Feb. 4, 2025
MM#387 -- Time Fears the Pyramid: Wooden Wisdom
FAN MAIL--We would love YOUR feedback--Send us a Text Message
Discover the timeless wisdom of the legendary John Wooden as we unpack how his Pyramid of Success can transform your leadership approach. Imagine leading with the precision and endurance of the Great Pyramid of Giza, applying Wooden's 15 fundamental values as the building blocks for unparalleled success. By tuning in, you'll learn how to harness these principles to develop not only winning teams but also a winning mindset that emphasizes character and continuous improvement.
As the greatest basketball coach of all time, Wooden's achievements on the court were legendary, yet his legacy extends far beyond victories and trophies. Through today's exploration, you'll grasp how he crafted a leadership model that empowers others to reach their full potential, both individually and as part of a team. This episode is packed with insights that transcend sports, offering a roadmap for anyone seeking to lead effectively in any competitive arena. Join us on this journey to reshape your understanding of success and leadership through the lens of Wooden’s powerful teachings.
Key Points from this Episode:
- Exploration of John Wooden's impactful coaching legacy
- Breakdown of the 15 foundational blocks in the Pyramid of Success
- Importance of character values such as friendship and loyalty
- Understanding the significance of self-control and lifelong learning
- Discussion of the apex concept: competitive greatness
- Highlighting faith and patience as essential supporting qualities
Join us as we reflect on how these insights can be applied to our own journeys and endeavors.
Other resources:
Want to leave a review? [Click here], and if we earned a five-star review from you **high five and knuckle bumps**, we appreciate it greatly, thank you so much!
Because we care what you think about what we think and our website, please email David@teammojoacademy.com
WEBVTT
00:00:07.612 --> 00:00:20.807
Welcome to the Theory to Action podcast, where we examine the timeless treasures of wisdom from the great books in less time, to help you take action immediately and ultimately to create and lead a flourishing life.
00:00:20.807 --> 00:00:24.850
Now here's your host, david Kaiser.
00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:29.827
Hello, I am David and welcome back to another Mojo Minute.
00:00:29.827 --> 00:00:34.621
Let's begin with a quote from our book of the day.
00:00:34.621 --> 00:00:42.521
I remember reading about the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt when I was a student at Purdue.
00:00:42.521 --> 00:00:46.813
It was the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
00:00:46.813 --> 00:01:03.365
Built with blocks of red granite and pure limestone, some weighing up to 60 tons, the Great Pyramid was constructed on a massive foundation, whose huge cornerstones were the biggest and most important of the whole structure.
00:01:03.365 --> 00:01:18.831
Additional blocks, each carved with a specific purpose and position in mind, were then painstakingly ramped and hoisted into place, creating successive tiers, each one supported by what had come before.
00:01:18.831 --> 00:01:29.513
There was a center, or a heart of the Great Pyramid, which then rose to an apex that towered 481 feet above the sands of the desert.
00:01:29.513 --> 00:01:34.210
For 4,300 years it remained the tallest structure on earth.
00:01:34.210 --> 00:01:49.424
And despite its size, the Great Pyramid was built with such precision that, when it was completed after decades of labor, you couldn't slide a single playing card between its huge blocks of granite limestone.
00:01:49.424 --> 00:01:59.337
Even in the 21st century, it is considered one of the sturdiest and best playing structures ever built, and I'm not alone in this thinking.
00:01:59.337 --> 00:02:08.824
The great management writer and analyst, peter Drucker, when asked who was the greatest managers of all time, answered the builders of the Great Pyramids.
00:02:08.824 --> 00:02:16.324
An Egyptian proverb says man fears time, but time fears the pyramids.
00:02:16.324 --> 00:02:20.933
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built to last, and it did.
00:02:20.933 --> 00:02:36.067
The symbolism of all this effort seemed very practical to me, and that quote comes to us from John Wooden in Wooden's On Leadership how to Create a Winning Organization.
00:02:37.591 --> 00:02:46.893
Despite what the legendary coach Bob Knight says regarding John Wooden, right now he is arguably the greatest basketball coach of all time.
