This is going to be a several part series on the salient points from John Wooden's Leadership Game Plan for Success
Part One: Origins of Leadership: A Compass for Core Values
Most of John Wooden's core values came from his modest upbringings on the family farm in Centerton, Indiana. From this, Coach Wooden developed his "Compass for Core Values." Four core principles represented the four points of his Moral Compass and there are centered around ethics and attitudes. "Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation. Character is what you really are. Reputation is what people say you are. Character is more important."
Four Navigation Points of Coach Wooden's Compass:
1. The Golden Rule - Simply treat other's the way you would have them treat you. This is based on Matthew 7:12.
2. Dad's Two Sets of Three - These were planted in each of the four boys, including Coach Wooden, from his father. The first set have to do with integrity: Never Lie - Never Cheat - Never Steal The second set have to do with how to face adversity: Don't Whine - Don't Complain - Don't make Excuses
3. The Caution against Comparisons - "Don't worry about being better than somebody else, but never cease trying to be the best that you can be. You have control over that. Not the other.
4. Dad's Seven Point Creed: A graduation gift from Coach Wooden's Father was a two-dollar bill and 3x5 card on which he had written this: Be true to yourself; Help others; Make each day your masterpiece; Drink deeply from good books - including the Good Book; Make friendship a fine art; Build a shelter against a rainy day; Pray for guidance, count and give thanks for you blessings every day.
Commentary
I very much enjoyed the process this book is presenting. From the start, you understand the foundation of Coach Wooden's philosophy of Leadership - not just leadership, but life. Seemingly, it is a combination of home spun philosophy, biblical truths and experience handed down from his father. It seems simplistic, but it is a solid of a foundation as one could ask for.
To the authors credit, he doesn't go on for pages and pages of examples to support the points being made. It is almost a minimalist approach as he writes - principle, simple explanation, supporting example of anecdote. Simple, straight-forward, concise - much like Coach Wooden.
From this foundation, the rest of the book seems to flow. Looking forward to posting the next section.
