The way to success is probably one of those inevitable, yet, rather substantial issues one faces during a lifetime. Perhaps, this is how a human becomes a personality, an individual with his or her unique qualities, ambitions, and dreams. Considering this, the amount of research, studies, and literature in this field seems to be explainable, as each person tries to find the most suitable strategy to achieve the chosen goals.
Among all the theories on ways to succeed, one is of particular interest and is consistent with the majority of strategies used by leaders around the world. While there is a whole book devoted to the matter, the concept itself can easily be represented by a well-known Pyramid of Success developed by John Wooden. According to this strategy, there are 15 key principles that a leader should keep in mind to inspire and encourage his or her team. The use of the word “pyramid” implies some kind of hierarchy to be presented, which is the case for this theory as some of the principles mentioned are an underlying basis for the other. This paper will discuss the applicability of that model to real-life cases, its advantages, and its disadvantages.
Applicability of the Model in the Modern World
The analysis of the model’s applicability will probably be more convincing and effective if it is represented by a real business case. The one which has been observed recently relates to a department of an international bank and the leadership strategy applied by its manager. Analyzing the key rules the manager used, it is quite simple to acknowledge the resemblance between her strategy and the one, proposed by John Wooden. Firstly, as a new employee became a part of her team, the amount of work and pressure was obvious, which corresponded to the Industriousness principle of the Pyramid. However, despite being rather strict and demanding, the manager of this team encouraged friendship and cooperation by transforming each task into a group project, and every member was responsible for it. Secondly, aside from the management approach used by the leader, her personal and professional qualities strictly coincided with the ones proposed by John Wooden’s model. Sincere love for the job she was doing and a relentless drive to achieve new goals inspired the teammates, making them more enthusiastic about the process they belonged to.
The similarities mentioned might seem accidental; however, taking into account the department’s unrivaled reputation and high productivity, which is the third pattern, the applicability, and effectiveness of John Wooden’s model, in this case, is undoubtful. Yet, the example given is a necessary condition of the Pyramid’s benefit; still, it is not a sufficient demonstration of its general application. Based on this assumption, some additional facts and a more thorough analysis are required. The next sections will provide an overview of existing opinions on the subject and suggest a probable alternative to the system discussed in this paper.
Comparison of the Model with a Personal Strategy
The most attainable estimate of the efficiency of John Wooden’s model is probably the author’s rationale, based on the style of leadership and beliefs he/she follows. Considering the style of leadership in management, it can be assumed that the author is more likely to adopt a consultative approach while dealing with team members for several reasons. Firstly, according to its definition, this type of leader examines the strongest and the weakest sides of each team member to find the most successful combination of them to employ in the project work. Secondly, the decision-making process conducted by the author as a team leader is organized in a cooperative way, where each vote counts, yet, the leader has a right to make a final decision.
All things considered, the style of leadership described incorporates the features of John Wooden’s methodology of management. The principles used are in direct consistency with the rules, or “Lessons”, mentioned in the Model. For instance, the concept of the Pyramid itself coincides with the author’s vision of how a manager should act, despite his or her position. No matter how great the delegated power of a leader is, constant hard work, enthusiasm and cooperation are still the foundations of the group’s success. Besides, it seems quite rational to apply a so-called “teacher’s approach” in terms of leadership. Those valuable qualities can only be identified and improved in close interaction with a mentor, which guides development by the teacher’s knowledge and experience.
What is more, it is of utmost importance to translate personal and professional patterns of a leader to be used by teammates, due to a proven inheritance of those qualities by the followers. According to Martino, “Wooden was the quintessentially positive figure whose focus was building upon the strengths of his players. His positive persona contributed to a collaborative team culture in which players and members of his coaching staff believed they could express their views and opinions, and have their sentiments taken seriously”. The application of the principle in practice by its author himself demonstrates the benefits of the method.
The Pyramid’s Analysis
The model discussed in this paper has plenty of advantages in terms of its user success. Yet, even an immerse number of successful cases is not enough to be a complete and sufficient argument in support of the model’s relevance. That is why this section is devoted to an analysis of academic research on the matter, and also provides theoretical and empirical estimates of the system’s efficiency.