00:02:46.893 --> 00:02:50.544
Wooden's success is unmatched.
00:02:50.544 --> 00:03:21.973
He had UCLA teams achieve an unprecedented success during his 27-year tenure 10 NCAA championships, including seven consecutive titles from 1967 to 1973, an 88-game winning streak spanning over four seasons, four perfect 30-0 seasons, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, an overall record of 620-147 for a winning percentage of 808.
00:03:21.973 --> 00:03:27.692
Now Wooden's influence extends far beyond the wins and losses.
00:03:27.692 --> 00:03:35.522
He developed during his coaching career the pyramid of success, a motivational model used by leaders in various fields.
00:03:35.522 --> 00:03:43.048
He focused specifically on character development and life lessons, alongside developing basketball skills.
00:03:43.048 --> 00:03:46.514
He emphasized teamwork, preparation and continuous improvement.
00:03:46.514 --> 00:03:53.652
And in speaking of this pyramid of success, let's take a deeper dive into this.
00:03:53.652 --> 00:04:04.112
We heard in our opening quote about the Great Pyramid of Giza, and that's one of the inspirations for Wooden's infamous Pyramid of Success.
00:04:04.112 --> 00:04:08.628
So let's go back to the book for another great nugget of wisdom.
00:04:08.628 --> 00:04:10.092
Back to the book.
00:04:12.001 --> 00:04:15.330
I soon adopted the pyramid structure as my teaching tool.
00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:22.339
At first I didn't know how many blocks it would contain, what the blocks would consist of or in what order they would be positioned.
00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:32.240
All I knew was that success would be found at the apex and that each block leading to the top would represent a personal quality necessary for getting there.
00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:47.334
The pyramids, blocks and tiers would be my specific directions on how those under my supervision could achieve success by realizing their own potential, both individually and as part of the team.
00:04:47.334 --> 00:05:03.250
Along the way, I came to see that it would also provide the directions for my own coaching, a leadership guidebook of sorts, offering a code of conduct for those given the privilege of leading others into the competitive arena.
00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:10.410
However, first I faced the task of determining what individual characteristics were required to reach the top.
00:05:10.410 --> 00:05:21.223
I took this responsibility seriously and, during the winter of my first year as a teacher and coach, began reflecting on what the answer was.
00:05:21.223 --> 00:05:25.350
What precisely did it take to become a success?
00:05:26.492 --> 00:05:50.555
For many years afterwards, I evaluated and then carefully selected the values necessary for success as I defined it, as well as the location each would occupy in the structure, and, after much reflection, trial and error and some soul searching, I chose 15 fundamental values as blocks for my pyramid of success.
00:05:50.555 --> 00:05:59.954
I believe they are the prerequisites for a leader in an organization whose goal is to perform at the highest level of which they are capable.
00:05:59.954 --> 00:06:06.855
And again, this quote comes to us from our book of the day, wooden, on Leadership.
00:06:06.855 --> 00:06:14.690
So do you know what is pretty cool Of these 15 blocks that make up the wooden success pyramid?
00:06:14.690 --> 00:06:45.826
Arguably, most of them, a great majority, are virtues, some sort of fashion we could plug whatever the value is from wooden into an old school, classic virtue, which I think is pretty cool, because we're always talking about developing a flourishing life here on the podcast and living that virtuous life, and here we have sort of a modern day roadmap, if you will.
00:06:45.826 --> 00:06:52.567
So what are these 15 values or virtues that Wooden has perfected on his pyramid?
00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:06.634
Well, like we said, the pyramid of success contains and consists of 15 fundamental behaviors with additional elements known as the mortar holding it together, kind of the stuff around the sides.
00:07:06.634 --> 00:07:27.923
At the foundation, at the base of the pyramid are two cornerstone behaviors Industriousness, which is hard work and careful planning that are essential, and enthusiasm, a genuine enjoyment of what you're doing which influences those around you.
00:07:27.923 --> 00:07:36.009
Then, as we move up correction, not as we move up, but still on the base level we have the values of friendship, loyalty and cooperation.
