Coach Wooden: The 7 Principles That Shaped His Life and Will Change Yours

Last October I was fortunate enough to hear Pat Williams address the student body of Liberty University on the "7 Sides of Leadership". This made the decision easy when I learned he had authored this work on the leadership principles of Coach John Wooden, one of America's most successful college coaches, having led UCLA to 88 consecutive wins, ten NCAA championships, and 38 consecutive NCAA tournament victories before his retirement in 1975. He coached many players who later played in the NBA. While I expected this book to be a refresher of Williams' speech, even with the overlapping concepts, I was left with the challenge of implementing additional disciplines in my life. Williams' 7 Sides of Leadership were to: 1. Have a VISION 2. Communicate your VISION 3. Possess People Skills 4. Understand that Character counts 5. Have Competence 6. Possess Boldness 7. Lead with A Serving HeartWilliams writes about the great influence Wooden had on all those around him, making it clear that his list was directly influenced by Wooden's 7 life-shaping principles: 1. Be True To Yourself 2. Help Others 3. Make Each Day Your Masterpiece 4. Drink Deeply from Good Books, Especially the Bible 5. Make Friendship a Fine Art 6. Build a Shelter against a Rainy Day by the Life You Life 7. Pray for Guidance and Counsel, and Give Thanks for Your Blessings Each DayMy favorite of the seven is to "make each day your masterpiece". While working in radio, I used to have a co-worker who would close each newscast with "make it a great day". It sounded odd to me years ago, but now I get it. It means `make each day your masterpiece'. Don't just passively `have a great day' but understand that the quality of your day depends on you, it's something you initiate.Another most impressive take-away from Wooden is his relationship with his father, who is referenced at least 100 times in the book. Once Wooden was asked how he would like to be remembered at the end of his life and he answered without the slightest hesitation, "I would like to be remembered as a man who came as close as possible to being like my father." What an amazing legacy.This easy-read will both challenge and inspire you, sports fan or not. I highly recommend it and leave you with some additional Woodenisms: * The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones. * Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there. * Discipline yourself and others won't need to. * It is what you learn after you know it all that counts. * Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

This book was in near perfect, like new shape, and is a truly fantastic read.

When Coach Wooden passed away last year I read about the card he kept in his pocket listing the 7 principles his father taught him. I was intrigued. I copied the list and carried it around but I felt something was missing--I wanted to know more about these principles and how to live them in my life.I was pleasantly surprised and happy to find that Pat Williams has written exactly the book I wanted. I've read his work in the past and knew he was the perfect person to really get at the heart of these principles. Mr. Williams is an innate storyteller and has the kind of curiosity that allows him to ask all the right questions. He interviewed many people close to Wooden to fully understand the man who gave Coach Wooden the principles--his father, Joshua Hugh Wooden. When you know the story you'll see how important these principles become because of how the coach's father lived them.The book then goes through each principle in detail and gives helpful tips on implementing them daily. It's so useful in this respect that it will probably be always on my desk and not on the shelf!On the whole, I highly recommend this book. And don't worry--even though Coach Wooden coached basketball and Pat Williams is senior Vice President of the NBA team the Orlando Magic, this book is not about basketball. It's about life.

I recently heard Pat Williams speak at the Ocean City (NJ) Tabernacle about his book, 'Coach Wooden: The 7 Principles That Shaped His Life and Will Change Yours.' I was so deeply moved and inspired by what I was hearing, I couldn't wait to purchase the book! I would have purchased it right there at the Tabernacle, but they announced that all the books that Pat brought with him were 'gobbled up' by the people who attended the first service! I went to Amazon when I got home and ordered two, one for each of my grown daughters!Coach John Wooden's father, Joshua Wooden, handed his son a piece of paper with 7 Principals to live by when he was a young boy. As Pat Williams suggested in his speech, most young boys would have turned it into a paper airplane, but, John Wooded kept it in his wallet his entire life. He didn't just keep it in his wallet, he kept it in his mind, heart and soul and shared it with anyone and everyone he came in contact with. I cried as I read along feeling the impact of the stories and realizing how the principals related to my own life. Pat Williams does an exceptional job of relaying these simple yet profound principles of life to the reader.

For those of you who are Wooden-o-philes, you'll love this fresh approach to the 7 principles. If you've never read John Wooden, this is a great introduction. I have been a fan of Pat Williams for years from his radio appearances on Sports Talk and Christian Radio programs. During my reading "Coach Wooden", I was constantly writing down notes and highlighting comments and stories to share with my kids or friends. I literally have quoted from this book a hundred times since I read it. This would be a great gift to your sales team, a friend, and especially to your kids. I am making my son read it as an introduction to John Wooden.My favorite chapter is on "making each day your masterpiece". I had read that many times in the past but I just guess it rang truest as I had many opportunities to try and put it into action in the days after I read it that it has really struck a nerve.The underlying theme is the fact that this man who has impacted so many lives was prepared to do so by his father, who was not famous, not honored, but true to his principles. I highly recommend this book.

Great read on the humble life...the chapter drinking from many books especially the Bible has challenged my reading appetite.

J'ai bien aimé ce livre. Les 7 principales de Wooden ...excellent! Je le recommande à tous , mais surtout aux entraîneurs de sport.

私の自己啓発の本のオススメNo. 1です。もう何度読み返したか分かりません。WoodenコーチはNBAで伝説のプレイヤーのジャバーを育てた全米大学バスケのコーチです。10回の全米チャンピオンに導いたコーチとしての実績は華々しいように見えますが、彼は選手への惜しみ無い愛情を持った偉大な教育者でした。そのWooden コーチの生きざまのベースを作ったのは、父ヨシュアが幼きWoodenコーチに授けた7つの教えだったとのこと。この本は、その7つの教えをWooden コーチが生涯を通して如何に体現されたかを様々な角度から示し、自分自身の生きざまを内省する機会を与えてくれます。私はアドラー心理学を学んだあとに、この本を読んで、この7つの教えにアドラー心理学に共通するものを感じました。アドラー心理学を実際に体現すると、どんな人生を歩むのか、Woodenコーチの生涯から見えるものがあるでしょう。なお、著者の英語は平易な表現ながら、テンポのよい文章で、よみやすいです。仕事でも使い回せるような、英語らしい表現が満載ですので、英語の勉強としてもオススメの一冊です。あと、一章の父ヨシュアが苦難な状況の中で息子4人を立派に育てたエピソードのところで、私は不覚にも号泣してしまいました。全編に渡って、家族、チーム内など、愛情満載の話が展開されます。このレビューで少しでも多くの人がこの本を読んでいただければ嬉しいです。