The soul of success---a memoir of the legendary coach's eleven NBA championships, with candid insights into the alchemy of leadershipDURING HIS STORIED CAREER as head coach of the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers, Phil Jackson won more championships than any coach in the history of professional sports. Just as important, he never wavered 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 his players' better angels, 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 reveals how he learned the secrets of mindfulness and team chemistry while playing for the New York Knicks in the 1970s; how he managed Michael Jordan, the greatest player in the world, and got him to embrace selflessness, even if it meant losing a scoring title; how he forged successful teams out of players of varying abilities by getting them to trust one another and perform in sync; how he inspired Dennis Rodman and other "uncoachable" personalities to devote themselves to something larger than themselves; and how he 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. Eleven Rings shows us that when it comes to the most important lessons, we still have much to learn. 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.Phil Jackson is arguably the greatest coach in the history of the NBA. His reputation was established as head coach of the Chicago Bulls from 1989 to 1998; during his tenure, Chicago won six NBA titles. His next team, the Los Angeles Lakers, won five NBA titles from 2000 to 2010. He holds the record for the most championships in NBA history as a player and a head coach. He also has the highest winning percentage of any NBA coach (.704). Jackson was a player on the 1970 and 1973 NBA champion New York Knicks. In 2007 Jackson was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. A former editor for Sports Illustrated and People, Hugh Delehanty is the coauthor with Phil Jackson of the bestselling memoir Sacred Hoops.