What do you think?
Rate this book
A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring
From the legendary basketball coach who inspired generations of athletes and businesspeople, an inspiring book about the power of mentoring and being mentored.
After eight books, many of them bestsellers, A Game Plan for Life is the one closest to John Wooden's a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his college coach, his wife, Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Teresa. The second half is built around interviews with some of the many people he mentored over the years, including Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Bill Walton, fellow coaches, family members, and even a middle school coach in Canada. Their testimony takes readers inside the lessons Wooden taught to generations of players, bringing out the very best in them not just as athletes but as human beings. In all, it's an inspiring primer on how to achieve success without sacrificing principles, and on how to build one of the most productive and rewarding relationships available to any athlete, businessperson, teacher, or that of mentor and protégé.
After eight books, many of them bestsellers, A Game Plan for Life is the one closest to John Wooden's a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career, including his college coach, his wife, Abraham Lincoln, and Mother Teresa. The second half is built around interviews with some of the many people he mentored over the years, including Kareem Abdul- Jabbar, Bill Walton, fellow coaches, family members, and even a middle school coach in Canada. Their testimony takes readers inside the lessons Wooden taught to generations of players, bringing out the very best in them not just as athletes but as human beings. In all, it's an inspiring primer on how to achieve success without sacrificing principles, and on how to build one of the most productive and rewarding relationships available to any athlete, businessperson, teacher, or that of mentor and protégé.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2009
58 people are currently reading
1392 people want to read
About the author
John Wooden
75 books362 followersJohn 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews
July 7, 2010
Don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses. Just do the best you can. Nobody can do more than that. Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self effort to become the best of which you are capable. (Joshua Wooden, John’s father page 23)
We are all called to give back. Since there is nothing we can take with us from this life, we should try to leave behind as much as possible—it’s a basic and well-known truth. Those of us who have been blessed with worldly success have an even greater responsibility to make an impact with our time, talents, and resources; as we are reminded in the Gospels, “From him to whom much is given, much is required.” (page 66)
One of the best things about my retirement is that it has allowed me to devote more time to the causes that mean the most to me. . . I seek out opportunities that will allow me a chance to share the blessings God has been good enough to grant me (Page 66)
Be quick, but don’t hurry. . .
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. . .
Never mistake activity for achievement. . .
Happiness begins when selfishness ends. . . (Page 122 & 123)
Fame, fortune, and power are not success, the four things mankind craves the most are freedom, happiness, peace, and love, none of which can be obtained without first giving it to someone else. (Page 158 Dale Brown)
“Invisible mentors”—people whose lives and writings inspire us, and whose lessons we carry with us in the back of our heads. (page 164 Bob Vigars)
Teaching is the ultimate profession, the ultimate gift to other people. (Page 173)
Make each day your masterpiece. Work to make the most of today, then do the same tomorrow and, over time things will come together. And if you were to make each day a masterpiece, you would make a lifetime of amazing memories. (Page 176 Cori Nicholson)
We are all called to give back. Since there is nothing we can take with us from this life, we should try to leave behind as much as possible—it’s a basic and well-known truth. Those of us who have been blessed with worldly success have an even greater responsibility to make an impact with our time, talents, and resources; as we are reminded in the Gospels, “From him to whom much is given, much is required.” (page 66)
One of the best things about my retirement is that it has allowed me to devote more time to the causes that mean the most to me. . . I seek out opportunities that will allow me a chance to share the blessings God has been good enough to grant me (Page 66)
Be quick, but don’t hurry. . .
Failing to prepare is preparing to fail. . .
Never mistake activity for achievement. . .