00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:43.536
Then, as we move up, we have self-control, alertness, initiative and intentness.
00:07:43.536 --> 00:07:59.064
Then, at the heart of the pyramid, lies the 10th skill, the 10th value, and that is skill.
00:07:59.064 --> 00:08:04.274
This emphasizes the importance of mastering the details of your craft and being what we regard here as the pinnacle of all personal development.
00:08:04.274 --> 00:08:06.942
You are a lifelong learner.
00:08:08.526 --> 00:08:13.995
Now, the upper levels of the pyramid include condition, not conditioning, but condition.
00:08:13.995 --> 00:08:20.353
Think about this as the physical and the mental and the moral condition.
00:08:20.353 --> 00:08:30.995
I love how John Wooden, even though he's teaching basketball, he says there is a mindset, a mental component to this as well as a moral component Very key.
00:08:30.995 --> 00:08:34.147
So condition is the 11th value.
00:08:34.147 --> 00:08:35.671
Team spirit is 12.
00:08:35.671 --> 00:08:53.528
Then we have poise and confidence at the very top, reaching the apex, the peak and the top of the pyramid is the 15th attribute, which is competitive greatness, which is defined as being your best when your best is needed.
00:08:53.528 --> 00:08:58.804
In fact, here's Wooden's definition Competitive greatness.
00:08:58.804 --> 00:09:09.086
Is this a real love for the hard battle, knowing it offers the opportunity to be your best when your best is required.
00:09:09.086 --> 00:09:11.649
How cool is that?
00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:22.734
You can just imagine playing basketball for Coach Wooden in the 60s and 70s and hearing this pyramid referred to constantly off the court and on the court.
00:09:24.221 --> 00:09:30.187
And after some time, coach added what he called the mortar, the two qualities.
00:09:30.187 --> 00:09:36.495
The first two qualities are around the outside of the virtues of faith and patience.
00:09:36.495 --> 00:09:49.815
Here is how he describes that On the journey to success, you will face frustration and fatigue, setbacks and serious obstacles, but a leader must remain undaunted.
00:09:49.815 --> 00:09:57.407
Thus I added mortar to the top of the pyramid in the form of patience and faith At the apex.
00:09:57.407 --> 00:10:06.673
They are symbolic and remind us that these two qualities must be present throughout the pyramid, holding the blocks and tiers firmly in place.
00:10:06.673 --> 00:10:11.750
A leader must have the faith that things will work out as they should.
00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:18.820
A leader must have the faith that things will work out as they should, a boundless belief in the future.
00:10:18.820 --> 00:10:26.583
A wise leader also knows that accomplishing important things takes time.
00:10:26.583 --> 00:10:36.631
If difficult goals could be achieved quickly, more people would be achievers, but most people and many leaders lack the real patience.
00:10:36.631 --> 00:10:41.168
Benjamin Franklin understood this virtue quite well.
00:10:41.168 --> 00:10:45.630
He says Genius is nothing but a greater aptitude for patience.
00:10:46.921 --> 00:10:56.981
Success is always attainable when defined correctly, that is, as making the effort to do the best of which you are capable With that standard.
00:10:56.981 --> 00:11:00.009
With that as your standard, you will not fail.
00:11:00.009 --> 00:11:11.664
The 15 personal qualities, these durable blocks of the pyramid, if embraced and acted upon, will elevate you and your organization to success.
00:11:11.664 --> 00:11:21.712
My father's words described it quite well when you've done your best, you may call yourself a success.
00:11:21.712 --> 00:11:29.190
You may also call yourself a great competitor, a leader who resides at the top.
00:11:29.190 --> 00:11:33.410
So one might ask why?
00:11:34.456 --> 00:11:36.384
How does all this represent success?
00:11:36.384 --> 00:11:40.284
How does it actually win basketball games?
00:11:40.284 --> 00:11:58.525
Well, first, here is how Coach Wooden defined success, way back at his first coaching job outside Cincinnati, ohio, in a small town called Dayton but it was Dayton, kentucky, small little burg across the Ohio River from Cincinnati.
