Leadership isn’t born—it’s built.  In other words, “A Leader Builds Other Leaders“ as quoted by the author.

For engineering students and young professionals stepping into the dual journey of self-leadership and team leadership, the challenge is daunting yet deeply rewarding. Success demands more than just technical expertise involving self-leadership; it requires a team leadership mindset rooted in values, discipline, and perseverance.

To guide us on this path, we turn to the wisdom of Dr. John Santiago, a retired United States Air Force officer with 26 years of technical leadership experience and 20-year seasoned educator, whose life has been profoundly shaped by John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. He’s also the author of this post.

John Wooden took over 30 years in developing and implementing his Pyramid before winning his first championship as Head Basketball Coach at UCLA.  Teaching his players about the Pyramid through intense and productive practice drills, his teams won 10 championships in 12 years, never to be repeated in the author’s lifetime.  In addition, during his tenure Coach Wooden graduated over 90% of his players.

Shown below is John Wooden’s latest version of the Pyramid of Success in which he appears to be reflecting on how he can improve his Pyramid of Success.   In later articles, the author expanded or extended Wooden’s 5-layer Pyramid to a 9-layer Pyramid of Success, one-layer at a time which he’ll call PyramidX for now, as an integration of several frameworks serving as an extension or expansion of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.  This Pyramid of Success and PyramidX can conceptually be viewed as a modern-day blockchain for leadership.  Coach Wooden was well ahead of his time

But first, let’s start about the author’s humble beginnings and later about how he views self-leadership and team leadership based on Wooden’s Pyramid of Success defined as:  “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.”


A Humble Beginning, A Lifetime of Leadership

The author’s journey began in humble circumstances, yet his dedication to learning, leadership, and service propelled to a meaningful and rewarding 45-year career. His personal reflections on Wooden’s values offer timeless lessons for aspiring leaders.

The author’s leadership journey was sparked by two foundational influences: his father’s simple yet profound advice to “work hard and get a good education,” and John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success, which he discovered early in his career while attending the Los Angeles City College (LACC) watching University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) basketball games.  The author later transferred to UCLA where he needed a backup plan besides basketball after watching the UCLA women’s basketball squad play…so he chose engineering.

Growing up as the eldest of four siblings in Los Angeles, he took his first steps in leadership working at McDonald’s as a swing manager, after working his way up from picking up trash in the parking lot to mopping floor and cleaning dishes.  After the nightshift, the author and his McDonald buddies played midnight basketball and had a midnight snack at Chinatown afterwards.

After graduating from UCLA and commissioned at an officer in the United States Air Force.  In addition to acquiring engineering skills, the author believes that one of the most valuable tools he received from UCLA is of course, John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success.  After five years in the Air Force, his supervisor highly encouraged him to join IEEE sometime in 1982.  During his career, he realized, as a slow learner he should’ve joined IEEE while attending UCLA.  In any case, the author rationalized that IEEE did not have a strong marketing program during that time.

Later, as a Major in the U.S. Air Force, he led teams in research and development, contributing to cutting-edge projects like precision-guided munitions and high-energy lasers. After retiring from the military, he transitioned to academia, where he spent over two decades teaching engineering, physics, and systems thinking. Throughout this journey, Wooden’s Pyramid served as his compass, shaping his teaching approach to self-leadership, team dynamics, and the pursuit of excellence through leadership-by-example.

The author frequently reflected on a pivotal moment in 1994 when he wrote to John Wooden about using his Pyramid as a foundation for the author’s leadership book. Surprisingly, John Wooden’s heartfelt response became a cherished reminder of their shared belief: leadership isn’t about personal accolades but about creating a ripple effect that inspires and uplifts others.  After initial contact with Dr Santiago John Wooden appeared to be inspired in co-authoring several more leadership books where this author collected most of his books.

Shown here is a sketched version of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. The left side of the Pyramid is what the author refers to as the Stepladder to Self-Leadership Success while the blue pyramid blocks are what the author calls the Team Leadership Triangle.

Connecting Self-Leadership and Team Leadership

As the author’s career demonstrates, self-leadership is the foundation for effective team leadership. Each step on the ladder contributes to building not only personal excellence but also the qualities needed to guide and inspire others:

  1. Industriousness: Model effort and commitment to inspire your team.
  2. Self-Control: Maintain composure and discipline to stabilize your team.
  3. Condition: Equip your team with the tools and resources needed for success.
  4. Poise: Lead with confidence, inspiring trust and focus in others.
  5. Competitive Greatness: Empower your team to excel in critical moments.

A Framework for Engineers and Beyond

This stepladder of self-leadership mirrors the engineering process itself:

  • Industriousness: Analyze problems and commit to solving them.
  • Self-Control: Stay disciplined and focused on solutions.
  • Condition: Equip yourself with the right tools and knowledge.
  • Poise: Test solutions with confidence.
  • Competitive Greatness: Deliver results that exceed expectations.

It’s not just a guide for engineers—it’s a framework for anyone aspiring to master themselves and inspire others.

