Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success: Building Blocks For a Better Life

by John Wooden

Legendary college basketball coach John Wooden and Jay Carty know that when it comes down to it, success is an equal opportunity player. Anyone can create it in his or her career, family and beyond. Based on John Wooden’s own method to victory, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success reveals that success is built block by block, where each block is a crucial principle contributing to life long achievement in every area of life. Each of these 32 daily readings takes an in depth look at a single block of the pyramid, which when combined with the other blocks forms the structure of the pyramid of success. Join John Wooden and Jay Carty to discover the building blocks and key values from confidence to faith that have brought Coach to the pinnacle of success as a leader, a teacher and a follower of God.

Genres: Leadership, Sports, Nonfiction, Business, Self Help, Basketball, Christian

163 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 31, 2004

About the author

John Robert Wooden is a retired American basketball coach. He is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame as both a player (class of 1961) and as a coach (class of 1973). He was the first person ever enshrined in both categories; only Lenny Wilkens and Bill Sharman have since been so honored. His 10 NCAA National Championships in a 12 year period while at UCLA are unmatched by any other college basketball coach.

Reviews

[Marco Ferreira · Rating 3 out of 5]

50% bible sermon and 50% useful advice. Would have enjoyed it better without the religious propaganda.

Luckily I was able to skip those parts due to the way the book is organized.

[Greg Parker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hot take: I don’t think Ted Lasso read this book, despite the pyramid on his wall.

[Kyara Schroeder · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy John Wooden's idea of the pyramid, however this book is heavy handed with Christianity. I am a spiritual person and have my own faith and have no issue seeing how the teachings of the bible can benefit me. This book is a descriptive version of the principles Wooden has in his pyramid and it was beneficial. What really got me was that each chapter had a Biblical example to go with the principle, followed up with a list of scripture to read. The end of Chapter 29 was very off putting ending it with "those who miss heaven can hardly be a success". It's one thing to use scripture to teach principles, and another thing to preach religion.

In addition to that, it is a rather dry book because so much of it refers back to the Bible. I'm really glad I did the audio version, don't think I would have made it through otherwise.

[Caleb M. · Rating 3 out of 5]

3⭐ (I Liked It)

I've been trying really hard over the last year or....maybe two? To try and read more books that are encouraging, helpful, motivating. Books that help me kick my butt into gear and inspire me.

This is one such book that I randomly came across. I had seem some very positive things, and decided to give this one a go without knowing much about it at all.

First, I had no idea that this was a book from a Christian perspective. As a Christian man I thought that was really cool. It was nice to have good advice that most people would agree with, but backed by things in the Bible.

Second, while this book wasn't my favorite there are a few things in here that I'm going to be able to look back on and say that changed my life forever. In a positive way. There were things in here that just hit me with a ton of bricks and for whatever reason it clicked.

This book is strange. It isn't going to be for everyone, but if you get just two absolutely solid things from this book like I did, then it is 100% worth it. It's short. It's sweet. It's practical. And I think it's probably worth your time.

[Amy | Foxy Blogs · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the past, I've heard Coach Wooden talk via podcast (old interviews) and enjoyed listening to him.



The book is a mix of his wisdom along with scripture and reflection.

Audiobook source: Hoopla
Narrator: Sean Runnette
Length: 4H 05M

[Abby · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks, Ted Lasso, for the book rec.

[Lucas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this book in a day because half the chapters were filled with stuff about God, which isn’t for me. So read the first half of a chapter then skip the rest was the name of the game with this one

[Danny Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I was unaware of how religious it was. I think the constant use of biblical stories and the suggested Bible readings distracted from the practical lessons to be taken from this book. I would have preferred more in depth examples from Coach Wooden's actual career as they show his pyramid in practice, rather than using stories that are later used to justify which is the "true" religion.

