#1: The pyramid of success
Why do we want to be successful? Success is synonymous with happiness and satisfaction. But what kind of success is good for us? And how do we get there once we are clear about it? There are many strategies, books and myths on the subject. And there is "The Pyramid of Success" ... : a holistic and sustainable model for success in the sense of inner satisfaction.
The Pyramid of Success, original text
Basketball as a school of life
At a Reebok training camp, where I lived basketball every day, I learned about "The Pyramid of Success" model - 30 years before I trained as a life coach. It was developed around 1950 by John R. Wooden, one of the most successful basketball head coaches in history.
The contents of the success pyramid have left their mark on me and I still enjoy looking at them today. How inspiring and valuable that John Wooden lists "friendship" as an important part of the foundation of success in his building blocks! With all the moves I make in my life, I always make sure that I continue to nurture my friendships. Without them, my new achievements would only be half as nice, wouldn't they?
John Wooden
Head Coach Basketball UCLA
Compass for the right posture
As an architect, I always kept the guiding principle from the top building block "top performance" in mind during the final stages of the delivery: "When the going gets tough, the touch get going!" or "When thegoing gets serious, the serious get going!" This allowed me to mobilize the last of my energy to help our competition team complete a really cool submission.
During my coaching training at the Dr. Bock Coaching Academy, I learned many highly effective models and tools for professional coaching. "The Pyramid of Success" already contains some of these elements. In other words, resources and strategies that are helpful on the path to success in terms of deep personal and professional satisfaction.
The pyramid of success, translation
You define your success
I find it astonishing how contemporary much of the content of the pyramid is, even though it was conceived more than 70 years ago. If you read it under the aspects of New Work, mindfulness and inclusion, you will find an astonishing number of correspondences. The 15 building blocks of the pyramid of success are held together on the left and right by 10 terms, which Coach Wooden calls the "mortar". Five mental skills on the left and five character strengths on the right. In addition to the areas that you can work on, I see these as representing your inner attitude.
I particularly like John Wooden's definition of success: "Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self satisfaction, in knowing, you did your best, to become the best that you are capable of becoming", or "Success is the deep satisfaction of knowing that you did your best, to achieve the best that you are capable of becoming ." This description focuses on our own perceived appreciation of our performance and not on the demands others place on us. This is also in line with my philosophy in coaching, which is to work with each person to develop their individual vision and to accompany them on their journey towards this vision with encouragement and joy.
I am still grateful to John Wooden for his pyramid and would be delighted if it inspires you too. As the saying goes, "The journey is the reward". And you choose your own path!
I would therefore like to share "The Pyramid of Success" with you. I have reworked it graphically and translated it from English into German in a second version. You can find the link to the graphics below.
What is your definition of success and satisfaction?
What are the most important building blocks and values in your life?
I would be delighted to hear from you!
Feel free to write to me at: coaching@alexander-raab.ch
