Personal Development

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Personal Development | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

The saying, “<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/resilience-reset/">A setback is a setup for a comeback</a>,” coincides with famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s philosophy for facing adversity.



In his book <a href="https://amzn.to/40sz2o7" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success</a> with Jay Carty, Wooden described his perspective on adversity:



“<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-ways-to-turn-obstacles-into-opportunities/">We cannot allow difficulties</a> to discourage us. Roadblocks may cause us to alter our course a bit, but we <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/9-tips-for-overcoming-setbacks-from-9-resilient-entrepreneurs/">cannot let them deter us</a> from our destination.



“I have often said that we grow stronger through adversity. We become stronger physically through a weight-lifting program. Our muscles work against heavy objects. That’s adversity. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/want-to-reach-your-potential-then-be-a-learner/">We get stronger mentally</a> through the progressive difficulty of education. We don’t start with calculus; we start with arithmetic. After we learn the basics, we move on to algebra, then to geometry and so on. We work our way up to calculus. In the same way, we grow stronger spiritually through the tests of life. Losing my beloved wife, Nellie, was the hardest event in my life. For a couple of years, it slowed me down; but it didn’t stop me. In the end even her loss has made me stronger.&nbsp;



“In every way—physically, morally, emotionally and spiritually—we increase our strength when life is hard; therefore, we must not dread adversity, nor can we allow it to stop us from becoming <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/what-it-really-means-to-be-your-best-self-3-tips-for-finding-positive-direction/">the best we can be</a> through the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/3-lessons-for-chasing-your-biggest-goals/">steadfast pursuit of our goals</a>. In fact, as we become stronger we can and should expand our goals. Extending our capabilities to their limits requires us to realistically reevaluate our potential.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-facing-adversity-makes-us-stronger">Facing adversity makes us stronger</h2>



In 1962, Wooden’s UCLA team was defeated in the semifinals of the Final Four. In Wooden’s book <a href="https://amzn.to/40uE2Zm" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wooden on Leadership</a> with Steve Jamison, Fred Slaughter, a member of that team, described the experience:



“We lost to Cincinnati in the semifinals of the National Championship because of a bad charging call on us during the last minute of the game. It was a phantom call, and it cost UCLA the game and maybe the National Championship. Coach’s reaction in the locker room was the same as if we’d won—cool, no complaining. He told us to keep our heads up: ‘<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/happiness-is-all-about-perspective/">Adversity makes us stronger.</a>’ And then he said, ‘Remember, you’ve still got one another.’”



Sometimes it took years before Wooden’s players benefited from his life lessons on facing adversity. Bill Walton once described it this way:



“Twenty-nine years have passed since I left UCLA and it amazes me how smart Coach Wooden has become in those 29 years. I’m 50 years old now. We thought he was nuts. He was a walking antique. It wasn’t until adversity hit us that I realized he was right.”



Facing adversity in a positive way requires the two top mortar pieces of <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/pyramid-of-success/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Wooden’s Pyramid of Success</a>: faith and patience. We must remember, as Wooden put it, “Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”



This article was published in January 2018 and has been updated. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/bad-times" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission. Photo by TORWAISTUDIO/Shutterstock

You can let bad times make you bitter. But we prefer to believe Coach Wooden's philosophy that facing adversity makes us stronger and better.

You can let bad times make you bitter. But we prefer to believe Coach Wooden's philosophy that facing adversity makes us stronger and better. | SUCCESS

Bad Times Can Make You Bitter or Better

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Facing Adversity: Will It Make You Bitter or Better? | SUCCESS

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As Coach Wooden’s grandson-in-law, Craig Impelman had the opportunity to learn Coach’s teachings firsthand and wrote about those lessons for his site, www.woodenswisdom.com. He is a motivational speaker and the author of Wooden’s Wisdom, a weekly “e-coaching module” that is distributed to companies nationally.

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Craig Impelman

Lifestyle

Lifestyle Archives

Elevate your lifestyle for success and happiness

People are usually as happy as they make their minds up to be. This maxim is often referenced by famed UCLA basketball <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/about-coach/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">coach John Wooden</a>. It's a reminder that the attitude we assume when faced with disappointment is truly up to us. That happiness is a choice.



The influence of his father helped Wooden develop a mental approach that allowed him to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-ways-to-turn-obstacles-into-opportunities/">respond to disappointment</a> with self-control and reason, <a href="https://www.betterup.com/blog/emotional-regulation-skills" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">rather than reacting emotionally</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-maintaining-a-perspective">Maintaining a perspective</h2>



In the book he co-wrote with Steve Jamison, <a href="https://amzn.to/3W2P3O3" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">My Personal Best</a>, Wooden recalled an incident that exemplified this mental approach:



“In the final seconds of the 1928 Indiana state high school championship, with Martinsville leading by one point, Muncie Central’s Charlie Secrist flung a desperation underhand shot from half-court that literally went up to the rafters and came down straight through the hoop. It was impossible. Here’s how impossible it was: In my 40 years of coaching basketball at Dayton High School, South Bend Central, Indiana State Teachers College and UCLA, I never saw anyone make that shot again in competition. But I did see it once—Saturday night, March 17, 1928, in the final seconds of the Indiana state high school championship. Martinsville lost 13–12. Muncie Central fans were nearly hysterical at the buzzer.