[CHAVANIN PISANKUNAKIT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success is a self-help book written by well-known college basketball coach John Wooden. Coach wooden wrote this book with philosophy of success that he believe in his life long career as a basketball coach. The book is structured as a pyramid, with each layer representing a different building block of success. Coach wooden represent fundamental qualities of character such as enthusiasm as a foundation of the pyramid, mental qualities such as confidence as a middle and spiritual qualities such as integrity as a top.

This book won't guaranteed that you will success, but at least it will guide you to the right path.

[Peter Wolfley · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Wooden has reached the pinnacle of success by the world's standards but he only cares about how successful he's been based on his standards and the Lord's standards. I was very impressed by Wooden's philosophy on life and basketball. This book gave me a lot to think about, especially the big question: What does a successful life really look like?

[Kev Willoughby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always love Coach Wooden's books! This one is a keeper and should be considered an essential handbook for living life, always close by for regular review and being mindful to implement his teachings, which are based on Scripture.

[Deacon Tom (Feeling Better) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coach Wood’s pyramid of success is good advice for all walks of life, including the basketball court.

He is one of the winningest coaches in basketball history and that alone should give him the credibility for this book.

Excellent!

[Chris Brady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple
Great

[Darion Boyd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very religious.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

i really liked this book. IN it Wooden talks to us about a methodology that he has put together that comprises a set of values and characteristics that come together as a “the pyramid of success”. Wooden dips into some of the stories that led to him to be one of the most successful coaches in American sporting history. He basically takes you through a collection of characteristics that he believes will lead you to success in anything. The characteristics / character traits are: industriousness, friendship, loyalty, cooperation, enthusiasm, intentness, initiative, alertness, self-control, condition, skill, team spirit, confidence, poise, competitiveness greatness, patience and faith. He also talks about supportive characteristics such as ambition, adaptability, resourcefulness, fight, faith, patience, integrity, reliability, honesty and sincerity. Here are some of my favourite bits:
• Under self-control – wooden wrote: “in every championship game when we had the game won, during timeout I directed the players, “don’t make fools out of yourselves. Let’s let the alumni and the fans do that. I know you want to get the nets, and I know you feel good, and that’s fine, but let’s have no excessive exultation” – coming from an American and one of the greatest American coaches of all time this was near enough a miracle.
• Under alertness - wooden wrote: Abraham Lincoln had said that he had never met a person from whom he did not learn something, although most of the time it was something not to do. There is a lot of truth in that but the point is that Lincoln was always observing and alert to what was going on around him, and he was constantly learning.”

[Allison Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a legacy he left.

[Lee · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just too preachy.

I came to this book for the coaching philosophy and the community building.

Honestly, I came here because of Ted Lasso.

I kept an open mind about the Christianity in the book because I understand that’s many people’s ethos. That said, it was just too much of the book. It spoke about Christianity from the perspective of truth, and I just couldn’t read that.

Anyone have a John Wooden Pyramid of Success for seculars book recs?

[Pablo Vega · Rating 3 out of 5]

Coach Wooden's lessons are so valuable and are inmediatly accionable. What I didn't like is that in every chapter after Coach Wooden's part there is Carty's part and is 100% Bible focused. I just read Wooden's parts and skipped over Carty's parts.

[Paul Schmidt · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Method**: Libby

### Summary
Self-help considerably littered with biblical scriptural references, but the proof is in the pudding: Wooden was the most successful NCAA coach. His work ethic and principles are worthy of admiration and emulation.

### Key Takeaways
- Example of what I want to be when I'm 94: 22:07 - "I've always wanted to be the best I can be; I still do, so I work at it. My knees and hips make it difficult to walk very far or stand very long, but I keep up with the busy speaking and traveling schedule. I continue to meet with individuals during the week, and I still answer every letter I receive. I used to read more than I do now; my eyes are failing and I don't remember quite as well as I want stead; my memory is going to. But I will continue to do the best that I can with what I have. Although I don't know any other 94 year olds who work as hard as I do, that is not the point. The only competition I have is with myself. Even at 94, I want to be the best that I can be, and hard work is the only way to make this happen."
- Peace before success: 2:29:00 - "I was at peace with myself before we ever won a national championship. I didn't feel more at peace with myself or more successful as we started to win more championships. The people I appreciate the most are the ones who say, 'Johnny hasn't changed; he was the same after he won his trophies as before.'"
- Why do anything at all? 2:37:17 - "Championships were never the cake; they were the icing. Doing our best was the cake. With talent we might get to the top, and be esteemed in the world's eyes, but it takes character to stay there. It's true: if we operate with a selfish personal ambition that it's all about us, we might get to the top of the heap, but we will never reach the pinnacle of the pyramid."