00:11:58.525 --> 00:12:03.947
That is where John Wooden first blew his first coaching whistle.
00:12:03.947 --> 00:12:09.025
That's when he started to develop this curriculum of the Pyramid of Success.
00:12:09.025 --> 00:12:12.745
For Coach Wooden, here's how he defined success.
00:12:14.436 --> 00:12:25.890
As a teacher, coach and leader, my goal was always to help those under my leadership reach the ultimate level of their competency, both individually and as protective members of our team.
00:12:25.890 --> 00:12:40.541
Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to do your best of which you are capable, to do your best of which you are capable.
00:12:40.541 --> 00:12:48.239
So again, one might ask how does this represent success and how does it actually win basketball games?
00:12:48.239 --> 00:13:13.023
Well, if you have eyes to see, you can connect the dots that creating a good character in men on the basketball team ultimately would lead to some pretty good teams, and by having some pretty good teams, coach Wooden's status as a great coach would rise to the surface, and that is ultimately what happened.
00:13:14.556 --> 00:13:17.966
He was named the greatest coach of all time by the Sporting News in 2009.
00:13:17.966 --> 00:13:23.989
He was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player in 1960 and as a coach in 1973.
00:13:23.989 --> 00:13:36.049
He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2003, and he continues to inspire coaches daily and leaders decades after his retirement.
00:13:36.049 --> 00:13:49.366
That's not to mention that the actual accolades did come 10 NCAA National Championships, including those seven consecutive titles from 67 to 73.
00:13:49.366 --> 00:14:09.446
That 88-game winning streak spanning over four seasons, unmatched since then, four perfect 30-0 seasons, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories and again that overall record of 620-147 for a winning percentage of 808.
00:14:09.446 --> 00:14:11.089
Unheard of.
00:14:12.475 --> 00:14:24.100
So in today's Mojo Minute, let's put theory to action on just one of these 15 qualities we heard about from Wooden's Pyramid of Success, which one resonated with you when you heard it?
00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:36.539
Let's act on that today Because, as the great 19th century poet Ralph Waldo Emerson reminds us, the force of character is cumulative.
00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:52.427
Wooden's combination of on-court success and lasting impact on his players' lives and the enduring influence on the leadership philosophy in basketball makes him a compelling case for the greatest basketball coach of all time.
00:14:52.427 --> 00:15:03.107
And as we know from that Egyptian proverb, man fears time, but time fears the pyramids.
00:15:03.107 --> 00:15:08.067
The Great Pyramid of Giza was built to last and it did.
00:15:08.067 --> 00:15:16.149
And some 91 years later, wooden's Success Pyramid is aging quite well.
00:15:16.149 --> 00:15:23.077
We would do well to learn from it, especially if we are building a flourishing life.
00:15:25.140 --> 00:15:26.384
Thank you for joining us.
00:15:26.384 --> 00:15:29.750
We hope you enjoyed this Theory to Action podcast.
00:15:29.750 --> 00:15:38.945
Be sure to check out our show page at teammojoacademycom, where we have everything we discussed in this podcast, as well as other great resources.
00:15:46.596 --> 00:15:57.179
Until next time, keep getting your mojo on.
