Life Balance from a "Wooden" Perspective
Posted on Thu, Jun 10, 2010 @ 12:00 PM
Stay tuned for more blog postings from Mary Kier.
Last week the legendary coach John Wooden died at age 99. The Wizard of Westwood - as he was fondly known - is renowned for 10 N.C.A.A. championships in a 12-season stretch at U.C.L.A. and the Bruins' 88-game winning streak. He was named coach of the century by ESPN and was the first person to be elected as both a player and a coach to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Wooden, however, was never about the numbers or the accolades. Instead his leadership style focused on helping his players achieve the best they could through a disciplined balance of life, practice, and playing basketball. According to those that worked with him, the man had an uncanny ability to coach the best out of his players by never placing his ego ahead of his team, or the game.
Lessons the famed coach taught his players so many years ago are still relevant for business leaders today. His ‘pyramid for success' that outlines 15 qualities such as enthusiasm, loyalty, skill, confidence and poise as forming the foundation of excellence, is famous amongst business people. His slogans like - "Be quick, but don't hurry" and "Failing to prepare is preparing to fail" - are also quoted often in business settings.
In his book on leadership from 2005, he wrote about a topic that really resonated with me, which is the importance of life balance:
"Balance is crucial in everything we do. Along with love it's among the most important things in life. I strove for balance in my leadership and coaching and taught that balance was necessary for competitive greatness. The body has to be in balance; the mind has to be in balance; emotions must be in balance. Balance is important everywhere and in everything we do."
It is interesting to note that Wooden attributes his success as a coach to this focus on balance. I find it fascinating that at the core of his achievements lays the practice of instilling in his team a focus on group effort over individual heroics. Be sure to join me next week as we continue our look at the wonderful coach and mentor John Wooden.
Suggested Reading:
Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization
Be Quick - But Don't Hurry: Finding Success in the Teachings of a Lifetime