Eleven Rings: The Soul of Success

I liked that Phil Jackson was honest and broke down all the mishaps that ever happened between him and his players. Great book.

Eleven Rings by Phil Jackson is an outstanding book on Phil's playing and coaching career in the NBA. As someone who loves the NBA and grew watching Phil win these championship rings as a coach, this book was incredibly interesting to me and very difficult to put down.No coach in any of the major professional sports has won as many championships as Phil Jackson has. Phil has also had the privilege of coaching a few of the NBA's all time greatest players in: Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O'Neal (not to mention the long list of other all star and hall of fame players). With that kind of resume there is no question that Jackson would be a treasure trove of wisdom and leadership insights.As someone who grew up watching the Bulls and Lakers win these rings, it was fascinating to read about everything that was going on behind the scenes. Learning about how each of his teams functioned and how Jackson would need to continually adapt his coaching style and strategy was very interesting. This book is a convincing illustration of how great leaders must continually evolve and grow to remain an effective leader. Even when the group of people you lead remain the same, the outside factors in life are always changing which requires leaders to always be aware of: how they are leading, who they are leading, and what they leading their team through and to.All the hype about Phil comparing Michael and Kobe in this book was a bit overblown by the media. Jackson definitely compares the two, but it is not as scandalous as the media has made it out to be. And after all, does anyone really question whether or not Michael is the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball?Eleven Rings is such a great book and I would highly recommend it to leaders of any field and then of course to anyone who is a fan of the NBA.Here are some of my favorite leadership quotes from the book:After years of experimenting, I discovered that the more I tried to exert power directly, the less powerful I became. I learned to dial back my ego and distribute power as widely as possible without surrendering final authority. Paradoxically, this approach strengthened my effectiveness because it freed me to focus on my job as keeper of the team's vision. (p. 12)The essence of coaching is to get the players to wholeheartedly agree to being coached, then offer them a sense of their destiny as a team. (p. 17)Oneness is not something you can turn on with a switch. You need to create the right environment for it to grow, then nurture it carefully every day. (p. 84)(Phil speaking to Kobe) "I guess you'd like to be the captain of this team someday when you're older - maybe like twenty-five." He replied that he wanted to be captain tomorrow. To which I said, "You can't be captain if nobody follows you." (p. 219)You've got to play to win, not play to avoid losing. (p. 222)

This book is very similar stylistically with Sacred Hoops and it does have some common themes that it parallels. The inclusion of imagery and anecdotes from different cultures, the importance of mindfulness and teamwork and some biographical information all help to make this almost as a continuation of or sequel to Sacred Hoops. Jackson is very candid and open with his thoughts at various times and it was interesting to hear his take on the dynamics that were present with his Lakers teams and some additional information from the Bulls that you might have heard in The Last Dance documentary. If you're a basketball fan, whether you hated or loved the Bulls and Lakers, I think you will enjoy the book!

Very good book. If you like sports and are interested in how, arguably the best coach in basketball history, was able to create 2 dynasties, this is a must read.Phil Jackson takes you through his coaching career journey, sharing his leadership and people management skills. I enjoyed the way he recounts the championships from both the Chicago Bulls and the Lakers. I also liked the way he shared his thoughts about working with amazing basketball legends such as Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Koby, Shaq, and many more.He shares his spirituality and how meditation helped building stronger teams.

Excellent read on the Lakers

I found the way the book was written to be very captivating and it continually drew me in and kept me wanting for more. The storyline was thoughtfully crafted and the frequent references to Zen made me want to study those teachings further. The measure of a well written book is first that you don't want to put it down and second that it introduces you to something new...this does both.

PJ brought multiple teams of stars together to win championships through simplicity, patience, and compassion.A great read with wonderful stories.

If you're a basketball fan, this book is for you. This book dives deep into Phil Jackson's career. You learn about Phil Jackson's point of view about what happened in both the Michael Jordan era and Kobe Bryant era. It was very interesting to learn what happened during his coaching read. I don't want to spoil it but it's a must read if you're into basketball.

Easy to read book with so many examples of how to be a silent leader. Of course, Phil had many excellent subordinates that could, like MJ, change the game by themselves, but winning so many titles without a clear vision wouldn't be possible. Sports coaches give many examples of good leaders, and this book is an excellent position for someone who's trying to be a leader.

One of the best autobiographies I've read. Phil Jackson is a clear example of success in the NBA - coaching two legendary teams, dealing with some of the world's best players and putting his ideas, methods and plans into action! It was nice reading about his life, his love for the game, his family and how he became a coach. It was nice seeing how he dealt directing the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman of the Chicago Bulls. They were an unstoppable force in the 1980s. Despite the success and glories, there were ups and downs with the team - egos, injuries and when MJ left, Jackson pretty much wanted Scottie in a leading role and tried getting him to be more of a leader with MJ gone. When MJ returned, Jackson spoke about dealing with his return and how he managed to adjust Dennis Rodman to the Bulls. As well as the Bulls, he also coached the Lakers, dealing with the likes of Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol etc. He clearly saw greatness in the young Kobe Bryant and tried getting him to be better than the troubled teen he was. Jackson proved himself a legendary coach due to winning 11 rings and he truly is a legend!Deffo recommend to basketball fans!

very interesting book showing the minset and the singular coaching approach of M. P Jackson.Remenbering his debut some used to say that M Jordan was the main part of the bulls success, and by far before his teammates and even his coach! Maybe the main acheivers of a championship are the one battling physically on the field. But P Jackson is proving with his book that coaching is much more than simply assist and witness other people's talent, so talented they might be like kobe shaq or Jordan.This book is not stressing much on basket or coaching theory. This is a book more about finding one's place as a coach or rather as a mentor higher and wiser above any battlefield such as the floor, the training camp, the media or any place where you need to handle turmoil that can threaten your chance of winning. Though he failed in his last quest for three peat, his coaching hability is worth the career review. He only has 11 rings but deserve a crown for his wisdom and his zen approach of life and basketball. Anyone can appreciate this book not only basketball fans.

Consigliatissimo libro per gli amanti del basket e non!Interessantissimo il personaggio di Zen Master -> Phil Jakson ( il COACH più vincente di sempre ) alla leadership con approccio spirituale. Ricchissimo di aneddoti, spettacolare da leggere in concomitanza con l'uscita del Documentario The Last Dance su Jordan, in cui vengono svelati molti retroscena di allora.Interessantissima non solo la parte del racconto sui pluricampioni Bulls ( guidati da Jordan), ma anche quella sui vincenti Lakers di Bryant. Consigliata la versione in inglese.PRO prezzo molto vantaggioso anche non scontato, che parla di leadership e non richiede particolari conoscenze sulla pallacanestro. Versione inglese facilmente comprensibile anche a non madrelinguaCONTRO assolutamente nessuno