For some time, I’ve been thinking about the question, “What does success look like?”
Have you ever thought about that? We talk about wanting to be successful. We want our children to be successful. We want to be successful with our jobs. We want to be successful in our relationships.
But the question I ask today is actually focused on what success really means? Also, how do the experiences in our childhood, positive or negative, affect our ability to be successful?
In Phil Jackson's book, “Eleven Rings,” he recounts his days as a player and coach in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is perhaps most famous for having coached the Chicago Bulls when Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and others were playing and then coaching the Los Angeles Lakers during Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant’s playing days.
He won six championship titles with the Chicago Bulls and five championship titles with the Los Angeles Lakers. He has won more championships than any other coach in NBA history. Championship winners receive championship rings. Hence, the title of his book, “Eleven Rings.”
Rings, as you know, are designed to wear on your fingers. He has more rings than he has fingers! In fact, he won two rings as a player himself, so he actually has 13 rings. But when you look at his hands, if he were to wear them all, you would instantly and visually understand that he was successful.
He ran what is called a triangle offense which is unusual in today’s league. While I might not understand the triangle offense scheme, what I do understand is that if you work hard and execute the fundamentals, you will be successful.
How do I know? Eleven rings.
When we start delving into the backgrounds of many successful athletes, we are often surprised and dismayed by the stressful and traumatic lives many athletes have endured. On the Chicago Bull’s team, player Dennis Rodman comes to mind.
(A recent example is the sexual abuse suffered by many of the athletes on the women’s USA gymnastics teams in the 1990s through 2010s.)
As the coach, you’re trying to get players to trust you and focus on the fundamentals, when, whether out of safety or necessity, many of these players struggled their whole lives with trusting anyone but themselves.
Can you see the struggle that someone like Phil Jackson must have had? He needed players to work within his framework. In exchange, he promised them great success. However, past experiences informed the team’s current behaviors and expectations. . . To continue reading, please click here. . . For more information on “(Re)Building Trust: A Trauma-informed Approach to Leadership,” please visit my website mrchrisfreeze.com. Photo from @PhilJackson11 on Twitter | 
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