“In our locker room afterward, the Artesians, stunned and almost grieving, sat on the benches holding towels over their faces as they wept. Charlie Secrist’s last-second shot had been crushing, and all of the players just quietly lowered their heads and cried. All but one. I couldn’t cry. The loss hurt me deeply inside, but I also knew I’d done the best I could do. Disappointed? Yes. Devastated or depressed? No. Dad taught us on the farm, ‘Don’t worry about being better than somebody else, but never cease trying to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/to-succeed-under-pressure-focus-on-the-experience/">be the best you can be.</a>’ I had done that. Now, as a member of the Martinsville Artesians basketball team, Dad’s instructions and example were put to the test. You lose, you feel bad—sometimes very, very bad. But a much worse feeling is knowing that you haven’t done everything you possibly could have done to prepare and compete. I had done what my father taught me to do, including his two sets of threes, one of which was don’t whine, don’t complain, don’t make excuses. That loss in the 1928 Indiana state high school championships, when the Artesians were defending champions and I was their captain, is still painful to recall. But I couldn’t cry. Dad didn’t cry when he lost the farm. How could I now?”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Teaching others that happiness is a choice</h2>



As a teacher, Wooden would sometimes help his students look at a potentially negative situation <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-realistic-tips-to-be-more-positive/">from a different perspective</a>, thus <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/3-reflective-ways-to-refocus-your-thinking-for-success/">improving the outcome</a>.



In the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3VY3Sla" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to Be like Coach Wooden</a> by Pat Williams, Bob Thau, an attorney who played for the UCLA freshman team in the 1950s, described an example:



“In the ‘70s, two of my sons went to a John Wooden summer camp. Our youngest, Jordan, was 7 at the time, and after the second day, he called and asked if he could come home. He was whimpering and crying, and when I asked him what was wrong, he said, ‘It’s not good here. I’m not a good player, and the other boys aren’t being nice to me.’ I urged him to give it one more day. The next evening, Jordan called and said, ‘I met Coach Wooden today, and he wants to meet my parents.’ I asked why, and Jordan replied, ‘Coach told me that if you’re homesick, that means you have a very good home.’ Coach also told Jordan that he was ‘the bravest boy in camp’ because he was sticking it out, even though he was homesick. ‘I’m very proud of you,’ Coach told him. Jordan came home thrilled because Coach Wooden was so interested in him. It still amazes me that with almost 700 kids at camp, Coach would spend time with Jordan and show so much interest. It proves what a remarkable teacher and coach he is. He took the negative of Jordan’s struggle and turned it into a positive.”



People need to realize happiness is a choice. They're usually only as happy as they <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/you-can-choose-happiness/">make their minds up to be</a>. Sometimes all it takes is a great teacher to show a student <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-i-use-my-journal-to-change-my-mindset/">how to change their mindset</a>.



This article was published in April 2018 and has been updated. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/happiness-perspective" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission. Photo by baranq/Shutterstock

Happiness is a choice and all about your perspective. Here’s how Coach Wooden chose happiness—and how he influenced others.

Happiness is a choice and all about your perspective. Here’s how Coach Wooden chose happiness—and how he influenced others. | SUCCESS

Happiness Is All About Perspective

Happiness is a Choice: A Reason to Change Your Perspective | SUCCESS

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Coach <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">John Wooden</a> used his definition of success not just as a mantra for life. He used it as a means to improve performance: “Success is <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/22-ways-to-practice-stillness/">peace of mind</a> which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” In short: Do your best.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-john-wooden-s-coaching-philosophy">John Wooden’s coaching philosophy</h2>



“A coach can only do his best, nothing more,” he explained. “But he does owe that not only to himself but to the people who employ him and to the youngsters under his supervision. If you truly do your best—and only you will really know—then you are successful and the actual score is immaterial whether it was favorable or unfavorable. However, when you fail to do your best, you have failed even though the score might’ve been to your liking.”



Simply feeling good about one’s effort, though, is not enough to be effective, Wooden explained. “This does not mean that you should not coach to win. You must teach your players to play to win and do everything in your power that is ethical and honest to win. I do not want players who do not have a keen desire to win and do not play hard and aggressively to accomplish that objective. But I want to be able to feel and want my players to sincerely feel that doing the best that you’re capable of doing is victory in itself and less than that is defeat.”



He added, “It is altogether possible that whatever success I have had or may have could be in direct proportion to my ability not only to instill that idea in my players but also to live up to it myself.” This philosophy served Coach Wooden well not only in helping to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/8-tips-to-improve-team-collaboration/">pull together his teams</a>. It also inspired the individuals who played for him to concentrate on real success within <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/success-on-your-own-terms/">their own lives and pursuits</a>.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">How doing your best can equal success</h2>



For example, Rafer Johnson was a UCLA basketball player from 1958 to 1959. He was also the gold medal winner in the 1960 Olympics decathlon. An incredibly talented athlete in his own right, when Johnson first arrived at UCLA from the small town of Kingsburg, California, he was overwhelmed and intimidated by the big-city campus and the level of competition he was facing.



Everything changed, however, as soon as Johnson took to the court for basketball practice. “Coach Wooden said all he wanted from us individually was that we try as athletes and students, to be as good as we could be,” Johnson recalls. Wooden urged his players to focus on <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/remyblumenfeld/2019/04/14/why-doing-your-best-is-a-better-bet-than-being-the-best/?sh=652f04fd7336" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">giving their all</a> to the team and to their own development as players <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/13-fast-and-effective-self-development-exercises/">and as people</a>.



