The Power of Mentoring
By John Wooden & Don Yeager
New York, NY: Bloomsbury USA, 2009. 191pp.
"With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as God gives us to the see the righ, let us stive on to finish the work we are in, to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations" (p.80).
Those who have been mentored by Wooden recall his mantras including:
- "Be quick, but don't hurry. Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. Never mistake activity for achievement. Happiness begins when selfishness ends" (p.123, Bill Walton).
- "I initially remember dismissing the Pyramid handout he (Wooden) provided all his players as being "silly". It looked like nothing more than a collection of words with no recognized order. But the longer I was there, the more sense it made. One of the advantages of getting older is getting wiser, and in time I've grown to appreciate the pyramid and will tell you today that it has been the foundation for my life's work, on and off the court" (p.115, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
- "Winning isn't the way you measure success...the seeds of success were sown on the practice court" (p.133, Andy Hill)
- "Don't complain. Keep your head down. Keep doing the right thing" (p.136, Andy Hill).
- "Nobody is bigger than the team" (p.165, Bob Vigars).
- "Make each day your masterpiece" (p.176, Cori Nicholson).
7 Rules For Living [Given to him by his father, Joshua Wooden] [p.13]
1. Be True to yourself.
2. Make each day your masterpiece.
3. Help others.
4. Drink deeply from good books.
5. Make friendship a fine art.
6. Build a shelter against a rainy day.
7. Pray for guidance and give thanks for your blessings every day.
Wooden’s Pyramid of Success:
Who are some of my mentors and how are they impacting me? Who am I seeking out to learn from? What can I learn from leaders who have gone before me? Feel free to share your thoughts?
To find out more about John Wooden go to: http://www.woodencourse.com/ or http://www.coachwooden.com/
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—Pat Williams, Sr. Vice President, Orlando Magic, author of Extreme Dreams Depend on Teams