ESPN.COM - FOREVER COACH

An article from a few years back on John Wooden written by Eric Neel for ESPN is well worth reading if you missed it -- and well worth re-reading if you already have:

The objects Wooden keeps open like windows, like portals between then and now.

In his wallet, you'll find a seven-point creed his father gave him when he graduated the eighth grade. It's one of many copies he had printed after the original wore to shreds. "Be true to yourself," it says. "Make each day your masterpiece, help others, drink deeply from good books, especially the Bible, make friendship a fine art, build a shelter against a rainy day, pray for guidance, count and give thanks for your blessings every day." His bowed, arthritic fingers shake a little as he shows it to you, but he remembers the words by heart and says them aloud. "I was built up from my dad more than anyone else," he says. "I tried to live by this and I tried to teach by it. I haven't always been perfect, but I've tried."

In this tiny place, surrounded by these personal artifacts, you notice an embroidered pillow on the sofa in the den. It's a quote from Mother Teresa, one of Wooden's heroes, that reads: "We can do no great things, only small things with great love." Reading it, you realize the greatest coach in the history of college basketball, the man who fashioned success into a pyramid, the man whose rolled-up program and horn-rimmed glasses were for many years the very definition of competitive intensity, the man whose winning percentage is the stuff of legend and whose meticulously planned practices were Exhibit A in the triumph of rationalism over uncertainty, is, at heart, a sentimentalist.

And you don't mean this as a slight. You mean it as high praise. You mean he feels deeply. He loves. He honors. Across time and distance, he connects and stays connected to the people in his life. "Once you're on his team, you're on his team forever," says former UCLA All-American Bill Walton. "He's your coach for life."

The lengthy article can be read in it's entirety at: http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=wooden

Click on it, print it and save it in your files...as Coach Meyer teaches us, "We should all study Wooden."

WOODEN'S DEFINITION OF SUCCESS

I am in a John Wooden mood this weekend. Spending my free-time rereading "Practical Modern Basketball." Written in 1966, it remains one of the best basketball books I've ever read -- Coach Wooden's principles have stood the test of time!

"True success can be attained only through self-satisfaction in knowing that you did everything within the limits of your ability to become the very best that you are capable of becoming. Therefore, in the final analysis only the individual himself can correctly determine his success. You may be able to fool others, but you can never truly deceive yourself, except, perhaps, for a short time."

"You must have patience and realize that all worthwhile objectives take time...In the search for success you will constantly find yourself beset with adversity and you must have faith if you expect to reach your goal."

THE SMELL OF THE GYM

Coach Wooden was once asked what he missed most about the game of basketball and replied, "The smell of the gym." Translation: PRACTICE!

THOUGHTS FOR COACH WOODEN

During his coaching career at UCLA, John Wooden led the basketball team to an 88-game winning streak and 10 NCAA championship titles. But Wooden is equally famous for being a mentor and lifelong teacher, with several books published on his insights and methods for leadership. The following include some of the key strategies he still teaches today-at 97.

Be enthusiastic about your work. Enthusiasm is one of the cornerstones of Wooden's "Pyramid of Success." "Without enthusiasm, you cannot work up to your fullest ability and potential; you're just going through the motions. And just going through the motions won't bring you to the level of competitive greatness we seek, whether in basketball, business or life."

Don't get angry when people test you. "People are going to test you. But don't back down from them on the things in which you believe, because once they take advantage of you and get away with it, they'll keep it up."

A famous incident involving the coach being tested involved All-American center Bill Walton, who defiantly showed up to Picture Day on the eve of the season's first practice with a full beard, which Wooden forbade his players to have. Walton told Wooden that he didn't have the right to tell him how to wear his hair. Wooden agreed that he didn't have the right to tell him how to wear his hair, but he did, however, have the right to decide who would play on the team. "We'll miss you," he told Walton, who shaved his beard before practice the next day.

To get cooperation, you must give cooperation. "The sharing of ideas, information, creativity, responsibilities and tasks is a priority of good leadership. The only thing that is not shared is blame. A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit (when deserved) to others."
Don't be afraid to fail. "If you are afraid to fail, you will never do the things you are capable of doing. If you have thoroughly prepared and are ready to give it all you've got, there is no shame if you fail-nothing to fear in failure. But fear of failure is what often prevents one from taking action."

Be confident but not arrogant. "Arrogance, or elitism, is the feeling of superiority that fosters the assumption that past success will be repeated without the same hard effort that brought it about in the first place. Thus, I have never gone into a game assuming victory. All opponents have been respected, none feared. I taught those under my supervision to do the same. This reflects confidence, not arrogance. Arrogance will bring you down by your own hands."

Pay attention to the little things. As a coach, Wooden was known for teaching his players how to put on their socks and shoes on the first day of practice. The lesson: Every detail matters.

Be loyal to yourself and to your organization. "A leader who has loyalty is the leader whose team I wish to be a part of. And so do others. Most people, the overwhelming majority of us, wish to be in an organization whose leadership cares about them, provides fairness and respect, dignity and consideration…. [Be loyal] and you will subsequently lead an organization that will not waffle in the wind when things get tough."

Remember that success is not defined by victories. Wooden's definition of success: "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."

From Success Magazine
Sources: Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections; Wooden on Leadership; The Essential Wooden; and www.coachwooden.com

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GOOD AND GREAT

“GOOD players can take
criticism and construction…
GREAT players can take
criticism and construction

and LEARN!”