Eleven Rings
by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty
Book Report is a series where I share interesting and informative content from the books I’ve read.
If you were a human being part of a civilized society in the 90’s then you’ve probably heard of this basketball player named Michael Jordan. If you were remotely interested in this “Michael Jordan” then you’re probably also familiar with the team he played on called the Chicago Bulls.
In case your math is a bit spotty, his championship rings as a coach totals 11, hence the name of his book.
Phil Jackson was known for the “Triangle Offense”, the influence of Eastern philosophy which landed him the name “Zen Master”, and most recently his terrible front office work with the New York Knicks (but let’s not talk about that).
So far, this has been a Book Report with a lot of sports information BUT do not dismiss this book as simply a sports book. It’s a management book. Phil Jackson’s teams consisted of the greatest players of all-time (Jordan, Kobe, Shaq), tons of all-stars, a renegade (in the form of Dennis Rodman), and role players who had to produce to win games. Understanding how he managed all the personalities and skillsets to drive results is useful to any manager.
Eleven Rings is a great management book that’s useful for everyone but made even better if you are fan of basketball.
Excerpts From Eleven Rings
You can’t force your will on people. If you want them to act differently, you need to inspire them to change themselves.
Approach each moment with a curious mind free of judgment…if your mind is empty it is always ready for anything; it is open to everything. In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, in the expert’s mind there are few.
Learn to dial back ego and distribute power as widely as possible without surrendering final authority.
Interested in reading Eleven Rings?
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