Happiness begins when selfishness ends. . . (Page 122 & 123)
Fame, fortune, and power are not success, the four things mankind craves the most are freedom, happiness, peace, and love, none of which can be obtained without first giving it to someone else. (Page 158 Dale Brown)
“Invisible mentors”—people whose lives and writings inspire us, and whose lessons we carry with us in the back of our heads. (page 164 Bob Vigars)
Teaching is the ultimate profession, the ultimate gift to other people. (Page 173)
Make each day your masterpiece. Work to make the most of today, then do the same tomorrow and, over time things will come together. And if you were to make each day a masterpiece, you would make a lifetime of amazing memories. (Page 176 Cori Nicholson)
November 9, 2017
John Wooden is a former UCLA men’s basketball head coach. He went to Purdue University, and played basketball as a point guard. He’s written A Game Plan for Life, They call me coach, and Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court. He is known for mentoring people, just like how he was mentored when he was younger. He has received many awards including: Coach of the Year, six times, and a presidential Medal of Honor. John’s writing style mainly is informative. He uses many personal experiences, to show readers how the experiences shaped him to be who he is now.
In the book, A Game Plan for Life, written, by former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden is about John’s life and how he was mentored by his family. He talks about how his dad mentored him to never give up. John’s dad Joshua states that,” everything you learn, you learn from someone else.” John realized that he wanted to mentor other people as well. John was taught to be disciplined during his collegiate years. One time, because he was late to a practice, his coach as an act of discipline did not play John for couple of games. He ultimately made a pyramid of success where he points out the key ideas to be successful. By reading this book, you can learn many things that will be useful later in life.
Wooden’s style of writing in this book is mostly informative or pictures. A way that his writing is informative is that he tells us the readers what we must do. For example, he said that we must be disciplined, because if you are not discipline that you will not be successful. By that he means, if you never get early to work, and you slack off, then you will be fired. For every action, there is a reaction. As an author, he is trying to inform the readers how to be successful. By that, he tells us how he was mentored by other people to be successful. For example, like I said in the summary, he was mentored by his dad, Joshua Wooden. Wooden said that his dad would always tell him that “there is nothing you know that you haven’t learned from someone else”. This means that everything you learn in life is learned from one of your friends or teachers. This is how people are smart. They learn and teach each other new things that people don’t know, and from there, people specialize on something they want to be. The author really doesn’t use literary devices, but he does refer to a symbol. He talks about the pyramid of success as a symbol. The pyramid of success is a pyramid, which John Wooden made himself. In this pyramid, he states the points that leads a person to success. For example, as a base, he put loyalty. Loyalty is very important because it’s your human capital, it’s what people know you for. The next level is initiative. You must have the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it. If you want to succeed, then you must take risks. Finally, the pyramid keeps on going like that for another four steps. His writing affects me in a positive way because in his writing he shows empathy and enthusiasm, which influenced me to implicate that into my writing as well. In my opinion, I think the author’s purpose to write the books, is to share his personal experiences to the readers, so that the readers can learn from the mistakes that Wooden committed when he was young, and how he stood up from them. He also wants to share what knowledge he was shared with, and he wants the readers to know that knowledge, that is why he talks about how his coaches influenced him to play the sport of basketball, and later be the greatest coach to ever live. The book was organized well. Certain things could have been put first or maybe last, but overall the structure of the book is great. His writing is unique, because he makes the readers engage into the book and read it all the way.
Overall I would rate this book a 10/10. Personally, this book motivated to follow all the steps of the pyramid of success. I would recommend this book to sport players, coaches, and fans as well. This would help players to be more competitive, and to show them never to give up. For coaches, it will show them that they should discipline their players to make them more responsible and disciplined. All in all, this is a positive book review, and I plan to read more of John Wooden’s books.
In the book, A Game Plan for Life, written, by former UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden is about John’s life and how he was mentored by his family. He talks about how his dad mentored him to never give up. John’s dad Joshua states that,” everything you learn, you learn from someone else.” John realized that he wanted to mentor other people as well. John was taught to be disciplined during his collegiate years. One time, because he was late to a practice, his coach as an act of discipline did not play John for couple of games. He ultimately made a pyramid of success where he points out the key ideas to be successful. By reading this book, you can learn many things that will be useful later in life.
