I have always been very much a people’s person. In high school 9 times out of 10 if I joined a sport or group it was not because I was connected to it, but because I love the presence of people. That said, I’m not a very big fan of sports. I have, however, always been a fan of greatness. To me the real definition of greatness is someone that can push through and success when all odds are against them and believe in themselves enough to prevail. When you know even if no one else knows that you will achieve the goal at hand you are in my mind on the road to greatness. It seems this quality is easier to identify in sports cause unlike in life; sports always keep score and track of your stats. Hence easier to identify greatness because all the facts are right in your face.
This book, 11 Rings by Phil Jackson, just celebrating it’s 3-year anniversary this pass May 21st. It only felt fitting to do the review in our Championship Issue. I hate to admit that I didn’t follow Phil as a player or a coach, but one Sunday morning when I was on my way to work. I saw Phil was doing a special on the O Networks show Super Soul Sunday. I was immediately captured by his presence and wanted to stop everything I was doing to sit down and watch him talk. His tenacity made me want to know him on a personal level and learn what he was all about. His energy resonated with me so much that the next day I went to the Public Library and took out the book 11 Rings.
The one thing that really stuck out about this book to me was the habitual reference to tribal culture. One of the reason the owners of Cleveland Cavilers got rid of the former coach David Blatt despite a 30-11 record was the culture he was creating in the locker room. Phil Jackson mention the five stages of tribal development, which they formulated after conducting extensive research on small to midsize organizations. Although basketball teams are not officially tribes, they share many of the same characteristics and develop along much the same lines:
STAGE 1 — shared by most street gangs and characterized by despair, hostility, and the collective belief that "life sucks."
STAGE 2 — filled primarily with apathetic people who perceive themselves as victims and who are passively antagonistic, with the mind-set that "my life sucks." Think The Office on TV or the Dilbert comic strip.
STAGE 3 — focused primarily on individual achievement and driven by the motto "I'm great (and you're not)." According to the authors, people in organizations at this stage "have to win, and for them winning is personal. They'll outwork and out think their competitors on an individual basis. The mood that results is a collection of “lone warriors."
STAGE 4 — dedicated to tribal pride and the overriding conviction that "we're great (and they're not)." This kind of team requires a strong adversary, and the bigger the foe, the more powerful the tribe.
STAGE 5 — a rare stage characterized by a sense of innocent wonder and the strong belief that "life is great." (See Bulls, Chicago, 1995–98.)
All things being equal, contend Logan and his colleagues, a stage 5 culture will outperform a stage 4 culture, which will outperform a 3, and so on. In addition, the rules change when you move from one culture to another. That's why the so-called universal principles that appear in most leadership textbooks rarely hold up. In order to shift a culture from one stage to the next, you need to find the levers that are appropriate for that particular stage in the group's development.
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He continued to make reference to these stages throughout the book. One that best described the most recent transformation that the Cavs just witness from winning their historical victory was this one he spoke about with the Bulls back in 95.
In truth, it was a confluence of forces that came together in the fall of 1995 to transform the Bulls into a new breed of championship team. From a tribal-leadership perspective, the Bulls were moving being a stage 4 team to a stage 5. The first series of championships transformed the Bulls from an "I'm great, you're not" team to a "We're great, they're not" team. But for the second series, the team adopted a broader "Life is great" point of view. By mid-season it became clear to me that it wasn't competition per se that was driving the team; it was simply the joy of the game itself. This dance was ours, and the team could only compete against ourselves.
Page 141
I could go on and on about all the amazing element of this wonderful book. This book doesn’t just give you scores and stats it deals with the quest Phil took to reinvent himself, exploring 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 basketball on its head.Phil gives you countless 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. If you haven’t read this book it is definitely a must read not just for sports lovers but for all people looking to fulfill the greatness within themselves and their community.
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