Page 37 - How to Create a Winning Organization

THE REQUISITES OF SUCCESS The Pyramid of Success 19
I soon adopted the pyramid structure as my teaching tool. At first,
I didn’t know how many “blocks” it would contain, what the
blocks would consist of, or in what order they would be positioned.
All I knew was that success would be found at the apex and that
each block leading to the top would represent a personal quality
necessary for getting there. The Pyramid’s blocks and tiers would
be my specific directions on how those under my supervision could
achieve success by realizing their own potential, both individually
and as part of a team.
Along the way, I came to see that it would also provide the di-
rections for my own coaching—a leadership guidebook—offering
a code of conduct for those given the privilege of leading others
into the competitive arena.
However, first I faced the task of determining what individual
characteristics were required to reach the top. I took this responsi-
bility seriously, and during the winter of my first year as a teacher
and coach began reflecting on what the answer was. What precisely
did it take to become a success?
For many years afterward, I evaluated and then carefully selected
the values necessary for success, as I defined it, as well as the loca-
tion each would occupy in the structure. After much reflection,
trial and error, and some soul searching, I chose 15 fundamental
values as blocks for my Pyramid of Success. I believe they are pre-
requisites for a leader and an organization whose goal is to perform
at the highest level of which they are capable.
I completed the Pyramid of Success shortly before leaving Indi-
ana State Teachers College in Terre Haute for California and
UCLA. Subsequently, as the new 37-year-old head basketball
coach of the Bruins I began each season by introducing my defini-
tion of success and the Pyramid to arriving student-athletes—
handing out mimeographed copies and reviewing it with them. A