From that day forward, Johnson changed his perspective and found it influenced everything else for the better. “My subsequent performance in the 1960 Olympics, held in Rome, had a lot to do with Wooden’s philosophy of concentrating on being the best I could be,” he said. “Don’t worry about the score, the medal, the prize; don’t worry about the other guy; just concentrate on doing your best. It’s that simple."



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Focusing on what you can control</h2>



Rather than focusing on winning, Wooden urged his players—and himself—to focus on growing in the sport and working with an “all-in” mindset that <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/are-you-enjoying-the-process-on-your-way-to-success/">valued the experience</a> more than the outcome. The result was an unparalleled career that included 10 NCAA championships (seven of which were consecutive) and 38 consecutive sudden-death NCAA tournament victories.



When the external pressure was the greatest, neither Coach Wooden nor his players allowed it to impact their performance. They were only concerned with doing their best, something <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/black-belt-brain/202205/in-sports-and-real-life-all-we-can-control-is-our-effort" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">over which they had control</a>. As Wooden was fond of saying: “The more concerned we become over <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-you-should-focus-on-what-you-can-control/">the things we can’t control</a>, the less we will do with the things we can control.”



This article was published in March 2017 and has been updated. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/succeed-under-pressure" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission. Photo by muse studio/Shutterstock

Rather than focusing on winning, Coach Wooden urged his players—and himself—to do your best, valuing the experience more than the outcome.

Rather than focusing on winning, Coach Wooden urged his players—and himself—to do your best, valuing the experience more than the outcome. | SUCCESS

To Succeed Under Pressure, Focus on the Experience

How Coach Wooden's Philosophy Will Help You Succeed | SUCCESS

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John Wooden: Be True to Your Life-Guiding Principles

“If you sacrifice principle <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/how-be-yourself/202105/5-ways-stop-being-people-pleaser#:~:text=Key%20points,respect%20for%20oneself%20and%20others." target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">trying to please everyone</a>, you end up pleasing no one,” said Coach John Wooden. This maxim is a great reminder of a key principle Wooden learned from his father: “Be true to yourself.”



In the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3CSdSXb" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coach Wooden</a> by Pat Williams, two of Wooden’s former players shared their perspective on the necessity of staying true to yourself:



<ol>
<li>Dave Meyers (UCLA: 1971-75), former NBA star and teacher, summarized his lessons this way: “If you are not maintaining self-control, then you are not being true to yourself. You are letting your circumstances <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/4-tips-to-combat-negative-thinking/">or your emotions</a> or the actions of other people control you. To <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/6-steps-to-discover-your-true-self/">be true to yourself</a>, you have to be in control of yourself. When I played for Wooden, he used to tell the team, ‘If you can’t control yourself, others will do it for you. And if you’re not controlling yourself, you’re not helping the team.’”</li>



<li>Andy Hill (UCLA: 1969-72), who became an accomplished television producer and co-author of the book Be Quick—But Don’t Hurry, shared this insightful perspective: “Those players who fought with John Wooden the hardest ultimately became his most outspoken advocates. That’s because he let them fight. He wasn’t intimidated by a player who had his own opinions. Coach was totally secure in who he was.”</li>
</ol>



Rather than “going along to get along,” we should <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/building-your-dream-life-starts-with-defining-your-values/">have a value system</a> that will guide us to <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/10-ways-successful-people-make-smart-decisions/">make the right decision</a>. Doing the right thing is more important than meeting the expectations of our peers.



The following two stories powerfully illustrate Wooden’s consistency in being true to life-guiding principles:



<ol>
<li>Wooden, in his first year as a college coach, refused an invitation to the 1948 NAIA National Championship tournament because Clarence Walker, an African-American player, would have been prohibited from participating solely because of his race.</li>



<li>In his book Coach Wooden, Williams recounts a meeting Wooden participated in prior to his last season as a college coach:</li>
</ol>



“In 1974, Coach Wooden and his assistant coaches were called to the office of UCLA athletic director J. D. Morgan. ‘We just received an offer from one of the television networks,’ Morgan said. ‘The network has offered UCLA a lot of money if we will play North Carolina State as the opening game of the upcoming season.’ Just a few weeks earlier, the NC State Wolfpack had stunned the heavily favored UCLA Bruins in the opening round of the Final Four. The network thought that opening the season with a rematch between the two teams would be a ratings sensation. But as Morgan laid out the terms of the offer, there was one big hitch: The game would be scheduled on a Sunday, the day Coach Wooden set aside as a day of rest. Coach and his wife, Nell, never missed a Sunday attending church in Santa Monica. After church, their children and grandchildren usually came over for Sunday dinner. Would Coach be willing to forego his weekly ritual for this opportunity? Morgan asked the two assistant coaches, Gary Cunningham and Frank Arnold, what they thought of the offer. Both assistants said they would prefer not to play on Sunday but would do what they had to do. But they both knew it wasn’t their opinion that really counted. Morgan turned to Coach Wooden for his response. ‘Well, Coach? What do you think about the offer?’”



‘J. D.,’ Coach said gently, ‘if you want to schedule that game on Sunday afternoon, go right ahead. But I won’t be there.’ With that, the discussion was over. There would be no Sunday game.”



In the time between his first season and last season, nothing had changed. Wooden remembered: If you sacrifice principle trying to please everyone, you end up pleasing no one.



This article was published in April 2018 and has been updated. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/life-guiding-principles" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission. Photo by Jacob Lund/Shutterstock

We should have a value system that will guide us to make the right decision. Doing the right thing is more important than meeting the expectations of our peers.

