"We must be challenged to improve, and adversity is the challenger." These are but the great words of the basketball and real-life legacy John Wooden. Both an all-star coach and player, Wooden lived by the words he preached. Your classic underdog, John Wooden began a small farm boy, and through his determination and dedication alone, climbed the ranks to play even the national championship. Due to Wooden’s insane commitment and overall excellence, he's considered to many a legacy to this day for so many reasons. Coach John Wooden came from a small farming background, yet he still defined all the odds and became a legacy. Despite his “upbringing on a farm with no electricity and little money…” (Biography.com) Wooden wasn't discouraged or resentful …show more content…
Not only did he train himself on the etiquette of the game, but he “instilled some much-needed discipline into his players…” (Biography.com). The teams he took over for constantly and consistently won subsequent to his arrival. This was clearly no coincidence. The direct correlation could be attributed to his unbelievable coaching. He “forbade them from cursing and criticizing each other.” (Biography.com). This evidently proves Wooden’s admirable character. He applied that to the court, and got amazing results. Wooden employed team-building strategies, ensured everyone supported each other, and attempted to build and enhance the players’ self-esteem. Such qualities account for the reason why Coach John Wooden is such a world-renowned player and coach to this …show more content…
As the magazine Leadership Lessons from Coach John Wooden states, in the section From Business to Community, “The wisdom in Wooden’s words is not limited to the basketball court; they can be applied to all areas of life - especially business.” This is excellently demonstrated with Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. It describes goals, or elements to success, for anybody. Examples include confidence, loyalty, cooperation and teamwork, along with many others. A real-life example that applies to this aspect would be exemplified by blogger Darren Rowse, as From Business to Community explains. His company had accidentally sent the wrong e-mail to over a million people – people immediately unsubscribed and were complaining. Instead of making excuses, Rowse quickly drafted an apology e-mail – making the responsible decision. One would be able to conclude that virtues such as loyalty and cooperation come into play far beyond basketball. According to the article The Pyramid of Success by John Wooden, from coachjohnwooden.com, “The Pyramid of Success… was a tool that he used to help develop his athletes’ bodies, minds, and souls,” but “…leaders in every field from business education and medicine use