The Team Leadership Triangle Embedded in the Pyramid

Shown in the blue-colored blocks at the heart of Wooden’s Pyramid lies a hidden framework: the Team Leadership Triangle. This Pyramid emphasizes the dual focus on self-leadership (shown as white-colored blocks) and team leadership (shown as blue-colored blocks), which is essential for engineering students and professionals seeking to inspire collective success.

Structure of the Team Leadership Triangle

  1. Top Layer: Confidence
    • Represents the culmination of preparation and trust in oneself and the team.
  2. Second Layer: Skill and Team Spirit
    • Skill ensures individual competence, while Team Spirit fosters collaboration and selflessness.
  3. Third Layer: Alertness, Initiative, and Intentness
    • These values drive adaptability, proactivity, and focus, ensuring dynamic team progress.
  4. Bottom Layer: Friendship, Loyalty, Cooperation, and Enthusiasm
    • The foundation of any team, built on strong relationships and mutual respect.

Significance of the Team Leadership Triangle

  • Friendship and Loyalty lay the groundwork for trust and camaraderie.
  • Cooperation and Enthusiasm energize the team, creating momentum.
  • Alertness, Initiative, and Intentness connect relational values to practical execution.
  • Skill and Team Spirit ensure effective collaboration and high-quality output.
  • Confidence is the peak, representing the assurance and belief required to inspire and lead.

The Five Steps to Climb the Stepladder to Self-Leadership Success

While the Team Leadership Triangle provides a framework for leading others, the Stepladder to Self-Leadership Success, guiding individuals through the personal growth needed to inspire their teams.

Step 1: Industriousness – Building the Foundation

“There is no substitute for hard work.” – John Wooden

At the bottom of the ladder lies Industriousness—the cornerstone of success. For engineering students and young professionals, industriousness means embracing the grind of mastering technical fundamentals while balancing the demands of projects and deadlines.

  • In Practice:
    • Commit to a disciplined routine of study, practice, and personal growth.
    • Tackle challenges with resilience and persistence.
  • Why It Matters:
    Industriousness teaches that effort and perseverance are the foundation for all progress.

Step 2: Self-Control – Cultivating Discipline

“Discipline is choosing between what you want now and what you want most.” – Abraham Lincoln

Effort without discipline is wasted energy. Self-Control equips leaders with the focus and composure needed to navigate distractions, setbacks, and emotional challenges.

  • In Practice:
    • Prioritize tasks and avoid procrastination.
    • Cultivate emotional intelligence to handle team conflicts or high-pressure situations.
  • Why It Matters:
    Discipline turns hard work into steady progress, enabling leaders to maintain consistency and reliability.

Step 3: Condition – Preparing for Challenges

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” – John Wooden

Success demands readiness, and Condition represents holistic preparation—physical, mental, and ethical. For engineers, staying sharp in technical knowledge and maintaining well-being are non-negotiable.

  • In Practice:
    • Stay current with industry trends and tools.
    • Invest in physical health and mental clarity through exercise and mindfulness.
  • Why It Matters:
    Condition ensures resilience, preparing you for sustained success in a competitive environment.

Step 4: Poise – Confidence in Action

“Be quick, but don’t hurry.” – John Wooden

Poise is the hallmark of a leader who inspires trust. Whether presenting designs to stakeholders or navigating crises, poise reflects confidence rooted in preparation.

  • In Practice:
    • Practice public speaking and leadership presence.
    • Reframe failures as learning opportunities to maintain composure.
  • Why It Matters:
    Poise ensures that you stay calm and focused, even in the face of adversity.

Step 5: Competitive Greatness – Thriving Under Pressure

“Perform at your best when your best is required.” – John Wooden

At the pinnacle of the ladder is Competitive Greatness, the ability to excel when it matters most. For engineers, this means delivering excellence during critical moments, from final exams to high-stakes project reviews.

  • In Practice:
    • Rise to challenges by preparing thoroughly and embracing responsibility.
    • Push beyond your comfort zone to achieve peak performance.
  • Why It Matters:
    Competitive Greatness is the ultimate measure of a leader’s ability to inspire confidence and deliver results.

The Integration of Self-Leadership and Team Leadership

Dr. Santiago’s reflections emphasize that self-leadership and team leadership are not separate paths—they are deeply intertwined, like DNA. As you climb the Stepladder of Self-Leadership Success (Industriousness to Competitive Greatness), you naturally grow the skills and mindset needed to lead others within the Team Leadership Triangle. Together, these frameworks provide a roadmap for building personal excellence and fostering team success.

A Final Reflection. 

For Dr. Santiago, Wooden’s Pyramid is not just a model but a lifelong philosophy. “The Pyramid taught me that leadership is about becoming, not achieving. It’s about who you are, not just what you do,” he shares. As engineering students and professionals climb the ladder and master the Team Leadership Triangle, they are not only achieving success—they are building legacies.

Are You Ready to Climb? 

Whether you’re tackling your first project or leading your first team, the values of Industriousness, Self-Control, Condition, Poise, and Competitive Greatness, alongside the Team Leadership Triangle, offer a timeless guide.

Start your journey today and remember, leadership isn’t about the destination.

It’s about the climb.

Author’s Notes