We should have a value system that will guide us to make the right decision. Doing the right thing is more important than meeting the expectations of our peers. | SUCCESS

John Wooden: Be True to Your Life-Guiding Principles | SUCCESS

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Why Initiative Is an Essential Leadership Trait

Leadership

Leadership Archives

Leadership | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

On the second tier of <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/pyramid-of-success/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the Pyramid of Success</a> is initiative, a valuable character trait for a leader, and an essential quality for any team if they are going to perform at their highest capacity.



<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/everything-you-need-to-know-to-become-a-great-leader/">A great leader</a> not only has initiative as an individual character trait, but also coaches their team or organization in a manner that creates and encourages initiative from all team members.



A great leader creates new leaders.



Coach John Wooden described the importance of giving his players the ability to take initiative:



“Do not tie them down so rigidly that you take away their initiative. They must have some freedom of movement, but must react to the initiative of a teammate in order to keep floor balance.



“Give players the opportunity to achieve<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/videos/youtube/how-to-reframe-your-failures"> </a><a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/overcome-your-fear-of-failure/">without the fear of failure</a>.”



The communication style of the leader will either encourage or discourage initiative by the people they supervise. In the book <a href="https://amzn.to/3zG7AH5" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">How to Be Like Coach Wooden</a> by Pat Williams, Wooden described his method:



“I never wanted to teach through fear, punishment or intimidation. Pride is a better motivator than fear.



“Fear may work in the short-term to get people to do something, but over the long run, I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.”



The leader encourages initiative when they hold people accountable and correct rather than criticize. In his book with Jay Carty, <a href="https://amzn.to/2BacnDN" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Coach Wooden One-on-One</a>, Wooden describes the difference:



“Criticism and correction differ especially when it comes to methods and motives. Criticism puts someone down. Correction means I want to help.



“Be slow to correct and quick to commend. No one likes correction, but we learn from it. If we commend before we correct, the person will accept the correction better. But we must listen before we correct. There is usually another side to every story. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/how-to-speak-well-and-listen-better/">If we listen to others</a>, they will be more apt to listen to us.



“It is very important how correction is given. We must be careful how we do it. We don’t want those being corrected to lose face. Here are some good tips: Make it meaningful, but use judgment. Don’t fly off the handle and be quick to correct. Do it with tact. If we just let fly, it is more likely to be viewed as criticism than as correction.



“Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I only make corrections after I have proved to the individual that I highly value them. If they know we care for them, our correction won’t be seen as judgment. I also tried to never make it personal.”



The leader who encourages initiative has faith in people. They believe in them, and thus <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/5-key-insights-on-treating-employees-with-love-from-leadership-experts-three-and-jackie-carpenter/">draw out the best</a> in them. If the initiative of the team member produces fruitful results, the leader gives away the credit. If it doesn’t, the leader <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-you-should-always-give-the-credit-and-take-the-blame/">takes the blame</a>.



As Wooden would often remind us, “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one is concerned with who gets the credit.”



This article was published in December 2017 and has been updated. This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/initiative" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission. Photo by LightField Studios/Shutterstock

'Fear may work in the short-term to get people to do something, but over the long run, I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.'

'Fear may work in the short-term to get people to do something, but over the long run, I believe personal pride is a much greater motivator. It produces far better results that last for a much longer time.' | SUCCESS

Why Initiative Is an Essential Leadership Trait | SUCCESS

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two colleagues analyzing productivity to maximize achievement

Business &amp; Branding

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Stay ahead in business: strategies and insights for success

“Never mistake activity for achievement.”&nbsp;



—John Wooden



Coach John Wooden’s most insightful model to discuss his idea is the methodology he used to prepare, execute and improve his practices. He was not satisfied with simply having achievement in each activity. Rather he sought to maximize achievement <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/why-initiative-is-an-essential-leadership-trait/">without stifling initiative</a>.



<h2 id="h-how-to-maximize-achievement">How to maximize achievement</h2>



The four components Wooden utilized were proper planning and execution of the plan, relentless attention to detail, <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/work-less-do-more/">maximizing the use of time</a> and post-practice analysis for improvement. He described the importance of each in his book <a href="https://amzn.to/3VE0ixP" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Practical Modern Basketball</a>.



<h3 id="h-1-proper-execution-of-the-plan">1. Proper execution of the plan</h3>



“A daily practice plan should be prepared and followed. If you fail to follow the program on one thing, it may affect many others. If you planned poorly, make the corrections for the following day, but never alter your program on a specific day once practice has started. Running overtime can be distasteful for both you and your players and should be avoided. The practice <a href="https://todoist.com/inspiration/end-work-day" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">day should end on a high note</a> in order for both coach and players to look forward to the next day with pleasure,” Wooden wrote.



<h3 id="h-2-attention-to-detail">2. Attention to detail</h3>



“The coach should be on the floor early to make certain that everything is in readiness for practice. I like to have a checklist for the managers to go by, but the coach must make sure. Some of the points on the checklist are: See that the floor is clean; see that the desired number of balls are available and that they are clean and properly inflated; be sure that the scrimmage shirts are on hand and that extra shoelaces and other emergency equipment items are near at hand; have the statistical charts ready for use; and be sure that towels, tape and anything else that might be necessary to insure a smooth practice are available. Anticipate from past experience and be prepared,” Wooden wrote.