Wooden’s style of writing in this book is mostly informative or pictures. A way that his writing is informative is that he tells us the readers what we must do. For example, he said that we must be disciplined, because if you are not discipline that you will not be successful. By that he means, if you never get early to work, and you slack off, then you will be fired. For every action, there is a reaction. As an author, he is trying to inform the readers how to be successful. By that, he tells us how he was mentored by other people to be successful. For example, like I said in the summary, he was mentored by his dad, Joshua Wooden. Wooden said that his dad would always tell him that “there is nothing you know that you haven’t learned from someone else”. This means that everything you learn in life is learned from one of your friends or teachers. This is how people are smart. They learn and teach each other new things that people don’t know, and from there, people specialize on something they want to be. The author really doesn’t use literary devices, but he does refer to a symbol. He talks about the pyramid of success as a symbol. The pyramid of success is a pyramid, which John Wooden made himself. In this pyramid, he states the points that leads a person to success. For example, as a base, he put loyalty. Loyalty is very important because it’s your human capital, it’s what people know you for. The next level is initiative. You must have the ability to make decisions and think alone. Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it. If you want to succeed, then you must take risks. Finally, the pyramid keeps on going like that for another four steps. His writing affects me in a positive way because in his writing he shows empathy and enthusiasm, which influenced me to implicate that into my writing as well. In my opinion, I think the author’s purpose to write the books, is to share his personal experiences to the readers, so that the readers can learn from the mistakes that Wooden committed when he was young, and how he stood up from them. He also wants to share what knowledge he was shared with, and he wants the readers to know that knowledge, that is why he talks about how his coaches influenced him to play the sport of basketball, and later be the greatest coach to ever live. The book was organized well. Certain things could have been put first or maybe last, but overall the structure of the book is great. His writing is unique, because he makes the readers engage into the book and read it all the way.
Overall I would rate this book a 10/10. Personally, this book motivated to follow all the steps of the pyramid of success. I would recommend this book to sport players, coaches, and fans as well. This would help players to be more competitive, and to show them never to give up. For coaches, it will show them that they should discipline their players to make them more responsible and disciplined. All in all, this is a positive book review, and I plan to read more of John Wooden’s books.
April 12, 2011
Fast read......well, it took me a while to read only bc I chose to have other books on my plate as well. John Wooden was a rare human being who enjoyed teaching, mentoring, any chance he got. His humility is perhaps his most endearing quality for me. This was an enjoyable book.
October 21, 2010
Many years ago, when I was teaching at Los Angeles Lutheran High, our friend and former Vice Principal had become a family therapist. The psychologists she worked with had developed what they called a "Life Model." One aspect of the life model was a mentoring continuum, having people older than yourself whom you learn from and friends younger than yourself whom you can try to spiritually parent.
I remember thinking that it was a noble ideal, but wasn't sure how I could put it into action. I didn't have a lot of friends above my age range and wasn't sure that I could fit it into my schedule. As a teacher I was sold on trying to disciple young people, but figured I was better off allowing relationships to develop rather than trying to deliberately fabricate them.
Later on this same concept was proposed by the Promise Keeper's movement. I attended a couple of PK conferences with my Principal, who I suspect was seeking to be my mentor- but for whatever reason, we never seemed to "click." PK recommended having older men mentor you and hold you accountable and younger men whom you could challenge and teach as well.
At this time I had a couple of pastors who were older than me and a prestigious painter who'd retired from LALHS before I started teaching there, but I never seemed to manage to become the close confidant with any of them that I imagined being mentored entailed. Meanwhile I felt like I was managing to shepherd and be available for some students, but it seemed like most of them were young women- it didn't seem like I had the same kind of connections with boys. No doubt being a cheerleading coach and Art teacher had some to do with that.
