John Wooden on Leadership

I tend not to read much on leadership anymore. Much of the literature on leadership today lacks in quality. But I do come across some good information on leadership here and there.

Since I’m a toastmaster’s member I get the quarterly magazines from Toastmasters International.

The most recent issue has a great interview from John Wooden know as Coach Wooden. The article got my attention because of his track record. Not only does he speak on leadership but he has been a great leader (he is 97 years old). He coached at the University of California (UCLA) from1948 to 1975 and won 10 U.S. national championships.

He says that he didn’t like the definition on success in the Webster dictionary which is base on material possessions. He coined his own definition in 1934 which is:

“Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”

Here are a few other quotes from him.

“A good banker isn’t careless with pennies; a good leader isn’t sloppy about details.”

“Effective leaders are, first and foremost, good teachers. We’re in the education business.”

I found his book on Amazon which I will read sometime in the future.

Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden

Wooden also developed the “Pyramid of Success” called “Wooden on Leadership” with 12 lessons on leadership. Click here to get it.