Phil Jackson | Circle Of Love

Below are quotes are taking from the first chapter of Phil Jackson’s book, 11 Rings.  The first chapter is titled ‘Circle of Love’ and it talks a lot of the importance of getting your team to work together and form a real ‘brotherhood.’

He talks about the importance of ‘the ring’ in sports and how the ring symbolizes the quest of the self to find harmony, connection, and wholeness.  He also said that players understood intuitively the deeper meaning of the ring. 

The Ring

His 2001 - 2002 Championship Laker team took on the motto ‘The Ring.’  He said that it was not just a band of gold, but that it’s the circle that’s made a bond between all the players.  A great love for one another.  A Circle of Love.

The Most Important Ingredient

It takes a number of critical factors to win an NBA championship, including the right mix of talent, creativity, intelligence, toughness, and, of course, luck. But if a team doesn’t have the most essential ingredient—love—none of those other factors matter.

 The Culture

Building that kind of consciousness doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years of nurturing to get young athletes to step outside their egos and fully engage in a group experience. The NBA is not exactly the friendliest environment for teaching selflessness. Even though the game itself is a five-person sport, the culture surrounding it celebrates egoistic behavior and stresses individual achievement over team bonding.

Something Greater Than Themselves

Some coaches are obsessed with winning trophies; others like to see their faces on TV.  What moves me is watching young men bond together and tap into the magic that arises when they focus - with their whole heart and soul - on something greater than themselves.  Once you've experienced that, it's something you never forget.

The 5 Stages of Tribal Development (Tribal Leadership)

Stage 1 - General idea that 'life sucks.'  A general despair and hopelessness that is shared by street gangs.

Stage 2 - A general apathy for life.  Not so much 'life sucks' as it is that 'my life sucks.'

Stage 3 - Driven by individual pride - "I'm great and you aren't.'  'Lone warriors' will work hard to outwork their opponents, but it’s for individual gain and recognition.

Stage 4 – Driven by team pride - "We’re great and they aren't.'  

Stage 5 - —a rare stage characterized by a sense of innocent wonder and the strong belief that ‘life is great.’

Focusing on the ‘team’ more than the X’s and O’s

Most coaches I know spend a lot of time focusing on X ’s and O ’s. I must admit that at times I’ve fallen in that trap myself. But what fascinates most people about sports is not the endless chatter about strategy that fills the airwaves. It’s what I like to call the spiritual nature of the game. I can’t pretend to be an expert in leadership theory. But what I do know is that the art of transforming a group of young, ambitious individuals into an integrated championship team is not a mechanistic process. It’s a mysterious juggling act that requires not only a thorough knowledge of the time-honored laws of the game but also an open heart, a clear mind, and a deep curiosity about the ways of the human spirit.