Tagged: buddhism
Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success – Phil Jackson
“It takes a number of critical factors to win an NBA championship, including the right mix of talent, creativity, intelligence, toughness, and, of course, luck. But if a team doesn’t have the most essential ingredient – love – none of these other factors matter.” (4)
[Love, in this context = “the intense emotional connection that great warriors experience in the heat of battle.”]
“The so-called universal principles that appear in most leadership textbooks rarely hold up. In order to shift a culture from one stage to the next [the five stages of leadership outlined in the book Tribal Leadership], you need to find the levers that are appropriate for that particular stage in the group’s development.” (8)
The Jackson Eleven
-“The basic principles of mindful leadership that I’ve evolved over the years to help transform disorganized teams into champions.”
#2: Bench the ego
#3: Let each player discover his own destiny
#9: Sometimes you have to pull out the big stick
#11: Forget the ring
Meditation tips:
- 1. Sit with your spine straight, your shoulders relaxed, and your chin pulled in, ‘as if you were supporting the sky with your head.’
2. Follow your breath with your mind as it moves in and out like a swinging door.
3. Don’t try to stop your thinking. If a thought arises, let it come, then let it go and return to watching your breath. The idea is not to try to control your mind but to let thoughts rise and fall naturally over and over again. After some practice, the thoughts will start to float by like passing clouds and their power to dominate consciousness will diminish.
Napoleon Bonaparte once sent a staff officer to find a replacement for a great general that died. The officer returned several weeks later and described a man he thought would be perfect for the job because of his tactical and managerial skills. When the officer finished, Napoleon looked at him and said, ‘That’s all very good, but is he lucky?”
“Former UCLA head coach John Wooden used to say that ‘winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.'” (110)
“When the pecking order is clear, it reduces the players’ anxiety and stress. But if it’s unclear and the top players are constantly vying for position, the center will not hold, no matter how talented the roster.” (122)
Phil was the centerpiece of the team, and I was an extension of that centerpiece.
-Michael Jordan
The great lesson…[is] that the sacred is in the ordinary.
-Abraham Maslow
Work is holy, sacred, and uplifting when it springs from who we are, when it bears a relationship to our unfolding journey.
-Wayne Teasdale, “A Monk in the World”
It felt as if we were part of something really important. We felt like the good guys because we were trying to play the game the right way. It was as if we were a part of something bigger than the game.
-John Paxson, former Bulls player under Phil Jackson
“[Jared Dudley] was always thinking: How do I want to play and how do I need to change?” (138)
“Today they beat us. But we are not defeated.” (148)
“Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. After enlightenment, chop wood, carry water.” (173)
To be trusted is a greater compliment than to be loved.
-George Macdonald
“I always welcomed debate, even if it disrupted team harmony temporarily, because it showed that the players were engaged in solving the problems.” (251)
An unexpressed anger creates a breach in relationships that no amount of smiling can cross. It’s a secret. A lie. The compassionate response is one that keeps connections alive. It requires telling the truth. And telling the truth can be difficult, especially when the mind is stirred up by anger.
-Meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein
“The soul of success is surrendering to what is.” (334)