### Highlights and Notes
- 0:22:07 - "I've always wanted to be the best I can be; I still do, so I work at it. My knees and hips make it difficult to walk very far or stand very long, but I keep up with the busy speaking and traveling schedule. I continue to meet with individuals during the week, and I still answer every letter I receive. I used to read more than I do now; my eyes are failing and I don't remember quite as well as I want stead; my memory is going to. But I will continue to do the best that I can with what I have. Although I don't know any other 94 year olds who work as hard as I do, that is not the point. The only competition I have is with myself. Even at 94, I want to be the best that I can be, and hard work is the only way to make this happen."
- 1:58:28 - Helpful exercise to see how to align your daily activities with your strengths. Basically, list out the activities that you do most throughout your day; take inventory of your strengths and characteristics (introvert/extrovert, etc.); measure time spent in top five activities against your self-profile. "Are you spending most of your time doing the things that come naturally?"
- 2:00:15 - "I once heard team spirit as a willingness to lose oneself in the group for the good of the group.... Willingness is more like, 'I will if I have to'. Eagerness communicates in the attitude of 'I'll be willing to sacrifice personal accomplishments for the good of the team'." So he stopped using willingness and used eagerness instead.
- 2:29:00 - "I was at peace with myself before we ever won a national championship. I didn't feel more at peace with myself or more successful as we started to win more championships. The people I appreciate the most are the ones who say, 'Johnny hasn't changed; he was the same after he won his trophies as before.'"
- 2:37:17 - "Championships were never the cake; they were the icing. Doing our best was the cake. With talent we might get to the top, and be esteemed in the world's eyes, but it takes character to stay there. It's true: if we operate with a selfish personal ambition that it's all about us, we might get to the top of the heap, but we will never reach the pinnacle of the pyramid."

[Noah England · Rating 5 out of 5]

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success

Respect without fear, a line from Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success. This book is full of lessons and wisdom. Readers can all take different things away from this book: how his words have impacted them, or how readers could use them to impact someone else.
This particular book does not have a “plot” necessarily. Coach Wooden talks about how he used strategies to make himself and his UCLA basketball team successful and efficient.
What is really interesting about this book that I liked very much is that everytime Coach Wooden was done talking about a strategy for success, Jay Carty would follow it with a circumstance in the Bible in which the strategy was actually played out. I thought this was very interesting, and it took a different approach to any other book I have read. Also, at the end of each chapter it would have a “Your Turn” section. It would give the reader scripture to read, and answer some questions.
From reading this book, I felt like Coach Wooden and Jay Carty wanted to bring more than one point out. Their entire book was about bettering yourself and others around you. It was to become more efficient and make one’s life easier and more enjoyable. While reading this book it showed how much of an influence John Wooden had on his players and other people, and it made me realize people I know in my own life have shown me these same things. However, I never really took time to appreciate it.
I think this book is a great read for people who are in a position of leadership in some way, as well as people who want to try to better themselves. It is a very motivating book and can open things up you have never bothered to think about before.

[Mark Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Wooden is, of course, one of the most successful coaches of all time, as measured by winning percentages or other similar statistics. But, his own definition of success is "peace of mind" that comes from knowing that you did your very best. His Pyramid of Success is a diagram showing important personal qualities (industriousness, initiative, team spirit, integrity, faith) that he believes help one to attain success.

