Team Tuesdays: Phil Jackson — Tribal Leadership

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How did legendary coach Phil Jackson lead the Bulls and Lakers to a combined 11 NBA championships? While critics pointed to superstars like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Jackson’s real secret weapon wasn't a tactical playbook — it was Tribal Leadership.

In his memoir Eleven Rings, Jackson references the five stages of corporate culture outlined in Dave Logan’s book Tribal Leadership:

  1. Stage 1 — Life Sucks
    The Mindset: Victim’s mindset that believes the world is broken, unfair, or against them.

  2. Stage 2 — My Life Sucks
    The Mindset: Victim’s mindset that feels like they can’t get anything right.

  3. Stage 3 — I’m Great (and You’re Not)
    The Mindset: Ego-driven — I can do what they can’t.

  4. Stage 4 — We’re Great (and They’re Not)
    The Mindset: We as a team are better than everyone else.

  5. Stage 5 — Life is Great
    The Mindset: The world is full of opportunities and learning opportunities, and we are all working together to make it better.

Coach Jackson says a "tribe" is any group of 20 to 150 people, and the goal is to gradually move people through the different stages. 

To achieve this, Jackson used "mindfulness, connection, and tribal rituals." He famously forced his players to practice in silence, meditate, and share the ball. He convinced some of the biggest superstars in basketball history that their individual greatness was meaningless unless it was surrendered to the collective power of the group.

When a team reaches Stage 4, a shift occurs: it becomes bound by a shared purpose rather than individual status. Jackson proved that sustainable success isn't about collecting the best talent — it's about cultivating a tribe that operates as one.

Something to Think About

How can you shift your team’s mindset from “I’m great” to “We’re great” this week?

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