Successful Leaders Know their "Why"

When I think of successful leaders, the accomplished UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, comes to mind. He won 10 NCAA Division 1 basketball titles in 12 years and coached some of the greatest players of all time the likes of Kareen Abdul-Jabbar and Gail Goodrich. But what made Coach Wooden so successful? What was his secret sauce?

Coach Wooden never forgot his main purpose for coaching. It was not about winning, fame, fortune, and glory, although he did achieve this status. It was about him teaching his players what he believed to be the attributes of greatness, and he codified these attributes in his highly acclaimed “Pyramid of Success” (See Below). Player qualities such as industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, and enthusiasm, are at the base of the pyramid, and were the foundation upon which his success was realized. If any one of these attributes were missing, the entire pyramid would topple over. Summarily, each layer in the pyramid became the base for the layer above it, and the sum total of all five layers of attributes led to what John Wooden called “competitive greatness” situated atop the apex of the pyramid. When players, collectively, achieved “competitive greatness”, winning and championships would follow. John Wooden was a master teacher who transformed his athletes from ordinary to extraordinary human beings and players.

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Make no mistake, there are other successful coaches who promoted similar attributes in their players. Mike Krzysewski from Duke, Lou Carnesecca from St. Johns, and Jim Boeheim from Syracuse, were also celebrated coaches with winning teams who understood that success is derived from teaching their players similar attributes as Coach Wooden did. Interestingly, the two characteristics they seem to have in common was knowing their “why” to be teachers first, and that winning came as a result of great skill combined with exceptional personal characteristics.

History has informed us that successful coaches know their “why” by teaching their players to exude greatness on and off the court. Successful school leaders must also know their “why.” Having spent 41 years in public education, I came in contact with many powerful leaders. Regardless of their leadership styles, whether transformational, transactional, participative, or moral, for example, consciously or unconsciously, these leaders taught and modeled their foundational attributes as did John Wooden, Mike Krzysewski, Lou Carnesecca, and Jim Boeheim. They knew their purpose and the critical work necessary to accomplish their goals.

?A similar “Pyramid of Success” to John Wooden (See Below) can be repurposed and used to anchor your “why” and inspire your learners. For example, I created a sample pyramid symbolic of my “why” for students to become independent learners and thinkers.

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Harvard educated Lee Kuan Yew (LKY), the late prime minister of Singapore, knew his “why.” An out-spoken leader with a clear vision, he understood that Singapore’s national interest was best served by achieving “economic viability and security” (Kissinger, 2022, p280). During his term as prime minister from 1959-1990, he recognized that education was central to both the economy and the Singapore nation (OECS, 2011). In the last decade, Singapore dominated the educational systems around the globe and ranked # 1 in reading, math, and science, as measured by the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). Today, education is the second highest expenditure in Singapore’s economy as evidence of the high value the Singapore government and people place on education (OECD, 2011, p165). In conclusion, successful leaders in sports, education, and politics are razor focused on their “why.”

?In the articles to follow, I will examine the redeeming characteristics of the top 10 educational systems in the world according to PISA to help inform our “why” and, hopefully, raise our institutions and leadership success to even greater heights.

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References

Kissinger, H. (2022). Leadership: Six studies in world strategy. New York: Penquin Press

OECS (2011). Strong performers and successful reformers in education: Lessons from PISA for the United States. Chapter 7: Singapore: Rapid improvement followed by strong performance.