Friendship and cooperation

The next two blocks in John Wooden's pyramid of success are friendship and cooperation.
Wooden defines friendship as doing for others while they are doing for us. He says friendship is a two way street.
I would like to take it a step further and that a true friend is one who pushes you to be the best that you can be.
In a school environment we very much work as a team and we depend on each other. No one wants to get negative feedback but at Patrick Lenciconi said in his book " The Five dysfunctions of a team" for a team to be working effectively each member of the team needs to be able to call out another member when they are doing something wrong.
There is a difference between praise and feedback and while praise is important and often motivates us in order to grow we need feedback. I think you would all agree that if you are going to get feedback it is easier to get it from a friend. Therefore I believe for us to truly grow as educators friendship is important not just because we all need someone to talk to and vent to about our day but because we need someone who can push us to be our best.

Cooperation Wooden defines as working with others for the benefit of all.
I don't think much needs to be said here. We as educators need to be working first and foremost for the benefit of our students. If we are in teaching for our own glory than I believe you have chosen the wrong profession. What ever we do in our schools the question that drives us should be how are our students going to benefit from this. Therefore we all need to be working together to benefit all ( our students).
It is by no mistake that these first few blocks of success Coach Wooden placed on the bottom of the pyramid as the building blocks because without these basics we wouldn't be able to achieve anything.

Akevy