Lynn Guerin - Coach Em Way Up

Lynn Guerin listened very carefully to my father for 15 years. He worked with Dad to learn, to understand, and to capture his philosophy, wisdom, life lessons, and coaching expertise. He became a lifelong student and disciple of Dads Pyramid of Success and has worked enthusiastically and tirelessly to apply it to his own life and prepare to teach it to others. This book will help you understand what made my Dad such a remarkable coach and teacher and an even better person. It will help you coach yourself and provide momentum for your journey to be your very best. Dad would be so pleased to know his teaching is still making a difference at a time when his life lessons are more important and more needed than ever.

JIM WOODEN, SON OF COACH JOHN WOODEN

I had the honor and privilege to have played for Coach and, as a member of his last championship team at UCLA in 1975, the good fortune to learn each and every day directly from him. Like many of my teammates and the players before us, at the time we didnt fully appreciate or understand it, but Coachs life lessons were going to have a very positive impact on our lives.

Through the ups and downs of my professional career, I always tried to stay true to Coachs success behaviors including Integrity, Honesty, Loyalty, Team Spirit, and Industriousness (Hard Work), which are some of my favorites. It wasnt, however, until I had the opportunity to work for Starbucks Coffee Company that I truly was able to apply what is described in the book as the Wooden Coaching Model and the Five Lessons for Leading. It all started with me, and there was not a day that I did not strive to model Coachs success behaviors. As a leader within the Starbucks Store Development Organization my teams were known for doing things the right way no matter what the challenges and while always striving to be the best we were capable of being, we were able to accomplish some incredible things. I have no doubt that my success as a leader was a direct result of my commitment to live life The John Wooden Way. With Coach Em Way Up, Lynn and Jason have created the perfect tool to introduce you or expand your knowledge of

Coachs behavior and leadership philosophies.

JIM SPILLANE, FORMER SVP U.S. STORE DEVELOPMENT, STARBUCKS COFFEE COMPANY AND UCLA BASKETBALL TEAM MEMBER, 19731977, NCAA CHAMPIONS 1975

Coach Em Way Up: Five Lessons for Leading the John Wooden Way is a must read for any leader, teacher, coach, supervisor, parent, or individual who is working to apply Coach Woodens timeless principles to their life and career. As Jason Lavin and Lynn Guerin affirm in this very insightful and highly applicable book, it is the goodness and the greatness of Coach Wooden that sets him apart as an example for others to follow.

TIM TASSOPOULOS, PRESIDENT AND COO, CHICK-FIL-A, INC.

A great read for any John Wooden disciple, and a must read for any leader of an organization. If you want to succeed, follow the time-proven plan. It is that simple, and you can learn a lot about yourself from the legend himself. Like many educators, Ive had Coach Woodens Pyramid of Success on my office wall and at my home to center myself; it also keeps my professional and personal goals at the forefront of every thought. This book is by far the most practical book I have read on the 25 behaviors that make up true success, and will give you applicable habits to exceed what you thought possible. The assessment is something we can all use to start living The John Wooden Way and live up to our true potential.

DR. SEAN BOULTON, PRINCIPAL, NEWPORT HARBOR HIGH SCHOOL

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To Coach Wooden, his family, and
the current and next generation of coaches

Contents

by Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage

Foreword

by Sam Reese, CEO of Vistage

A s the CEO of Vistage, I am blessed with the opportunity to work with nearly 25,000 CEOs and business owners across the globe as they pursue their paths to becoming better leaders, making better decisions, and driving better results. On my very first day leading the company in 2016, I noticed John Woodens Pyramid of Success and its framework for achieving Competitive Greatness on the walls of the offices of many members of my executive team. Just like my days as a young athlete in Wheatridge, Colorado, I knew Coach Woodens principles would help guide me once again.

Like most athletes growing up in the 1970s, the success of Coach Wooden was a reference point for every coach I encountered. The success of his UCLA basketball teams with legends such as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Bill Walton, and (my favorite) Keith Wilkes had me and countless high-school boys and girls nationwide dreaming of college basketball stardom. Even if we did not understand the depth of his lessons and our coaches lacked the patience of Coach Wooden, we were captivated by his concepts of teamwork, effort, unselfishness, and integrity.

I eventually found my success on the track, not the hardwood. I was recruited by colleges nationwide after winning two team and two individual state titles before my senior year in high school, and I used Coach Woodens Pyramid of Success principles of self-control, conditioning, and confidence to drive me. After an injury early in my senior season, several colleges lost interest in me, but the University of Colorado still offered me a scholarship. Without that offer, I would not have been able to attend college, let alone pursue my dream of becoming an Olympian.

I posted some of the best cross-country times in the country as a sophomore at Colorado and became a first team All-American in 1982. I signed my first shoe sponsorship deal with Nike that same year. It would be the last year I ran competitively. A series of injuries and subsequent surgeries forever ended my Olympic dream. After graduating from college, I headed towards a traditional career path, which felt like a disappointment. I longed for something that felt as important and motivating as my track and field career. I was lost and only found what I was looking for after I was promoted into my first management position and felt the generous weight of leadership responsibility.