Although there is nothing overtly religious about the Pyramid, other than the inclusion of "faith" as a personal quality required for success, Coach Wooden was a devout Christian. This book is co-written with Jay Carty, who played for Wooden at UCLA before becoming a Christian minister. Each chapter of the book covers one element of the Pyramid. The first section of each chapter is Coach Wooden's discussion of the quality in question, often related to a specific basketball situation. The second section is Carty's discussion of the same quality, with examples taken from scripture. And, lastly, there is a homework section which asks you to read specific Bible passages and answer questions about your own life.

Because I coach my own children, I look for ways to be a better coach. And, as a Christian, I look for ways to strengthen my faith. This book was an excellent resource in both respects. The relationship of the sports context with which I am familiar to the Bible -- and the challenge of the personal exercises -- was a helpful framing.

[John Choi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this book as a monthly devotional for my morning Bible reading and praying with God.

As both John Wooden and Jay Carty were devout Christians, I found this book to be very applicable in terms of relating a lot of life's building blocks to my Christian faith. I enjoyed it and learned about each of the building blocks for success.

I found Wooden's definition of success to be one of the best I read: "Success is peace of mind that is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming."

At the end of the day, it's not about "win" or "loss" as society likes to paint success to be since we all come from different backgrounds and walks of life. For example, you can't tell a 5'5 basketball player that he was a failure for doing everything he could to stop a 6'8 NBA basketball player. It's a general example, but it paints the point. What more could that player have done except do everything he possibly could to defend him?

That was important to Wooden. From the book, you can tell he didn't care so much about wins or losses as it was about knowing that his players did their very best.

In a world driven by a need to constantly perform and achieve the very best (and anything below that level is a total failure), his take on success is very refreshing to hear.

We can all use a little Wooden wisdom in our lives and as such I recommend this book to any and all people.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book of proverbs from a heck of a coach.

From the book:
Success is peace of mind that is the direct result of self satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

You are the only one who knows whether you have won

If people are going to become all that they are capable of becoming it is important that they work hard; but it is also important that they are intentional about the hard work. Planning places effort where effort is most needed. People who put these two components together have a firm cornerstone of industriousness upon which they can build toward success.

Mistakes made while expanding boundaries are what I wanted. If we weren't making mistakes, we weren't far enough out on the edge. If we weren't pushing against the walls of our capabilities, we weren't practicing correctly.

I know you can't please everyone, so on this issue I haven't tried. I have only wanted to please God.

Our championships came as the by-product of meeting lesser goals of measurable, year-over-year improvement.

Sincerity may not make a friend, but it will keep one.

Honesty is not only the best policy, but it is also the best therapy.

Nowadays many young people have never experienced fight - they have never worked hard enough to even get their second wind.

Am I a success? I have peace of mind.

[Harrison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I didn't know exactly what I was getting into when I started this book. I had always heard great things about Wooden and I thought this book would be a quick fun read. There's a lot of good information in here, but I was not prepared for some much god talk and quoting of scriptures. Towards the end of the book, it's mentioned that in life Bill didn't preach to people about religion and lead a life through example, I wish the book was the same way. I don't know why the amount of bible/god talk is a complete turn off, lots of good info, but trim the Bible/god stuff for the love of god. Bill heroes, were his father (make sense, generic, but makes sense), Jesus (ok, I get it), Abraham Lincoln (yeah, of course, why not) and Billy Graham (face palm). As I finished, I did realize that it was published by "Christian books" so that made a lot more sense. In the last chapter, also where he talks about leading a faithful life, but anyone not practicing Christianity they would be doomed. I just kind of lost. I can't believe I finished this.

I still think the pyramid of success has some interesting points. Maybe a biography on Wooden would be better.

I'm not even a basketball fan... I really questioning why I even read this book. But it did help complete my yearly challenged, that's what I finished it.

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up, ready for a quick business/ motivational read. I was surprised to find a quasi-sermon based on the teachings and experience of the great Coach Wooden of UCLA basketball fame. Similar to the Lou Holtz book I read a few years ago, this was a book of solid life lessons from a great coach. I found myself thinking that they just don't make men like this anymore. He calmly and persuasively told you what you needed to do to be successful, and it was to do what's right, work hard, and follow Jesus. I would love to hear a contemporary basketball coach say those things.

