The Ten Principles of Leadership I Learned from Coach Wooden

Principle 8: Make Progress Assessment
Swen Nater

In the last posting, I presented how Coach Wooden set goals. He first predicted his win-loss record for the year. His first team goal was to win the conference championship. However, as a leader, he believed, in order to maximize his chances to reach that goal, paradoxically, he had to take his team’s attention off it, and direct it toward every day improvement. And he did. He led us by taking our concern about hanging another championship banner in the Pauley Pavilion rafters, and shifting it to doing what was necessary to get that done. This posting presents how, as a leader, he did that.

In my three years at UCLA, Coach never mentioned the word, “win,” once. Words he used were “go,” “faster,” “again,” “hurry up,” and “bear down.” Oh yes. “Goodness gracious sakes alive.” Almost forgot. Coach believed success was not measured by how many banners you manage but rather by how much effort you made to reach your own potential, as an individual and as a team.

He first learned the concept as a boy from his father, Joshua, who said,

Don’t try to be better than someone else but never cease trying to become the best you can be.

When he got older, he ran across a poem by a Major League umpire, George Moriarty, called, The Road Ahead or the Road Behind. A close look at the poem will reveal four things that helped solidify Coach’s belief in the concept. 

First, the poem helped him understand, the surest way to come short of winning the conference title was to give it too much attention.

Yet there lives on the ancient claim-
We win or lose within ourselves.
The shining trophies on our shelves
Can never win tomorrow’s game.

Second, it is only through giving all that you can win it all.

So you and I know deeper down
There is a chance to win the crown,
But when we fail to give our best,
We simply haven’t met the test
Of giving all and saving none
Until the game is really won.
Of showing what is meant by grit,
Of playing through not letting up,
It’s bearing down that wins the cup.

Third, fate is determined, to a large degree, by us doing our best.

And so the fates are seldom wrong,
No matter how they twist and wind;
It’s you and I who make our fates,
We open up or close the gates.

Last, even if the fates are wrong, success is measured by self effort, not what anyone else thinks you can do.

For who can ask more of a man
Than giving all within his span.
Giving all, it seems to me,
Is not too far from victory.

As a third base umpire, George Moriarty was an expert on this subject. After all, he watched thousands of batters come to the plate and fail. After striking out, the umpire watched them walk back to their dugouts, hunched over with heads looking down at their feet and body language that communicated disgust. Yet, some were more erect and, while walking back, seemed to be thinking, ‘I have practiced and I failed today. But I’ll practice more and I’ll be back next time.’

From Joshua Wooden’s words and from Mr. Moriarty’s poem, Coach created his Pyramid of Success, not only for his own use but also so he could help his high school English students realize success. You see, he knew not all of them had the talent to get an A in his class, but their parents didn’t agree. He gave them the opportunity to be successful anyway. His definition of success was,

Success is the peace of mind which is a direct result of the self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.

When Coach Wooden came to UCLA in 1948, he brought the Pyramid with him. Although he rarely referred to the structure and blocks by name, he taught it, every day in practice and in games. Here are some examples I heard often:  

Industriousness: “Don’t try to do shortcuts. There’s no substitute for hard work.”
Enthusiasm: “We are here to do our best, but don’t forget, this is a game. Have fun.”
Loyalty: He was there, every day, for us. We did the same for him.
Cooperation: “Put the balls back in the rack! Those managers are not your servants.”
Initiative: “I’d rather see you do something and make a mistake than not do something you’re supposed to do.”
Condition: “The way you get in top shape is to go as far as you can, and then go one step further.”
Team Spirit: “Don’t forget; you can’t score if we don’t pass you the ball.”
Poise: “Don’t force it! Just be yourself. It will happen.”
Confidence: “Be confident but not cocky. Respect every opponent. They will always come into Pauley playing their best game.”

So what does the Pyramid of Success have to do with assessing progress? I propose we continue to assess company progress by watching the numbers. After all, it’s about profit and the bottom line. However, I also propose employee performance appraisals be linked to Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success. Let’s teach the Pyramid and assess employees on how much effort is being made to master the fifteen blocks. Do you think that will work?

American Agencies, a California-based collection agency believes so. For years, they have tied their employee performance reviews to the Pyramid because it fits, especially blocks like cooperation and self-control. Is it working. See for yourself. One employee states,

Prior to learning all this, I was just somebody here for the paycheck, doing what I needed to get by. Now I use it inside and outside of work, and I think Coach John Wooden has a lot to do with the person I am today.

http://www.americanagencies.com/about/john_wooden.php

I recently went back to UCLA to visit. I walked into Pauley Pavilion. No one was there. I sat down in a seat and looked up to the rafters. Wow! All those banners. What history. Never really noticed them before.

Hanging on the wall in the master bedroom bathroom of his Encino condominium was a sign.

I am me. I am the best me there is. I will always be a second-best somebody else.