When we moved back to Iowa and left Lutheran High for a public school, I wanted a way to reach the girls I coached and be able to help develop their character since I'd now be in a secular setting. At first I leaned on Norman Vincent Peale's Power of Positive Thinking and eventually discovered Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success.
It didn't occur to me that I hadn't just found material to help me mentor students and athletes, I had myself, found a mentor.
In this book, Coach Wooden explains that mentors can be real people you have meaningful relationships with, like his father, leaders you look up to and who model a great example for you, like his high school coach and principal, people who care for you and try to guide you, like Wooden's college coach at Purdue. But leaders may even be people you don't actually know personally, whom you study and admire, and whom you either try to emulate or who's thinking and ideas shape your own. In Wooden's case, Abraham Lincoln and Mother Theresa. AND, mentors may be peers and loved ones, not just your elders- people who influence you and who you learn from, like a close friend or even a spouse.
The second half of this book was written by seven people for whom Wooden was a mentor. They each write about how he influenced their character, philosophy and lives. Sure there are famous athletes he coached, like Careem Abdul Jabaar, but there are also other coaches he worked with and a teacher who had never really met Wooden- but who had read everything by the Wizard of Westwood until he was asked to contribute to this book.
Last week I attended a conference for college and high school teachers where the key note speaker challenged us to do something positive that would help us build community. He asked us to contact at least 3 people who had contributed positively to our lives and let them know how much we appreciated it.
At first I was stumped. My old Psych Professor had passed away. My old newspaper publisher had passed away. I didn't have an address for my old Education Prof. who was starting a school in Vietnam of something like that. What could I do?
I looked behind me instead of looking ahead of me. I wrote some of my former students who had meant a lot to me. Then, coincidentally, I stumbled across another Ed. Prof. on a professional networking site. Then I found the email address of the first Ed. Prof. Then a google search turned up the new church where one of those old pastors was now serving.
They all replied to my emails by telling me that I'd made their day. One of the students wrote back to tell me how much I had meant to them.
What I realized by reading this book is that mentoring is both simpler/easier/less forced than I had assumed, and at the same time even more profound and important than I realized. It is definitely something we should all be doing, for ourselves, and for others.
I remember thinking that it was a noble ideal, but wasn't sure how I could put it into action. I didn't have a lot of friends above my age range and wasn't sure that I could fit it into my schedule. As a teacher I was sold on trying to disciple young people, but figured I was better off allowing relationships to develop rather than trying to deliberately fabricate them.
Later on this same concept was proposed by the Promise Keeper's movement. I attended a couple of PK conferences with my Principal, who I suspect was seeking to be my mentor- but for whatever reason, we never seemed to "click." PK recommended having older men mentor you and hold you accountable and younger men whom you could challenge and teach as well.
At this time I had a couple of pastors who were older than me and a prestigious painter who'd retired from LALHS before I started teaching there, but I never seemed to manage to become the close confidant with any of them that I imagined being mentored entailed. Meanwhile I felt like I was managing to shepherd and be available for some students, but it seemed like most of them were young women- it didn't seem like I had the same kind of connections with boys. No doubt being a cheerleading coach and Art teacher had some to do with that.
When we moved back to Iowa and left Lutheran High for a public school, I wanted a way to reach the girls I coached and be able to help develop their character since I'd now be in a secular setting. At first I leaned on Norman Vincent Peale's Power of Positive Thinking and eventually discovered Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success.
It didn't occur to me that I hadn't just found material to help me mentor students and athletes, I had myself, found a mentor.
In this book, Coach Wooden explains that mentors can be real people you have meaningful relationships with, like his father, leaders you look up to and who model a great example for you, like his high school coach and principal, people who care for you and try to guide you, like Wooden's college coach at Purdue. But leaders may even be people you don't actually know personally, whom you study and admire, and whom you either try to emulate or who's thinking and ideas shape your own. In Wooden's case, Abraham Lincoln and Mother Theresa. AND, mentors may be peers and loved ones, not just your elders- people who influence you and who you learn from, like a close friend or even a spouse.
