Wooden, Part 3

The next level (second level) of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success is comprised of the building blocks of Self-control, Alertness, Initiative, and Intentness. 

 

Self-control.  Coach Wooden was not one to rant and rave, nor curse or disparage.  He expected control of himself, and he expected it of his assistants and his players.  Self-control, self-discipline and mastery of emotions lead to much more stable and productive action than adrenalin and emotion. He knew that when self-discipline breaks down your judgment and common sense suffers.  If self-control, self-discipline broke down for one of his players he would have to discipline the young man, but he never did it to punish.  He said, “You discipline to help, to improve, to correct, to prevent, not to punish, humiliate, or retaliate.” 

Alertness is another second-tier building block.  Tunnel vision prevents us from being alert to what is going on around us—it keeps us from obtaining the larger picture.  He expected that those in his charge keep their eyes moving, be constantly observing, quick to spot a weakness in self or others and learn from it. 

Initiative.  He used this term in the context of not being afraid to fail.  He wanted his athletes to make decisions and then take action.  If you are afraid to try, afraid to fail (and all winners fail often), then you defeat yourself.

Intentness.  This is the ability “to stay the course, to concentrate on your objective with determination and resolve.”  He said, “The road to real achievement takes time, a long time, but you do not give up.  You may have setbacks.  You may have to start over. You may have to change your method.  You may have to go around, or over, or under.  But you do not quit.”

The third level of The Pyramid were Condition, Skill, and Team Spirit. 

Conditioning meant physical, mental, and moral conditioning.  General conditioning is good, but one needs specific conditioning; every task has its own requirements and you must train to those requirements. 

 

Skill.  This building block is at the very center of the Pyramid.  You need to develop skills necessary to do your job quickly and properly.  It means being able to execute all your job, not just part of it.  “As much as I value experience, and I value it greatly, I’d rather have a lot of skill and little experience than a lot of experience and little skill,” he said.

Team Spirit.  This means thinking of others—doing things for the good of the group and not just for yourself.  It means sacrificing personal interest or glory for the welfare of all.  And it means being eager to do it. 

 

I will discuss the penultimate building blocks of Poise and Confidence and finally the last block of the Pyramid, Competitive Greatness,  in my next posting.  I will also remark on the mortar that holds it all together and the meaning of the Apex of Success.