<h3 id="h-3-maximize-use-of-time">3. Maximize use of time.</h3>



“Even though a particular drill may be emphasizing one specific fundamental, other fundamentals in use should not be overlooked. Sometimes players get careless about their passing during shooting drills, which may lead to breaking down one fundamental while building another. The coach must be cognizant of this and try to prevent it, by permitting no carelessness at any time if progress is to be made,” Wooden wrote.



When Wooden ran a rebounding drill, his players were also improving their passing, cutting, timing and movement without the ball.



<h3 id="h-4-post-practice-analysis">4. Post-practice analysis</h3>



“The coach should make a careful analysis of each day’s practice while it is still fresh in his mind in order that he may plan intelligently for the next day. I like to sit down with my assistant immediately after practice and before my shower and briefly analyze and discuss the practice of that day. I make notes at that time to serve as reference help to me the next morning when I plan the practice for that day. If it can be done without being rude or impolite, you and your assistant should be alone and uninterrupted during both the analysis period following practice and the planning period the following morning,” Wooden wrote.



It is easy to see why “failing to prepare is preparing to fail” and “<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/12-productivity-tools-and-strategies-to-help-you-seize-the-day/">never mistake activity for achievement</a>” get along so well.



What are the activities of your team that don’t yield <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/13-undeniable-ways-to-get-sht-done/">the most productive results possible</a>? How can you inspire them to maximize achievement?



This article was updated May 2023. Photo by Renata Photography/Shutterstock

As Coach Wooden says, "Never mistake activity for achievement." Follow his four steps to maximize achievement without stifling initiative.

As Coach Wooden says, "Never mistake activity for achievement." Follow his four steps to maximize achievement without stifling initiative. | SUCCESS

How to Maximize Achievement Without Stifling Initiative

How to Maximize Achievement: Coach Wooden's Tips | SUCCESS

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A key element in the art of listening is to not be thinking about what you’re going to say while the other person is talking. Quieting your thoughts and really hearing the other person with an open mind sometimes requires a conscious effort.
In How to Be like Coach Wooden by Pat Williams, Coach described the importance of effective listening:
“In my opinion, being an effective leader requires being an effective listener. Success is more often attained by asking ‘how?’ than by saying ‘no.’
“Listen to those under your supervision. Really listen. Don’t act as though you’re listening and let it go in one ear and out the other. Faking it is worse than not doing it at all.”
In his book Wooden on Leadership with Steve Jamison, Coach commented on consistent listening leading to consistent improvement:
“It is very easy to get comfortable in a position of leadership, to believe that you’ve got all the answers, especially when you begin to enjoy some success.
“One of the reasons it’s extremely difficult to stay at the top is because once you get there, it is so easy to stop listening and learning.
“Progress is difficult when you won’t listen.”
Coach’s advice is simple and direct: If you wish to be heard, listen. Always seek to find the best way rather than insisting on your own way.
<blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/art-of-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Art of Leadership</a>
</blockquote>
***
Being a good listener, however, is only half of the equation.
In his book Wooden on Leadership with Steve Jamison, Coach Wooden stated his view on the subject:
“As a leader, you must be confident enough to employ individuals who aren’t afraid to speak up and voice their opinion. If you’re willing to listen, it means little if nobody is willing to talk in a substantive manner.”
In his book A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring with Don Yeager, Coach cited the method Abraham Lincoln took in building his political team as an example of this approach:
“In Doris Kearns Goodwin’s exceptional text Team of Rivals, Goodwin examines in profound depth a well-documented but not widely discussed political decision: When Lincoln was elected to the presidency, he appointed a number of former political opponents to serve as his advisers and to fill various posts.
“By selecting men who he knew disagreed with him or differed from his own platform, he assured himself that he would be confronted with legitimate challenges to his ideas, rather than finding himself in a pool of yes-men. This meant that his policies would emerge more clearly reasoned and justified.”
Coach then described how he worked with his assistant coaches:
“There were times when we differed on strategy or game philosophy. Those disagreements never got heated, but sometimes they were very intense.
“Just as I imagine Lincoln would have been, I was pleased when those challenges arose because it meant that my fellow coaches were as passionate about our team as I was. Nothing ruins a team more quickly than apathy.
“Based on Lincoln’s example, I encouraged my assistant coaches to speak up with ideas that might differ from or even completely contradict my own.
“One of the main reasons why this philosophy works, I think, is that at its core is genuine concern and regard for the other parties.
“Lincoln truly cared about the opinions of his comrades, and he truly cared about the outcomes of their discussions. But further, he treated them with respect so that they would continue to offer those opinions.”
Coach did not view challenges to his ideas as disrespect, but rather as an important requirement of his leadership strategy.
<blockquote>
Related: <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/humble-leader/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Qualities of a Humble Leader</a>
</blockquote>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/listening-in-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Being an effective leader requires being an effective listener.