The second half of this book was written by seven people for whom Wooden was a mentor. They each write about how he influenced their character, philosophy and lives. Sure there are famous athletes he coached, like Careem Abdul Jabaar, but there are also other coaches he worked with and a teacher who had never really met Wooden- but who had read everything by the Wizard of Westwood until he was asked to contribute to this book.
Last week I attended a conference for college and high school teachers where the key note speaker challenged us to do something positive that would help us build community. He asked us to contact at least 3 people who had contributed positively to our lives and let them know how much we appreciated it.
At first I was stumped. My old Psych Professor had passed away. My old newspaper publisher had passed away. I didn't have an address for my old Education Prof. who was starting a school in Vietnam of something like that. What could I do?
I looked behind me instead of looking ahead of me. I wrote some of my former students who had meant a lot to me. Then, coincidentally, I stumbled across another Ed. Prof. on a professional networking site. Then I found the email address of the first Ed. Prof. Then a google search turned up the new church where one of those old pastors was now serving.
They all replied to my emails by telling me that I'd made their day. One of the students wrote back to tell me how much I had meant to them.
What I realized by reading this book is that mentoring is both simpler/easier/less forced than I had assumed, and at the same time even more profound and important than I realized. It is definitely something we should all be doing, for ourselves, and for others.
September 2, 2015
Great book to learn more about this legendary coach. This particular title is written partly by Wooden and partly by some of the famous people he mentored. Some points I want to remember:
The seven rules for living from his father:
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.
About being a mentor:
"You have to be willing to identify a need, weakness, or even an unpleasant reality but also assure your mentee that you're going to help him or her overcome it. The frankness builds trust, while the positive action you take builds character."
About coaching:
"Treating people equally does not mean coaching them the same. If you don't adjust to the personnel you have, you're losing something, no matter how good they are. You have to adapt your plans to the players you have so their unique talents can contribute to the team."
The seven rules for living from his father:
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.
About being a mentor:
"You have to be willing to identify a need, weakness, or even an unpleasant reality but also assure your mentee that you're going to help him or her overcome it. The frankness builds trust, while the positive action you take builds character."
About coaching:
"Treating people equally does not mean coaching them the same. If you don't adjust to the personnel you have, you're losing something, no matter how good they are. You have to adapt your plans to the players you have so their unique talents can contribute to the team."
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 1, 2016
John Wooden, possibly the greatest coach in the history of sports (10 championships in 12 years!) has been a mentor to thousands of people, either directly through people he's coached and the pile of books he's written or indirectly through the people who have learned from him passing his lessons on to others. In this book, Wooden himself writes a chapter on seven people who he learned from, and then seven people (including legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and Roy Williams) write chapters on what they learned from the man who is just referred to affectionately and reverentially as "Coach".
This is not a step-by-step, "Do X, Y, and Z to be a good mentor" style of book. Instead, it is a more holistic, "Teach by example, learn by watching" kind of book. It is a fast, short read, and even if you don't care about sports, seeing the qualities exemplified by Wooden and how he passed them on to others and the positive example he set in the way he lived (he died in 2010 at the age of 99, a year after this book was written) is bound to have a positive influence on your life.
This is not a step-by-step, "Do X, Y, and Z to be a good mentor" style of book. Instead, it is a more holistic, "Teach by example, learn by watching" kind of book. It is a fast, short read, and even if you don't care about sports, seeing the qualities exemplified by Wooden and how he passed them on to others and the positive example he set in the way he lived (he died in 2010 at the age of 99, a year after this book was written) is bound to have a positive influence on your life.