Why only 3 stars? While I liked his old school, conservative message, I thought his pyramid was too complex. Many of his principles could be combined and reordered to get the same message across without so many pieces and mortar principles. Simplify. Also, while I agreed with his message, I don't feel like I came away with anything new, or any burning desire to do anything differently. That might be on me more than the book, but I felt it was missing something there.

Still, it was a good read, so if you need solid life advice from your grandpa, and he isn't around, this might be a fair substitute.

[Chris Dobbs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great organization of values that prompts the reader to meaningfully engage with the content in self-reflection. While it can be read as quickly, I think it is best experienced through dedicating daily time to one building block or mortar quality. There are aspects I'd quibble with. A few prompts have no secular equivalent. A pyramid feels like a completed structure and I don't think the intention of the book or life metaphor is to think you're ever "done" trying to be your best...but all of that is secondary to how much positive and useful guidance there is in this book. I think regardless of your particular method of faith there are highly positive things to pull here. If you are a secular person it's fairly easy to skip the Carty Biblical parts as they are clearly distinct sections of each topic. And if you are Christian or have interest in that topic, it's right there for you.

I'm looking forward to practicing this book again across another month to check in mindfully.

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have a lot of respect for John Wooden, who prior to Lakers-era Phil Jackson or the emergence of Popp was probably the greatest basketball coach of all time. That is based on things I had read about him, or interviews he gave. Never read something by him directly before.

I just started this today, and it is hella disorienting. Leaving a fraction of this foreword by the Admiral as a note to my future self as much as anyone else reading this:

"In this book, Coach Wooden and Jay Carty take you through scriptures and show you the tremendous practicality of scriptures in your life today. they show you how to use God's Word to build a solid foundation in your life for whatever you do.

"All good and lasting success is based on how we relate to god and how we related to our fellow man. I hope that as you read this book, you will begin to understand what has served as the foundation for a great sportsman and a great human being.

"David Robinson
"San Antonio Spurs, 1989-2003
"Two-Time NBA World Champion"

[Albert Novoselov]

An inspiring playbook that reconceptualizes success as an inner journey involving character, discipline and integrity, Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success Playbook is a timeless guide. What you get: An on-the-ground breakdown of "Wooden's Pyramid of Success"—a 15-part philosophy that revolves around cored values such as loyalty, teamwork and self-discipline—with daily reflections and practical exercises designed to help readers infuse this wisdom into their lives. Through the lens of sport, this book highlights that true success is more than just trophies, and it inspires readers to prioritize effort, attitude, and integrity. There is value here for readers across a spectrum of experience, making this an evergreen reference text for any leader chasing sustainable results through personal development and perseverance.

[Vincent Waldron · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success is essentially a devotional book written by Coach John Wooden and Jay Carty (a Christian speaker). The book itself is divided up into Coach Wooden giving some thoughts on a subject, followed by Jay Carty expounding on Biblical stories that seem to relate vaguely to the subject and then Biblical passages to read.

I don't think there is anything groundbreaking here. Some of the stories are interesting and some of Jay Carty's application of Biblical stores seem somewhat stretched. I could see using this book as a daily devotional and jumping off place for looking at specific Scripture passages. I don't think it is written in such a way that reading straight through it, like one would a biography or self-help book would be recommended.

[emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

tldr: coaching meets church sermons

john wooden’s self-help book, while insightful, is heavily interwoven with bible stories and suggested readings. although i identify as christian, i found that his frequent use of biblical references were distracting from its core teachings

the biblical portions were written by ministry leader and fellow basketball player jay carty, which may have further accentuated the differences between wooden’s direct guidance and these religious sections

still, you can’t ignore the fact that wooden is the ncaa's most successful coach. his principles remain worthy of consideration and esteem, especially as he elucidates them in such a quick-to-read format