Eleven Rings

The Soul of Success

By: Phil Jackson, Hugh Delehanty

Narrated by: Matt Walton

Length: 10 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

During his storied career as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Even more important, he succeeded in never wavering from coaching his way, from a place of deep values. Jackson was tagged as the "Zen master" half in jest by sportswriters, but the nickname speaks to an important truth: this is a coach who inspired, not goaded; who led by awakening and challenging the better angels of his players' nature, not their egos, fear, or greed.

This is the story of a preacher's kid from North Dakota who grew up to be one of the most innovative leaders of our time. In his quest to reinvent himself, Jackson explored 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 hypercompetitive world of professional sports on its head.

In Eleven Rings, Jackson candidly describes how he:

• Learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the champion New York Knicks in the 1970s
• Managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title
• Forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync
• Inspired Dennis Rodman and other "uncoachable" personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves
• Transformed Kobe Bryant from a rebellious teenager into a mature leader of a championship team.

Eleven times, Jackson led his teams to the ultimate goal: the NBA championship - six times with the Chicago Bulls and five times with the Los Angeles Lakers. We all know the legendary stars on those teams, or think we do. What Eleven Rings shows us, however, is that when it comes to the most important lessons, we don't know very much at all. This book is full of 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.

©2013 Phil Jackson & Hugh Delehanty (P)2013 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Through candor and comprehensiveness, Jackson writes a convincing revisionist take, in which he emerges as an excellent coach...highly readable...reflects Jackson’s polymathy." (The New York Times Book Review)

"Part sports memoir, part New Age spirit quest, part pseudo-management tract.... But the primary thing with Jackson - as with all the old bards, who were also known for repeating themselves - is the voice." (Sam Anderson, The New York Times Magazine)

"The legendary Bulls and Lakers leader's new book finally enlightened me to Jackson's lifelong dedication to the game." (The Atlantic)

Best book ever

Will make you a bigger basketball fan than you already are, no matter what. 5 stars!!

Loved it.

A new top fave. The perfect blend of outstanding success stories and Zen practice:). Such a treat to hear it from Phil's inside perspective on it all too.

Interesting Read.

Great story. enjoyed the tone. got to know about basketball strategy as well as organizational techniques and Zen concepts.

Not what I expected

This book is more about accepting a trial as the gift of a new, exciting/rewarding pathway. I felt that this book was more effective at explaining self actualization and personal potential than top self help books. Excellent story and excellent resource for anyone exploring the idea of Leadership.

Goldmine!

A wealth of knowledge and goldmine of tools for anyone looking to step up their game in personal or professional areas!

Part Basketball, Part Management & Part Leadership

Where does Eleven Rings rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

One of the best audiobooks I have listened to.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Eleven Rings?

His ability to find different ways to motivate each player on his team.

A seminal book on leadership

You don’t have to be an NBA fan to enjoy this book. 11 rings is packed with leadership wisdom from “The Zenmaster Coach,” including his own 11 rules of leadership:

1. Lead from the inside out
2. Bench the ego
3. Let each player discover his own destiny
4. The road to freedom is a beautiful system
5. Turn the mundane into the sacred
6. One breath = One mind
7. The key to success is compassion
8. Keep your eye on the spirit, not on the scoreboard
9. Sometimes you have to pull out the big stick
10. When in doubt, do nothing
11. Forget the ring

The genius of Phil Jackson is how he convinced the biggest egos in the game to buy into his system — the triangle offense” — that emphasizes teamwork over individual performance. He convinced the likes of Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Shaquille O’Neal, Kobe Bryant and Lamar Odom that employing his system would help them reach their ultimate goal — an NBA Championship.

If you’re in a position of leadership, this book will help you learn how to maximize the potential of different types of personalities on your team to achieve a common goal.

You need this one

Should be at the top of the list for anyone seeking personal growth. Well, any fan of the NBA and knows his accomplishments.

Zen Leader - Awesome Read

Leadrrship tools for the ages. Managing egos and personalities can be difficultt, but Phil mastered this through his exceptional leadership capabilities and strategies. Countless hours of Leadership Lessons.

Great implicit leadership book

Less about "heres the 10 things I distill my success down into" and more about how Phil applied leadership in the moment. leaves it you to make the take away. which I really liked.

great basketball story, too, of course.

enjoyable narrator.