Pyramid Power

Coach Sonny Lane introduced us to John Wooden's "Pyramid of Success" over forty years ago and the pyramid's power persists. 

Wooden, trained as an English teacher, sought to define the values that produced competitive greatness. He didn't talk about winning, only doing your best. Psychology researchers Gallimore and Tharp studied Wooden's methods (1976) and found them compelling. 

Here are a few highlights. The cornerstones are industriousness and enthusiasm. Industriousness implies not just doing the work, but willingness to do so. The old saying goes "nothing great is accomplished without enthusiasm." Blind enthusiasm falls short, but positive attitudes allow little things to make big things happen. 

At the core of the pyramid are skill development, conditioning, and team spirit. Skills evolve from perfect practice, the software upgrades that produce 'hardware' changes in our brain via myelin deposition. Conditioning implies stretching both our physical and mental growth. Leaving our comfort zone allows us to reach for higher performance. Team spirit allows a group of individuals to exceed the sum of the parts. Kevin Sivils, a Texas basketball coach, has the TEAM award, where his team votes on the 'best teammate'. The TEAM award is the highest honor in his program. 

Near the top of the pyramid are poise and confidence. Competitors maintain their focus under pressure or adversity. They remain confident using the hardwired bandwidth from 'deliberate practice' and previous success. 

Flanking poise and confidence are faith and patience, or as I emphasize, belief and time. We must reinforce to our 'team', which could be our family, community, business, or sports team the four most important words. "I believe in you." 

The Pyramid of Success works just as well today as during Coach Wooden's years, when his UCLA Bruins won ten NCAA basketball championships, including nine consecutively.