Being an effective leader requires being an effective listener. | SUCCESS

The Importance of Listening in Leadership

The Importance of Listening in Leadership | SUCCESS

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Success | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

<h3 class="rtecenter" style="text-align: center;">“If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.” –<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/motivational-quotes/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Coach John Wooden</a></h3>
&nbsp;
These two sentences become a mantra that sometimes pushes people beyond their fear.
In the book How to Be Like Coach Wooden by Pat Williams, Coach Wooden described why he was occasionally bothered if his players didn't make enough mistakes in practice:
“I wanted my players to be active, I wanted them doing things and initiating. I didn’t want them worrying about mistakes. Mistakes made while expanding boundaries are what I wanted. If we weren’t <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/mistake/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">making mistakes</a>, we weren’t far enough out on the edge. If we weren’t pushing against the walls of our capabilities, we weren’t practicing properly. The time to cut down on turnovers is during games, not during practice.”
In his book Wooden on Leadership with Steve Jamison, Coach described how this attitude applies to leadership and business:
“A basketball team that won’t risk mistakes will not outscore opponents. The same is true for any organization. Fouls, errors and mistakes are part of the competitive process in sports, business and elsewhere. Don’t live in fear of making a mistake.
“In sports, action often must be taken instantaneously to capitalize on an opportunity. In every organization, time is of the essence when opportunity knocks.
“Hesitancy, indecisiveness, vacillation and fear of failure are not characteristics I associate with <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/art-of-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">good leadership</a>.
“A leader must have Initiative—the courage to make decisions, to act, and the willingness and strength to risk failure and take a stand even when it goes against the opinion of others.”
<h3 align="center">“Mistakes come from doing, but so does success.” –Coach John Wooden</h3>
&nbsp;
***
Coach Wooden believed that the person who is <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/afraid-of-failure/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">afraid to risk failure</a> seldom has to face success, and that the only real failure is the failure to act when action is required.
In Wooden On Leadership, Coach described this basic principle:
“I told our team many times: ‘Be quick, but don’t hurry.’ By that, I meant to make a decision, take action, decide what you’re going to do and do it.
“Failure to act is often the biggest failure of all. Initiate quickly but not carelessly or in a hurried manner that makes a miscue more likely. I applied this same advice to my own actions. Do not be afraid of mistakes, even of failure.”
In his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations On and Off The Court with Steve Jamison, Coach described his approach when decisions didn’t work out:
“You can always look back and see where you might have done something differently, changed this or that. If you can learn something, fine, but never second-guess yourself. It’s wasted effort. If I put a substitution in during a game at UCLA and he immediately makes a mistake, was my decision wrong? Absolutely not.
“It just didn't work out. That was the decision I made based on past experience and without emotionalism. I made it with reason, but it just didn’t work out. Things don’t always work out. It’s also true in life. Does worrying about it, complaining about it, change it? Nope, it just wastes your time.”
Focus on preparation; take action and no self-recrimination when the results aren’t to your satisfaction.
&nbsp;
<h3 align="center">“If we allow the fear of failure to keep us from acting, we will never reach our full potential.” –Coach John Wooden</h3>






This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/making-mistakes" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

‘If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.’

‘If you’re not making mistakes, then you’re not doing anything. I’m positive that a doer makes mistakes.’ | SUCCESS

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Making Mistakes

Why You Shouldn’t Be Afraid of Making Mistakes | SUCCESS

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“You are not a failure until you start blaming others for your mistakes.”
<blockquote>
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/give-credit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why You Should Always Give the Credit and Take the Blame​</a>
</blockquote>
This maxim of Coach John Wooden’s was a cornerstone of his approach to life. As with many of his principles, he learned it from his father, Joshua.
In his book&nbsp;My Personal Best&nbsp;with Steve Jamison, Coach described how his dad reacted when losing his farm:
“The end came suddenly. Bad vaccination serum killed the hogs, drought stunted the crops, and the bank took the farm. In those days, there was no insurance for this kind of trouble, so we lost everything. Those were very hard times for our family, and the Great Depression hadn’t even begun.
“Through it all, Dad never winced. He laid no blame on the merchant who had sold him the bad serum, didn’t curse the weather, and had no hatred toward the banker. My father had done his best, but things went bad. ‘Blaming, cursing, hating doesn’t help you’ he’d say. ‘It hurts you.’ His example is deeply embedded in my mind and, I hope, reflected in my behavior.”
The idea of not blaming others for our own mistakes was also critical in Coach Wooden’s approach to teaching and coaching.
Former UCLA and NBA star Swen Nater was coaching at Christian Heritage College in El Cajon, California, and was a little frustrated because the players were not picking up what he was teaching quickly enough. When Swen brought the situation to Coach Wooden’s attention, Coach advised Swen simply:&nbsp;You haven’t taught until they have learned.
This in part led to&nbsp;You Haven’t Taught Until They Have&nbsp;Learned: John Wooden’s Teaching Principles and Practices&nbsp;by Swen Nater and Ronald Gallimore. In this book, Coach commented on the responsibility of the teacher:
“When I became a high school teacher, I took my responsibility very seriously. I believe that I was paid to teach, and that meant it was my responsibility to help every one of my students learn. I believe it’s impossible to claim you have taught when there are students who have not learned.”
As a leader, you should work with those you supervise to get to the core problems and fix them, as opposed to blaming the team and complaining about the lack of talent you have to work with.
When you blame others, you prevent yourself from being able to do proper self-evaluation, which is critical to self-improvement. The leader who doesn’t blame others has his office in the&nbsp;solutions department, not the&nbsp;excuses department.
In his book&nbsp;Wooden on Leadership&nbsp;with Steve Jamison, Coach summed it up this way:
“You can stumble and fall, make errors and mistakes, but you are not a failure until you start blaming others, including fate, for your results. Always believe there is a positive to be found in the negative. Things usually happen for a reason, even when you are unable to discern the reason. Remember, ‘There is a special providence even in the fall of a sparrow.’”
<blockquote>
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/constant-self-improvement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Importance of Constant Self-Improvement​</a>
</blockquote>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/blaming-others" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Blaming doesn’t help you. It hurts you.

