Wooden’s Wisdom created by Coach Craig Impelman and The John R. Wooden Course
www.woodencourse.com
Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 1
SINCERITY
On the right side of the Pyramid of Success,
below patience, there are four additional
pieces of mortar: sincerity, honesty,
reliability and integrity. These are qualities
that, together, encompass the genuineness,
strength, and impact of human character.
This week we will discuss sincerity.
In his book Coach Wooden's Pyramid of
Success, with Jay Carty, Coach Wooden
defined sincerity and its importance in the
following manner:
Issue 32
Friendship, loyalty, cooperation and team
spirit each occupy building blocks in the
Pyramid of Success. What do these blocks
say about success? They tell us that we
cannot become successful unless we interact
with others. Sincerity is the mortar that
binds together the blocks of friendship,
loyalty, cooperation and team spirit.
Therefore, sincerity is also necessary to
reach the apex.
Sincerity may not make a friend, but it will
keep one. It often takes a while to be
validated, but once a person knows that our
word, character and steadfastness have
withstood the test of life, a firm friendship
can be established and maintained.
When we realize that a friend can be
counted on during times of need, when we
see that his or her values don't blow around
in the breeze, and when he or she stands up
for us, we are far more apt to stand up for
him or her – and vice versa.
Under each piece of mortar on the Pyramid,
in parentheses, there is some brief
application advice for that mortar. In the
original version of the Pyramid, Coach had
suggested that sincerity was a trait that:
“makes friends.” After revising the Pyramid
years later, Coach changed the application
advice for sincerity to instead read: “keeps
friends.” Coach had an important motivation
for this change. He wanted to make certain
that we understand that sincerity will help us
do something more important than simply
winning over new friends but would, in fact,
allow us to earn their trust and loyalty in
such a way that we would be able to
COACH'S
FAVORITE POETRY
AND PROSE
A SHORT COURSE IN HUMAN
RELATIONS
The six most important words:
“I admit I made a mistake.”
The five most important words:
“You did a good job.”
The four most important words:
“What is your opinion?”
The three most important words:
“If you please.”
The two most important words:
“'Thank you.”
The most important word:
“We”
The least important word:
“'I”
maintain and grow those friendships into
lasting and mutually edifying relationships.
Coach’s aim in promoting sincerity was to
challenge us to speak and act in truth about
our beliefs, goals, loyalty, and team spirit.
Whether it is a military leader or an office
manager or a basketball coach, people who
are following a sincere and honest leader
will do more for him or her than they will
for an insincere one—especially when the
pressure is on.
The Oxford English Dictionary notes that
the word “sincerity” stems from the Latin
word “sincerus,” which means “clean, pure
sound.” The root word itself, “sincerus”
may have actually originally been a
compound of “sin” (one) and “crescere” (to
grow)—referring to something that grows
and develops untainted by anything else.
That’s a wonderful picture of what sincerity
really is: a striving to grow toward a goal
unsullied or uncorrupted by anything less
than pure motives. That’s the kind of growth
that inspires confidence and a willingness to
follow.
But beyond that, the definition also reminds
us that when we are sincere with each other,
we can grow together as one toward our
shared purpose.
Yours in coaching,
Craig Impelman
www.woodencourse.com
Twitter: @woodenswisdom
Author Unknown
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