April 28, 2015
This book is one of the best books I have ever read. Why? It is simple, inspiring, meaningful, and it provides me with an example of how to live my life completely and honestly, and inspire others to be the best they can be. It's a mushy review, but really, I think that any person who believes in giving and receiving mentorship should read this book. Any person who is in a position to lead, inspire, or provide examples for others, especially children, should read this book. I guess that leaves no one out! One of MY mentors actually recommended this to me, and it helped to cement my strong beliefs in being a mentor as well as provide strong guidance and reasoning for certain things. I am so inspired. I am blessed to have many mentors in my life, and I now consider John Wooden one of them. I want to share him with everyone.
Now I have to read all the rest of his books too! I'm so inspired!
Now I have to read all the rest of his books too! I'm so inspired!
June 22, 2010
Wooden discusses the lessons he learned from mentors as a boy growing up in Martinsville, Indiana. Lots of great gems from most succesful basketball coach ever: Make every day a masterpiece. Then, over time, you'll assemble a collection of masterpieces. "Be quick but don't hurry." The Pyramid of Success...
My only criticism is of the portion of the book in which people write about his influence in their lives. The testamonies are touching, but a bit overdone. It's ok to hold Wooden in high esteem, but some of the writers veer into Wooden-worship.
Very glad to have read this book. Will be studying that Pyramid of Success of his !
My only criticism is of the portion of the book in which people write about his influence in their lives. The testamonies are touching, but a bit overdone. It's ok to hold Wooden in high esteem, but some of the writers veer into Wooden-worship.
Very glad to have read this book. Will be studying that Pyramid of Success of his !
August 25, 2014
This is the first book I've read on John Wooden, what a man! It is rare for me to go back to the introduction and about the author section to gather more information on a book but I did that after the first few chapters of this book because I am in awe of this man. I believe every coach, teacher, and person should read this book and understand some of the beauty of Coach Wooden's life.
He lived a humble life and loved investing in other people's lives. Constantly learning and teaching throughout his entire life to help others and to love others.
I look forward to reading his other books.
He lived a humble life and loved investing in other people's lives. Constantly learning and teaching throughout his entire life to help others and to love others.
I look forward to reading his other books.
April 5, 2015
Very easy, feel good read. Inspiring through out. I loved how you could see the positive influence of people spanning generations. John Wooden tries to show how mentors can be found in writing, especially biographies (uses his father's interest in Abraham Lincoln), family (his father, wife, great grand child), and of course teachers and coaches. Mentorship in Wooden's view boils down to something his father often said, "There's nothing you know you didn't learn from someone else." John Wooden reflects on a century of life and it isn't surprising he wants to pass along mentorship, gratitude, hard work, character and his love of learning. This book is full of inspiring quotes.
December 13, 2010
A quick read - this is a nice inspirational book that gives very valuable messages about being a role model to others (not just as a formal teacher, but realizing the teachable moments in your daily life). Wooden has this incredible way of making very poignant statements that have a lasting impact on how you choose to live your life. What was even more effective about this book was that, not only did he talk about his own role models and how they influenced him, but he also asked those in his life who he has influenced, to write their stories of John Wooden as their mentor.
September 14, 2018
Sometimes common sense is the thing most forgotten. We've heard throughout our lifetimes the importance of humility, integrity, ext as virtues. The importance of such values for one's character isn't truly appreciated until life gets really tough and one questions.
John Wooden's role models have in a sense become an extension of who he is. They include Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. On Mother Teresa, he stated, " She did what anyone could do, but no one did do."
"If you can't do the small things right, how can you be expected to do the big things?"
John Wooden's role models have in a sense become an extension of who he is. They include Mother Teresa, Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. On Mother Teresa, he stated, " She did what anyone could do, but no one did do."
"If you can't do the small things right, how can you be expected to do the big things?"
August 23, 2010
It is an interesting perspective about a man who is famous for coaching basketball. He was a real people person. It caused me to think how men who become famous at coaching are usually men who can coach others in life, not just in their sport. It seems like the really good coaches are really good teachers about how to live life. I guess the elements of success on the court on the field are the same elements needed for success in life.
