Reviews for The Essential Wooden

The Essential Wooden by John Wooden, Steve Jamison Summary and Reviews

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Book Reviews of The Essential Wooden

Book Review: Quick read, gread value
Summary: 5 Stars

Here is a book that is sure to inspire you. From the first pages it grips you, then keeps your attention until the very end. Wooden's philosophy emphasizes that sucess is not measured in "bottom-line" results -- such as games won, sales figures, or other analogous metrics -- but rather on reaching the maximum potential one can achieve -- either individually or as a team. The measure of this becomes self-evident through honest preparation, intensity of practice, selflessness, and so-on. End results, then, are simply byproducts of hard work that was paid up front. Other discussions center around concepts of teamwork, and how to handle people. These have value for everyone, not just leaders and players.
The book is an easy read, and very well written. You won't be disappointed with this one.

Book Review: Words of wisdom from a master
Summary: 4 Stars

Each page in this terrific book offers nuggets of wisdom from one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time. John Wooden's UCLA teams won 10 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) championships in 12 years, including 88 consecutive winning games, setting legendary and enduring records. But the way Wooden's players behaved was even more impressive than the number of games they won. Never arrogant, the Bruins epitomized self-control and teamwork - unselfish, disciplined and intense. An outstanding tactician, Wooden recruited superbly talented athletes. However, he always believed that basketball was merely a vehicle for teaching his players about life and what really matters, hence this book of maxims and advice. Coach Wooden's principles about leadership and individual potential extend far beyond the basketball court. He does not define success just as victory, but as a full, complete team effort. We recommend this book to everyone, no matter what game you play or lead.

Book Review: The John Wooden method of success.
Summary: 4 Stars

When it comes to leadership and team building, few professions compare with the ranks of organized sports coaches. From the ranks of coaching we have been given a vastness of leadership training with which to shape and improve our lives. Every venue of athletics has made its' coaching contributions. From football, we have the hard nosed precision of Vince Lombardi and the stoic presence of Bear Bryant. Baseball has given us the lighthearted leadership of Casey Stengal and the chess game cunning of Jim Leyland. Boxing has produced such brilliant motivators as Lou Duva and the no-nonsense yet compassionate Eddie Futch. And basketball has been no exception from the explosive emotionalism of Bobby Knight to the intensity of Pat Summitt. But even among such greats as these, when it comes down to success, few can even be mentioned with the name of John Wooden.

His leadership and team building philosophy differs from many, lacking the emotionalism and intensity of what coaches typically display, and I wont go so far as to say Wooden's methods are better, but they certainly proved to be a championship building formula for him. In fact, Wooden even guarded against allowing emotions to reign supreme in his players.

The book focuses primarily on Wooden's 15 component Pyramid of Success. Wooden explains why each component is a part of the pyramid and why it is located where it is within the pyramid. There are also bits and pieces of letters to his teams as well as brief comments from his former players throughout the book.

I don't believe this is the best book with Wooden's name on it, but it is certainly, as expected, filled with sage advice ranging from simple profound statements to more complex principles of leadership, team building and ultimately, success. If you appreciate, as I do, that the coaching profession has produced some of the greatest leaders of the last century and you want insight from one of the best of the best, you'll appreciate this book.
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