Blaming doesn’t help you. It hurts you. | SUCCESS

‘You Are Not a Failure Until You Start Blaming Others for Your Mistakes’

Taking Responsibility: Avoiding Blame and Embracing Growth"

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Coach John Wooden said one of the most important things his father taught him was this:
Never try to be better than someone else, but always be learning from others. Never cease trying to be the best you can be. One is under your control; the other isn’t.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/20-ways-to-be-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 Ways to Do Your Best and Be Successful​</a>
It was an idea that ultimately defined how he approached life and competition.
In his book Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court with Steve Jamison, Coach Wooden explained how he used this idea as a coach:
“Preparing UCLA for a basketball game with Louisville or Arizona or Duke or Michigan, I would tell my players, ‘We can’t control what those other fellows do to get ready. We can only control what we do to get ready. So let’s do our very best in that regard and hope that will be good enough, yes, to outscore them. But let’s not worry about that. Instead, let’s worry about our own preparation.’
“Let’s say I want to build a car—maybe a Ford or a Chevrolet or a Plymouth. I want to build it the best I can possibly build it. Will it be better than a Cadillac or a Mercedes? That’s irrelevant.
“If I’m building a Ford, I simply want to build the very best Ford I can build. That’s all I can do: to come close to my level of competency, not somebody else’s. I have nothing to do with theirs, only mine.
“To worry about whether what I’m building is going to be better than what somebody else is building elsewhere is to worry needlessly. I believe that if I’m worried about what’s going on outside, it will detract from my preparation inside.
“My concern, my focus, my total effort should be on building the very best Ford I can build. I did that in coaching high school teams and in coaching college teams. My focus was on making that team, that group of individuals, the best they were capable of becoming, whether it was a Ford or a Cadillac.
“Some years, I understood we were building a Ford. Other years, I felt we were building a Cadillac. The effort put forth in all years was the same: total.
“And I was just as proud of our well-built Fords as of our well-built Cadillacs.”
In Coach Wooden’s book The Essential Wooden with Steve Jamison, Dave Meyers, the captain of the 1975 UCLA team, summed it up this way:
“Coach Wooden never limited himself by thinking about what’s possible. He focused on the right now and was more involved with the better than the best. Let’s get better, not worried about if it makes us best. His whole deal was about improvement—getting better without talking about winning, or beating another team, or winning a national championship. ‘Let’s keep getting better and better’ could have been his motto.”
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/constant-self-improvement/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Importance of Constant Self-Improvement​</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/be-your-best" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

To worry about whether what you’re building is going to be better than what somebody else is building is to worry needlessly.

To worry about whether what you’re building is going to be better than what somebody else is building is to worry needlessly. | SUCCESS

Don’t Try to Be Better Than Someone Else; Try to Be the Very Best You Can Be

Be Your Best: Strive for Personal Excellence, Not Comparison

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Coach John Wooden had a clear set of priorities: faith, family and friends. He strived to have a balance between his personal and professional life. He believed that imbalance in one or the other creates vulnerability in both.
This excerpt from How to be like Coach Wooden by Pat Williams depicts a clear picture of how this approach manifested itself for Coach on a day-to-day basis:
“During his years at UCLA, John Wooden saw to it that his wife, Nell, spent as much time with him as possible. ‘Nellie always went to games with me,’ he said, ‘and I wouldn’t leave her to go scouting or anything of that sort, unless she could go with me.’
“Coach made it a point ‘not to bring any problems home with me. I wanted to put my family before my career.’
“His wife Nell often said that she could never tell, by John’s demeanor at home, how things were going with the team. ‘I couldn't tell if he had a good practice, a bad practice or if there were any problems at all,’ she said.”
So how did Coach respond when he was offered more money for a job that would have created an imbalance of his priorities?&nbsp;This excerpt from How to be like Coach Wooden answers that question:
“During the late 1960s, when the UCLA basketball program was at the height of its success, Jack Kent Cooke tried to hire John Wooden to coach his Los Angeles Lakers. Coach went to Cooke’s house at the invitation of Lakers’ general manager Fred Schaus, where he found Cooke sitting behind a huge desk in his study.
“They sat in silence, just looking at each other, for several minutes before Cooke finally said, ‘Why do you want to coach the Lakers?’&nbsp; Wooden replied simply that he didn’t want to coach the Lakers. He had come to Cooke’s house because Schaus had asked him to.
“Cooke was incredulous. ‘Anyone would want to coach the Lakers.’ The Lakers’ owner thrust an offer sheet in Coach’s direction. ‘What do you think of that?’ ‘Nobody’s worth that kind of money,’ Coach said. But he still wouldn’t take the offer. ‘Well, then, how much do you want?’
“Coach tried to explain that it wasn’t about money. He didn’t want to coach the Lakers because he didn’t want to spend that much time on the road away from his wife, Nellie, and their children, Nan and Jim. Besides, he liked coaching and teaching on the college level. For John Wooden, coaching basketball had never been about money and never would be.
“When Coach was asked what his top priorities are, he replied, ‘Faith, family and friends.’ Then he smiled and added, ‘Sometimes I put family first. That’s not really the proper order, but I think the Lord understands.’”
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/podcast/wisdom-from-john-wooden">The 3 Most Important Things in Life </a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/making-a-life" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Do not get so concerned with making a living that you forget to make a life.