00:00:07.612 --> 00:00:20.807
00:00:20.807 --> 00:00:24.850
00:00:26.400 --> 00:00:29.827
00:00:29.827 --> 00:00:34.621
00:00:34.621 --> 00:00:42.521
00:00:42.521 --> 00:00:46.813
00:00:46.813 --> 00:01:03.365
00:01:03.365 --> 00:01:18.831
00:01:18.831 --> 00:01:29.513
00:01:29.513 --> 00:01:34.210
00:01:34.210 --> 00:01:49.424
00:01:49.424 --> 00:01:59.337
00:01:59.337 --> 00:02:08.824
00:02:08.824 --> 00:02:16.324
00:02:16.324 --> 00:02:20.933
00:02:20.933 --> 00:02:36.067
00:02:37.591 --> 00:02:46.893
00:02:46.893 --> 00:02:50.544
00:02:50.544 --> 00:03:21.973
00:03:21.973 --> 00:03:27.692
00:03:27.692 --> 00:03:35.522
00:03:35.522 --> 00:03:43.048
00:03:43.048 --> 00:03:46.514
00:03:46.514 --> 00:03:53.652
00:03:53.652 --> 00:04:04.112
00:04:04.112 --> 00:04:08.628
00:04:08.628 --> 00:04:10.092
00:04:12.001 --> 00:04:15.330
00:04:15.330 --> 00:04:22.339
00:04:22.339 --> 00:04:32.240
00:04:32.240 --> 00:04:47.334
00:04:47.334 --> 00:05:03.250
00:05:03.250 --> 00:05:10.410
00:05:10.410 --> 00:05:21.223
00:05:21.223 --> 00:05:25.350
00:05:26.492 --> 00:05:50.555
00:05:50.555 --> 00:05:59.954
00:05:59.954 --> 00:06:06.855
00:06:06.855 --> 00:06:14.690
00:06:14.690 --> 00:06:45.826
00:06:45.826 --> 00:06:52.567
00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:06.634
00:07:06.634 --> 00:07:27.923
00:07:27.923 --> 00:07:36.009
00:07:36.009 --> 00:07:43.536
00:07:43.536 --> 00:07:59.064
00:07:59.064 --> 00:08:04.274
00:08:04.274 --> 00:08:06.942
00:08:08.526 --> 00:08:13.995
00:08:13.995 --> 00:08:20.353
00:08:20.353 --> 00:08:30.995
00:08:30.995 --> 00:08:34.147
00:08:34.147 --> 00:08:35.671
00:08:35.671 --> 00:08:53.528
00:08:53.528 --> 00:08:58.804
00:08:58.804 --> 00:09:09.086
00:09:09.086 --> 00:09:11.649
00:09:11.649 --> 00:09:22.734
00:09:24.221 --> 00:09:30.187
00:09:30.187 --> 00:09:36.495
00:09:36.495 --> 00:09:49.815
00:09:49.815 --> 00:09:57.407
00:09:57.407 --> 00:10:06.673
00:10:06.673 --> 00:10:11.750
00:10:11.750 --> 00:10:18.820
00:10:18.820 --> 00:10:26.583
00:10:26.583 --> 00:10:36.631
00:10:36.631 --> 00:10:41.168
00:10:41.168 --> 00:10:45.630
00:10:46.921 --> 00:10:56.981
00:10:56.981 --> 00:11:00.009
00:11:00.009 --> 00:11:11.664
00:11:11.664 --> 00:11:21.712
00:11:21.712 --> 00:11:29.190
00:11:29.190 --> 00:11:33.410
00:11:34.456 --> 00:11:36.384
00:11:36.384 --> 00:11:40.284
00:11:40.284 --> 00:11:58.525
00:11:58.525 --> 00:12:03.947
00:12:03.947 --> 00:12:09.025
00:12:09.025 --> 00:12:12.745
00:12:14.436 --> 00:12:25.890
00:12:25.890 --> 00:12:40.541
00:12:40.541 --> 00:12:48.239
00:12:48.239 --> 00:13:13.023
00:13:14.556 --> 00:13:17.966
00:13:17.966 --> 00:13:23.989
00:13:23.989 --> 00:13:36.049
00:13:36.049 --> 00:13:49.366
00:13:49.366 --> 00:14:09.446
00:14:09.446 --> 00:14:11.089
00:14:12.475 --> 00:14:24.100
00:14:24.100 --> 00:14:36.539
00:14:36.539 --> 00:14:52.427
00:14:52.427 --> 00:15:03.107
00:15:03.107 --> 00:15:08.067
00:15:08.067 --> 00:15:16.149
00:15:16.149 --> 00:15:23.077
00:15:25.140 --> 00:15:26.384
00:15:26.384 --> 00:15:29.750
00:15:29.750 --> 00:15:38.945
00:15:46.596 --> 00:15:57.179