May 9, 2019
I love this book and wish I knew about John Wooden when he was still alive. What’s great about this book is that John tells you his beliefs, the fundamentals and principles of how he lived his life through the stories of his 7 biggest mentors and through 7 mentees. It’s powerful.
My new favorite maxims, borrowed from John:
Be quick but don’t hurry
Never mistake activity for achievement. Never try to be better than anyone else, but never cease to be the best you can be. That’s achievement.
My new favorite maxims, borrowed from John:
Be quick but don’t hurry
Never mistake activity for achievement. Never try to be better than anyone else, but never cease to be the best you can be. That’s achievement.
June 1, 2014
This is a great book. John Wooden was the teacher I aspire to become. Mentors are so important, both having them in your life and being one. Wooden explains his philosophy and the importance of mentoring in great detail with stories to which any of us can relate. Highly recommend for those who want to make a difference in the lives of others.
December 29, 2024
There may be no other man I would most like to become like than John Wooden. I sit at his feet, reading, hoping something will rub off on me and I can become a little like him.
A book full of wisdom that clearly shows the value and importance of mentorship and how we all can be both mentored and mentor those around us.
A book full of wisdom that clearly shows the value and importance of mentorship and how we all can be both mentored and mentor those around us.
January 27, 2015
Books can be life changing. It's often not the book as a whole but certain quotes or paragraphs that are so powerful. This book contains such life-transforming material. I am a better person for having read it and hope to pass on what I've learned to others. Coach Wooden was an inspirational person to so many. After reading the book it's easy to see why.
November 22, 2016
John Wooden discusses the people who he inspired and those that inspired him throughout his life and career. Some really good insights to how developed as a coach early on, including a trip he made to Notre Dame to see how the Notre Dame football team practiced under Frank Leahy. Really enjoyed this book and took home some really good parcels of info. "Be quick, but don't hurry."
August 14, 2018
Inspiring words from a genuine mentor
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book written by Coach Wooden. He has many great lessons to teach about being a great mentor. The last half of the book, written by others was less engaging, but overall I would highly recommend this book for teachers and mentors alike.
I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of this book written by Coach Wooden. He has many great lessons to teach about being a great mentor. The last half of the book, written by others was less engaging, but overall I would highly recommend this book for teachers and mentors alike.
September 26, 2018
Small quick book on the authors philosophies connected to leadership. One of my favorite coaches as the root of his philosophy was to develop men, and teams. or in relationship to the business take time to develop your people and the teams you lead and they will reward you in achieving the goals.
August 10, 2013
Very inspirational! What an amazing man with strong values and a simple approach to life which gave him great success not only as a basketball coach, but as a husband, father, and man. He saw his role as a teacher.
February 11, 2015
Beautiful! Every single teacher - whether they care about sports or not- must read this book! The principles John Wooden taught might have been applied to basketball - but they were really lessons on how to live a full and productive life. Just W O W!!!
April 1, 2016
Shared with me by my boss, I quickly realized that everything Wooden shares about his own intentionality and beliefs was strikingly similar to the few informal mentors I've had in my own life. A powerful read that is making me rethink my interaction with students as well.
May 6, 2010
What an admirable man...a man of integrity.
January 22, 2010
Best book I have ever read
November 14, 2010
I'm usually not interested at all in books written by sports figures, but John Wooden seems to transcend all that with his sage wisdom and immutable life.
August 8, 2011
This is the best book I have read to date.
November 26, 2011
John Wooden was a legend in his field. This book gives some insight into who impacted him and also 7 different people who were profoundly effected by him.
An easy read and well worth anyone's time.
An easy read and well worth anyone's time.
July 28, 2012
if you are a leader, or want to be, read this book.
January 13, 2013
Great read on mentoring. 7 people Wooden mentored and 7 people who mentored him. Great principles and stories.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 68 reviews