Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the “Zen master” half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players’ nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.

This is the story of a preacher’s kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored everything from humanistic psychology and Native American philosophy to Zen meditation. In the process, he developed a new approach to leadership based on freedom, authenticity, and selfless teamwork that turned the hyper-competitive world of professional sports on its head.

In 'ELEVEN RINGS', Jackson candidly describes how he:

* Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while
playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s

* Managed Michael Jordan, the best player in the world, & got
him to embrace selflessness, even it meant not a scoring title

* Forged successful teams out of players
of varying abilities by inspiring them to
trust one another & to perform in sync

* Inspired Dennis Rodman & other “un-coachable”personalities
to devote themselves to something larger than themselves

* Transformed Kobe Bryant from teen rebel
into a mature leader of a championship team.

Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship—six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What 'ELEVEN RINGS' shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don’t know very much at all. This book is full of revelations: about fascinating personalities and their drive to win; about the wellsprings of motivation and competition at the highest levels; and about what it takes to bring out the best in ourselves and others.


RUNNING TIME ➜ 10hrs. and 27mins.

©2013 Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty (P)2013 Penguin Audio View Less