Method in Madness

March 20, 2023?

Dear Leaders,?

March Madness in the USA – a term used to describe the college basketball playoffs in which there is one simple rule:?get in and win.?68 teams vie for the championship where it’s win or go home.?Despite cultural changes, it’s still large schools against small schools, David versus Goliath, and make or break for reputations and school honor.?In the history of this event, one man stands in a class by himself:?John Wooden.?He coached at the University of California at Los Angeles for 28 years, establishing an unmatched winning tradition, and also developing the Pyramid of Success, a model for achievement that, while less known than his coaching prowess, is a solid structure of leadership.?

Coach Wooden started at UCLA in 1948 and his teams were immediately winners.?They became regular contenders, and from 1964 to 1975, his teams won 10 national championships in the 12-year span, including seven consecutive titles, three undefeated seasons, and 88 straight wins in one stretch.?So dominant were his teams, the talk at the beginning of the season was which team would come in second place, and when the win streak ended, it was an epoch event.?He doesn’t have the most career wins, but his legacy looms so large that he remains the standard as a college coach, and although the school has won only a single championship since his retirement, UCLA retains a reputation as a “basketball school.”??

Beyond simply coaching and winning, John Wooden believed in developing character in his players and they responded with a loyalty so intense that nearly all of them stayed in contact with him up to the time of his death at age 99.?He never swore, yet his players knew that if he said, “Goodness, gracious, sakes alive!”, he was not happy.?He worked them hard, coached them to be winners on and off the court, and expected that they would graduate, which they did.?Many went on to professional basketball careers, and even for those that did not, they attributed their success in life to him.?????

A firm base in character and integrity was part of Coach Wooden’s upbringing, and he expressed this in his seven-point creed that he received from his father upon completing primary school:

1. Be true to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.

Simplistic in appearance, and rooted in previous centuries, these rules remain nonetheless a great foundation of personal conduct and living.?Drawing on what was instilled in him over the years, he developed what he called the Pyramid of Success.?Formally introduced in 1948, long before many of the other modern takes on leadership and personal development, it consists not only of building blocks of action but also has finishing pieces of character qualities that, put together, lead to success.?The blocks culminate in poise, confidence, and competitive greatness, with a strong focus on the individual being part of a team, and the compilation of it all being achieving success.?Detailed discussion would make for an entire semester of material.?You can read them below, and for more details, check the Wooden legacy website at https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/pyramid-of-success/.?

As leaders, our characteristics and actions define who we are and establish, or break, our credibility.?Like the pyramid, they are interlocking, mutually supporting, and provide a solid, yet smooth exterior.?Without one, the pyramid is incomplete, and might even collapse.?The best part is that they don’t take any real effort, for as you demonstrate these traits and characteristics, they become part of your normal life.?Beyond exhibiting them, like the solid structure they depict, you solidify your legacy by passing them on to others in teaching, coaching, and mentoring.??

No one stays on the job forever, but the legacy you leave lasts for years beyond your departure.?While few of us are in position to become the larger-than-life icon that John Wooden was, in living your personal and professional life aligned with his Pyramid of Success as part of your leadership legacy, you too will leave a spirit that walks the halls long after you depart.??

Sincerely,

Tim