who hired me to run the Vinita office of Staffing Solutions, a temporary employment agency. Gail believes leadership develops with experience. Leadership is an influence relationship among leaders and followers who intend real changes and outcomes that reflect their shared purpose (Daft, 2011, p.5). Different circumstances require different actions and vision. Experience gives you exposure to different ideas and situations. Her experience working with the Director at her previous job was valuable in helping develop her leadership skills. She worked for a company with an amazing leader and she tries to model her leadership skills from his. He was always cool, calm and collected. He gathered all the facts before making any decision. Gail enjoyed working for a leader like that. Her views of leadership have changed over time. Her work experience in a variety of different arenas has given her insight on good skills as well as some bad skills. Technology upgrades as well as upgrades to employment laws have also changed her leadership views. Working...
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...Like many coach’s, I’ve always been a big fan of Coach John Wooden. He is a legendary college basketball coach who led UCLA to 10 national championships and one of the winningest programs in sports history. I’ve been an avid reader of any books I could find from Coach Wooden and highly recommend reading any of his books on leadership. He led with integrity and was an example of doing things the right way. We see a lot of coach’s now that relish in the spotlight and are driven by ego. They tirade on the sidelines yelling and screaming putting on a show. Coach Wooden, believed and demonstrated self-control and was a big believer in controlling your emotions. He always referred to himself as a teacher first. One of his major teachings...
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...The intent of Transformational Leadership is to take a bad situation and make it good, and a good situation better by inspiring participants to dedicate themselves to a joint cause. According to Barling, Slater and Kelloway the practices that make up Transformational Leadership are “idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (2000).” It is under the ideas and concepts of Transformational Leadership that I will evaluate my own personal leadership style. Personal Leadership Strengths 1. I engage with the intellectual aspects of leadership. I am aware of the best writings on leadership and self-improvement and have read most of the best reviewed techniques. On my desk right now I...
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..."Success is piece of mind which is a direct result in self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming." John Wooden is a legendary coach who dedicated his life to motivate individuals to achieve their goals. Wooden based his approach on instilling a sense of pride, respect for teamwork and cultural differences. His pyramid of success could be easily applied in any environment of business, management and leadership. The Pyramid of success consists of several major principals or skills: loyalty, enthusiasm, skills, industriousness, friendship, cooperation, enthusiasm, self-control, alertness, initiative, intentness, condition, team spirit, poise, confidence, competitive greatness. Although, all of the things are very important and worth talking about my favorite is self-control. Self-control is probably one of the most difficult characteristics that you as a leader have to deal with. Sometimes it is about making yourself work, sometimes it is about dealing with other people, but it is primarily about having control of your own emotions and thoughts. After all, you can always make other people believe you but you can’t full yourself. In the leadership position in any field it is important to learn how to make yourself to respect and push yourself. John Wooden came out with the strategy on the gradually increasing level of both intensity and achieves rather than trying to create artificial emotional highs. That way the training...
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...shows a main tier in John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, condition, through the whole novel, when he started to train for boxing. He enjoys practicing for boxing, showing his conditioning towards the sport. John Wooden, the author of Wooden on Leadership, suggests that in order to achieve...
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...affect a team. New coaches get hired and existing ones get fired. With each coaching change, there is a chance for change in leadership, which in return could make a program worse or in some cases better. Also, college kids have to deal with their classes and have other off-field distractions to handle. This goes along with the demands that football puts on them. This makes one think whether it is even possible to have sustained success, and if so, such then leads to the question of what is needed to have continued success in college football? To start, one can look at successful programs that have had the most wins. When discussing wins and losses in recent years, what comes to mind is the Southeastern Conference and Alabama Crimson Tide in particular. The SEC has won the last seven national championships, and Alabama has won three of the last four. But, one asks “Is winning football games the only thing that should determine success?” What about the academics and the team’s graduation rate? Those should both be vital parts of “success.” Sadly, coaches are judged and evaluated mostly by their win-loss record. So, what are the main areas that would contribute to having a better win-loss ratio? First, strength and conditioning, is the obvious one, and second, leadership skills is important too. A successful coach should being able to develop leadership in the players in the program as that will help set them up for success in their future. As well, without a...
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