Introduction

Imagine if leadership could be engineered—designed, tested, and optimized like a control system or a cutting-edge AI model. What if the principles that govern dynamic feedback systems could also guide us to become better leaders, better teams, and better organizations? Skeptical? You should be. But indulge me for a moment as we explore a hypothesis: Leadership is a feedback loop, and John Wooden’s timeless Pyramid of Success provides the blueprint.

For our technically minded IEEE community, let’s break down this leadership framework into something you’d find in your engineering textbooks—complete with feedback signals, stabilizing forces, and actionable adjustments.

 

The Hypothesis: The Pyramid of Success as a Feedback Framework

John Wooden, legendary basketball coach and a pioneer in leadership philosophy, created the Pyramid of Success to help individuals achieve their best version of themselves. While its lessons have inspired generations, we propose viewing it through the lens of control theory—a lens every IEEE professional can appreciate. Specifically, let’s focus on the 4th layer from the top of the Pyramid, a foundational feedback framework comprising these four blocks:

  • Self-Control: The stabilizer (self-regulation).
  • Alertness: The sensor (observable variable).
  • Initiative: The controller (controllable variable).
  • Intentness: The design goal (reference point).

Shown below is a sketch of John Wooden’s Pyramid of Success and discussed in an earlier article.  Here’s a short summary of the image below attempting to show that embedded in this image are:

  • a combination of self-leadership and team leadership were the
  • white blocks are the stepladder of self-leadership and
  • blue blocks are from the team leadership triangle

Now, look at the fourth layer from the top.   What if these principles could optimize not just our personal growth but also team dynamics and organizational success?

The Engineering Analogy: Leadership as a Feedback Loop

Let’s map this framework into a feedback control system familiar to every IEEE professional.

 

The elements of the metaphorical feedback system can be mapped as follows to align with a classical feedback control loop structure:

  1. Setpoint = Intentness
    • The setpoint represents the desired state or objective.
    • In leadership, intentness serves as this target: a personal milestone, team mission, or strategic vision.
  2. Control Input = Initiative
    • The control input is the effort or action applied to influence the system toward achieving the setpoint.
    • In leadership, initiative is the action taken to address deviations and drive progress toward the goal.
  3. Plant = Self-Control
    • The plant is the system being acted upon and adjusted.
    • In leadership, self-control ensures these adjustments are stable and effective, preventing overshooting or instability in pursuit of the goal.
  4. Plant Output = Alertness
    • The output of the plant reflects the system’s current state, which is observed and fed back.
    • In leadership, alertness is the awareness of internal and external conditions, providing critical feedback to guide further adjustments.

This framework translates well into the metaphorical feedback system. The flow would look like this:

  1. Setpoint (Intentness): Define the goal.
  2. Control Input (Initiative): Take action to achieve the goal.
  3. Plant (Self-Control): Adjust the system to maintain stability.
  4. Output (Alertness): Monitor the system’s state and provide feedback for further actions.

The loop ensures continuous alignment of actions (initiative) with objectives (intentness) while maintaining stability (self-control) and adapting to the observed environment (alertness).

Case Study: An IEEE AI Team

Let’s bring this idea to life with a fictional (but highly relatable) scenario. Imagine an IEEE team tasked with developing a groundbreaking AI model.

  1. Self-Control:
    • The lead engineer remains calm under tight deadlines, ensuring emotions don’t cloud decision-making. Their discipline inspires the team to focus.
  2. Alertness:
    • The team identifies potential bottlenecks in training datasets. Simultaneously, they stay vigilant about external factors like emerging competitors or new research papers.
  3. Initiative:
    • Acting on their observations, the team reconfigures their model’s architecture and implements a novel algorithm to improve accuracy.
  4. Intentness:
    • They remain laser-focused on the ultimate goal: delivering an AI model that sets a new standard in performance.

The result? A product launch that earns accolades at IEEE conferences and secures industry-wide adoption.

Skeptics: Here’s Why This Works

  1. Data-Driven Alignment:
    • Leadership isn’t just about inspiration; it’s about actionable insights. By treating leadership as a feedback system, we can measure and improve it just like any engineering process.
  2. Scalability:
    • The second-layer framework works at every level. Want to improve your productivity? Use Self-Control and Intentness. Struggling with team dynamics? Apply Alertness and Initiative. Leading an entire organization? Scale these principles across departments.
  3. Adaptability:
    • Feedback systems thrive on adaptation, and so does leadership. This framework prepares you to handle uncertainty and evolve as circumstances change.

Description of Banner Image

The banner image attempts to symbolize the ‘what-if’ concepts featuring

  • a glowing lightbulb in the one hand to symbolize creativity and problem-solving and
  • a radiant network on the other hand to represent connections and collaborative value creation.

The banner image also attempts to be visual and dynamic representation of the Kern Entrepreneurial Engineering Network (KEEN) model or framework, as well as leadership principles of an entrepreneurial mindset as a force multiplier to the powerful technical skillset, as interpreted by the author:

  • Background: A horizontally spanning blueprint design filled with intricate technical diagrams, circuits, and mathematical formulas. This backdrop signifies engineering precision, analytical thinking, and systematic problem-solving.
  • Central Figure:
    • A confident abstract figure composed of interconnected gears and circuits, standing tall in the center. The figure radiates light from its head, symbolizing enlightenment, innovation, and visionary leadership.
    • The figure’s posture exudes balance and integrity, with its symbolic elements harmonizing both hands.
  • Symbolic Hands:
    • Right Hand: Holds a glowing lightbulb, representing creativity, curiosity, and creating value—key elements of the KEEN framework.
    • Left Hand: Displays a radiant web or network symbol, emphasizing connections, collaboration, and problem-solving prowess through teamwork and shared knowledge.
  • Surrounding Elements: Icons representing teamwork, strategy, and growth are seamlessly integrated into the blueprint background, reinforcing the collaborative and innovative spirit of the framework.
  • Color Palette: The image features shades of blue, symbolizing professionalism, intelligence, and trustworthiness. Accents of gold and silver highlight the lightbulb and network symbol, adding a sense of prestige and inspiration to the overall composition.

This image visually encapsulates the essence of entrepreneurial engineering leadership by integrating the KEEN values of Curiosity, Connections, Creating Value, Communication, Collaboration, and Character into a cohesive and inspiring narrative.

 

The Big “What If?”

What if we taught leadership to engineers the same way we teach control systems? Imagine an IEEE workshop where participants use Wooden’s Pyramid to design their own leadership feedback loops. Picture tools like dashboards to track “alertness metrics” or simulators to test “initiative actions.”

What if this approach became standard practice in IEEE? Could it lead to more cohesive teams, more resilient leaders, and more innovative organizations? We think so.

Final Thoughts: Engineering the Best Version of Ourselves

John Wooden once said, “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.” To an engineer, this sounds like optimizing for peak performance. By embracing the feedback loop embedded in Wooden’s Pyramid, we can bring engineering precision to leadership excellence.

So, IEEE readers, the question isn’t if leadership can be engineered. The question is: What’s stopping you from building your own leadership system?

Ready to take the challenge? Share your thoughts on this engineering-inspired approach to leadership, or better yet, design your own feedback system based on the Pyramid. Let’s make leadership as precise, adaptable, and impactful as the technologies we create.

Call to Action:

  1. Join the conversation at your next IEEE section meeting.
  2. Try applying this framework to a real-world project.
  3. Share this article with your colleagues who still think leadership is “soft science.”

Let’s engineer a better future, one leader at a time.