preview

Coach Wooden Leadership Essay

Good Essays

Throughout the years, leadership has played a significant role in the world of athletics. Whether it is coming from a coach or a player, leadership is no doubt the most important role one can hold; leadership can make or break a team. John C. Maxwell put it clearly when he stated that “everything rises and falls on leadership”. When looking at leadership as it relates to sports one must first define leadership. Barrow (1977) defined leadership as “the behavioral process of influencing individuals and groups towards set goals” (p.232). This definition puts an emphasis on vision of a leader while it also highlights the importance of the interaction between the leader and the group members. Leaders play an important role in the success of the …show more content…

One of the greatest and most influential leaders in sports was Coach John Wooden. Coach Wooden was a basketball coach for the University of California at Los Angeles where he led the Bruins to ten NCAA national championships in a twelve-year period. He is known as one of the most successful and influential coaches. He no doubt epitomized the very best leadership - in and out of sports. Coach Joh Wooden created a famous triangular diagram and named it “The Pyramid of Success.” This diagram listed the twenty-five characters and traits a leader must have to be successful. The bottom foundation of the pyramid listed five important characteristics which were; industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, and enthusiasm. The next layer of the pyramid includes self-control, alertness, initiative, and intentness. On top of that lies condition, skill, and team spirit. The next layer contains poise and confidence and the top layer hold competitive greatness. Surrounding the period is some other behaviors and traits that one should withhold. These include things such as ambition, adaptability, resourcefulness, fight, faith, patience, integrity, reliability, honesty, and sincerity. This is the “map” Coach Wooden used to form his legacy of success. Coach Wooden stated that “the most powerful leadership tool you have is your own personal example.” Coach Wooden understood that he had to hold those behaviors and traits as a person to set an example and lead the people around him to

Get Access