John Wooden passed away today peacefully today at the age of 99 due to natural causes. I'm sure you are familiar with him but he was a mean of leadership, humility, and most of all heart. I wrote a short essay on him earlier in the year, it could only be 250 words so it fails to capture the positivity and pure goodness he was. For this essay I had to chose a leader who's made an impact on me and naturally I selected him.

For an individual to be a positive leader, one must exhibit certain qualities such as compassion, dedication, inspiration, and strong ethics. Leaders must understand their constituents and the challenges that they face. In order for a leader to meet high standards, it is vital that he/she has a strong work ethic that will be present in the face of adversity. Through strong communication skills, a leader must invoke a passion in others that will allow large numbers of people to come together and work as a group for a common goal. Finally, a positive leader must be honest and democratic with his dealings with people, regardless of whether or not they share his beliefs.

Coach John Wooden of the UCLA Bruins basketball team epitomizes what a positive and successful leader should be. During his years at UCLA, he became the most successful coach in the history of NCAA basketball, while leading his team to an unprecedented ten national championships. He did this through wit and wisdom, while always treating each basketball player as an individual. He recognized the struggle that the basketball players faced balancing their academic performance as well as being in the national spotlight as NCAA champions year in and year out. Wooden not only taught basketball skills, but real life experiences to his players, many of whom were still in their teens. Coach Wooden is not only the most respected coach in college basketball, but he is considered a sage in life. At the age of 99, he is still active in speaking about the importance of athletics and education in the lives of all children. He truly is a leader for many generations.

I'm not even going to lie, this video brought me to tears http://www.youtube.c...h?v=BFbZckxrTTQ

RIP

RIP

R.I.P.