Final Four Predictions

HOT READS FOR THE PRACTIONER 

Title: My Personal Best

Competencies:  self-development, team building, interpersonal/intrapersonal skills, achievement orientation, self-control, building trust

 Who benefits:  any individual, coaches, team facilitators and team leaders, managers and supervisors, teenagers 

Consultant Usage:  training related to emotional intelligence, team building, one-on-one coaching

What’s it about?  Over this past holiday season a wonderful, thoughtful and valued friend gave me the book My Personal Best by John Wooden (which I have since shared with my 13-year-old grandson for reasons listed below).  If you are not up on your college basketball, let me just say that John Wooden is considered by many to the greatest college basketball coach of all time. 

If you are a college basketball fan, then you know we are in March Madness, the best time of the year for college basketball.  As of this writing, there are four teams left in the championship tournament, with the semifinals on Saturday and the national championship game on Monday night. 

At the end of this entry today I am going to predict the winner.  I am absolutely sure that I am right.  Check it out and see if you don’t agree with my reasoning.

Now why am I reviewing … and highly recommending … this book in this weekly column?  Let me tell a quick story that ties into the answer to my question.  Many years ago I was on a business trip flying to or back from somewhere — the “where” was overshadowed by the flight.  One of the other passengers was Coach Wooden.  I was then and still am one of his greatest fans.  The seat next to him was empty.  I finally got up the courage to go over to speak to him.  I asked if we could talk.  I still remember the sound of his voice when he responded.  He said “Sure, about anything but basketball.”  Delighted, I sat down with him and for the rest of the flight we talked mainly about his philosophy of life as contained in his Pyramid of Success.

While we never talked specifically about basketball, I noted that he referred to himself as a teacher and that in everything he taught began with building character.  If a player didn’t have character, he didn’t play. 

Many people have referred to Coach Wooden as Mr. Basketball.  I think of him as Mr. Emotional Intelligence.  His Pyramid of Success has 15 building blocks.  Here is a partial list: Cooperation, Self-Control, Initiative, Enthusiasm, Team Spirit.  Sound familiar?  These are life-long qualities and along with the other building blocks add up to his definition of success: “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.” 

Another valuable contribution to the book is Coach Wooden’s discussions of the mistakes he made along the way and how he corrected them.  He also notes flaws in his make up that he feels kept him from being even a better person and better coach.  The candor is extraordinary.  This man has incredible intrapersonal skills. 

Here are two other great quotes from the book: “ A good teacher or coach must not only understand others, but himself or herself as well.”  “Success is not something that others can give to you.”

This book isn’t for everyone, but it a good and quick read if you are any of the following:

• A manager or supervisor of others
• A group facilitator, team leader or member of a team
• Interested in applied interpersonal and intrapersonal skills
• Interested in fulfilling your potential

 And come to think of it, if you are not on the above list, perhaps you should be. 

Oh yeah, my prediction.  One of the teams left is UCLA.  Coach Wooden was their coach for many years.  I have followed them and rooted for them for since my teen years (which is hard to believe since my ties are to their cross-town rivals).  I will be again rooting vigorously for UCLA on Saturday. 

But who do I think will win?  Why the team that most closely emulates Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.  The team whose players most resemble the 15 building blocks and who are most willing to sacrifice personal glory for the good of the group.  Trust me on this! 

 [tags]motivation, self-development, self-control, initiative, cooperation, team building, team spirit, building trust, emotional intelligence, pyramid of success, john wooden, coach wooden, bill bradley, william bradley,  bradley, Final Four, March Madness, NCAA Tournament, NCAA basketball, UCLA, Bruins[/tags]

Bill Bradley

Bill Bradley (mostly) retired after 35 years in organizational consulting, training and management development. During those years he worked internally with seven organizations and trained and consulted externally with more than 90 large and small businesses, government agencies, hospitals and schools.