Human nature does not allow everyone to have the same results regardless of the difference in initial skills and abilities. Indeed, sometimes two individuals which seem to have equal opportunities, achieve completely different outcomes, and this is why the definition of success should incorporate such a principle. As can be seen, not only this was one of the key points in John Wooden’s definition, but it became a part of his leadership strategy. Researchers note that “If you do your best in preparing for any competition or activity, then your journey will be successful, regardless of the final results.” (DeWitt, 2016, p. 3). Such a flexible approach is rather sensible in a way that encourages one to work on his or her skills regularly, despite the results, which might be considered a model’s undisputable advantage.
The benefits of John Wooden’s system were indirectly proved by Badewi in his research where he uses an empirical approach to reveal the factors, influencing project investment success. In this study, two approaches – benefits management and project management – are analyzed, whereas the major focus of the survey is shifted onto the second technique mentioned. Benefits management is based on the assumption that the most crucial point in a project success strategy is its future benefits for the company, which the project team should concentrate on. However, contrary to the expectations, the evident gains from the project’s realization did not have a considerable impact on its success (Badewi, 2015). Considering this, the theory of John Wooden, focusing on the process of self-perfection and not the outcomes only, seems to be more appropriate for the leader to use.
The system also finds support in another study in this field. For instance, the conclusions were drawn by Balint Blascovics in his research state that “project managers … might shift their leadership style from a dictatorial to a more democratic style, which might increase the potential for achieving project success” (Blascovics, 2016, p.19). The given statement coincides with a cooperative spirit in leadership style, recommended by John Wooden, thus proving its efficiency.
The advantages of John Wooden’s Pyramid outweigh the disadvantages, yet, the last-mentioned exist. The model might be criticized for the excess of cooperative effort it requires. There is absolutely no doubt that a group’s synergy is a powerful tool against the majority of problems and each member is ought to know his or her responsibilities by the overall strategy. Still, some critical situations may need individual, extraordinary skills to be applied, which are quite hard to demonstrate if the role is strictly defined.
A Self-Built System
A brand-new model of success is based on the Pyramid of Success discussed in this paper but it includes an additional element. As it was mentioned, the model might not be so good in terms of member’s individual development and skill demonstration. Accordingly, besides condition, skill, and team spirit on the third level, it would also include providence. This quality relates to an ability to keep an eye on each team member, try to distinguish their special features, which might be useful during the working process or, more importantly, during a crisis. Those may be applicable in the development of the “in case of emergency” strategy so that every participant would know his or her role and would not be threatened because of unauthorized use of immanent abilities. Such an approach introduces some flexibility into the model, which is especially valuable in crisis management.
A Step-by-Step Strategy
The last section will provide a sequence of simple steps necessary to successfully overcome a project-related crisis. The algorithm is based on the model proposed by the author in the previous section.
- Remain disciplined and loyal to the key principles of the work organization – hard work and cooperation.
- Look for the core problem to resolve, try to turn it into an opportunity for a productive change.
- Use the background as an “answer storage”, yet, apply the members’ best efforts and unrevealed skills as a brand-new tool.
- Despite the obstacles, stay positive, keep an enthusiastic approach to inspire the whole team to overcome those.
Conclusion
To conclude, probably the most important factor to be considered on the way to success is personal development. Despite some immanent qualities, in the end, the only thing that matters and influences the result is stamina, a constant desire to overcome all the obstacles and impediments. This principle is an underlying concept of any existing success strategy and one does not need to read a pile of books to learn it.
References
Badewi, A. (2015). The impact of project management (PM) and benefits management (BM) practices on project success: Towards developing a project benefits governance framework. International Journal of Project Management, 34(4), 761-778.
DeWitt, J. (2016). The Wooden doctrine: Basketball, moral character, and the successful life.Center for the Study of Ethics in Society Paper, 22. Web.
Martino, J. (2019). Coaching greatness: An application of authentic leadership development theory to Wooden and Lombardi. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 12(1), 1-12.