Do not get so concerned with making a living that you forget to make a life. | SUCCESS

What Is Your Priority: Making a Living or Making a Life?

What Is Your Priority: Making a Living or Making a Life? | SUCCESS

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Coach John Wooden challenged himself every day with constant self-improvement: Never be satisfied. Work constantly to improve. Perfection is a goal that can never be reached, but it must be the objective. The uphill climb is slow, but the downhill road is fast.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/20-ways-to-be-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 Ways to Do Your Best and Be Successful​</a>
He believed that valid self-analysis is crucial for improvement. In order to improve a little each day, we must constantly be learning, and to do that, we must be observing constantly and stay open-minded.
A key component of Coach’s constant self-improvement program was how he worked with his assistant coaches. He encouraged them to challenge his ideas, thus creating the valid self-analysis he knew was critical to self-improvement.
In his book A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring with Don Yeager, Coach describes how Abraham Lincoln inspired his approach:
“An incredible example of Lincoln’s wisdom can be seen in the people with whom he chose to surround himself. I pride myself on having read just about every major book ever published about Abraham Lincoln, but the one that has affected me the most in recent years is Doris Kearns Goodwin’s exceptional text Team of Rivals. In this book, Goodwin examines in profound depth a well-documented but not widely discussed political decision: When Lincoln was elected to the presidency, he appointed a number of former political opponents to serve as his advisers and to fill various posts.
“By selecting men whom he knew disagreed with him or differed from his own platform, he assured himself, he would be confronted with legitimate challenges to his ideas, rather than finding himself in a pool of yes-men.
“Based on Lincoln’s example, I encouraged my assistant coaches to speak up with ideas that might differ from or even completely contradict my own. Those disagreements never got heated, but sometimes they were very intense. Just as I imagine Lincoln would have been, I was pleased when those challenges arose because it meant that my fellow coaches were as passionate about our team as I was. Nothing ruins a team more quickly than apathy.”
In Coach Wooden’s book Wooden on Leadership with Steve Jamison, Denny Crum, one of his former assistant coaches, describes working with Coach:
“Coach Wooden never thought he knew everything. In spite of the fact that he’d been winning championships every year—four or five of them when I got there as an assistant coach—he wanted to keep learning and improving as a coach and leader.
“When I came up with an idea, he would never tell me, ‘Well, this is the way we’ve always done it and we’re winning championships. So, no, I’m not changing.’ He was open to change. His approach was to listen; if he thought it made sense, try it. If it works, great. If not, move on. He was always searching for ways to improve.”
As Coach liked to say: A leader destined for success asks, "What can we do to improve?" A leader destined for failure says, “That’s the way it’s always been done.”
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/do-you-have-the-fight/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Do You Have the Fight to Be the Best You Can Be?​</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/constant-self-improvement" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself.&nbsp;

The best way to improve the team is to improve yourself.&nbsp; | SUCCESS

The Importance of Constant Self-Improvement

The Importance of Constant Self-Improvement | SUCCESS

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It is amazing how much can be accomplished with teamwork if no one is concerned who gets the credit. This idea was a central theme in Coach John Wooden’s leadership and coaching style.
Coach was adamant that you had to have great talent to win, but he was also quick to point out that that alone did not assure you of victory. The talent had to work together.
An unselfish team starts with a leader who gives away the credit when things go well and accepts the blame when they don’t.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/real-success-begins-selfishness-ends/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Real Success Begins Where Selfishness Ends​</a>
In his book with Don Yeager, A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring, Coach explains this approach:
“As my father reminded me more than once, ‘Great leaders give credit to others and accept the blame themselves.’ If one of my assistant coaches made a suggestion that we decided to implement, I would make sure to praise him for his foresight in the press conference afterward. But if one made a suggestion that didn’t prove to be as successful, I accepted the blame myself rather than pinning it on the assistant. After all, as the head coach, I had decided to go forward with it. I found that this was the most effective way to keep my assistant coaches feeling engaged with the game, willing to make suggestions and ready to contribute to the betterment of the team. It worked with my players, too. I would never publicly criticize a player for poor performance. Even in moments of extreme frustration, I would check myself because it just didn’t seem right—because it didn’t seem like something my father would have done. And I’m proud to say that to the best of my knowledge, I never did slip up in that regard.”
In the book The Essential Wooden, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar described his former Coach this way:
“We understood that if we played up to the standard he had set in practice, we’d probably win. If not, if we lost, he took the blame and tried to fix it the next practice. He was very focused, very intense. Always, always with his emotions under control.”
And Coach Wooden had this to say about Kareem:
“Lewis Alcindor (later, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) believed the team came first. I told him, ‘Lewis, I can design a system that will make you the greatest scorer in the history of college basketball.’ Lewis said, ‘I wouldn’t want that, Coach.’ (Of course, I knew he would say that, or I wouldn’t have brought it up in the first place.) A great player who is not a team player is not a great player. Lewis Alcindor was a great team player. Why? Because his first priority was the success of the team, even at the expense of his own statistics.”
It seems like it was very difficult to get either one of these men to take any credit.
Together with the coaching staff, trainers, managers and great teammates, they accomplished amazing things: three consecutive national championships.
Related:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/humble-leader/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Qualities of a Humble Leader​</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/give-credit" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

When no one is concerned with who gets the credit, you can accomplish amazing things.&nbsp;

When no one is concerned with who gets the credit, you can accomplish amazing things.&nbsp; | SUCCESS

Why You Should Always Give the Credit and Take the Blame

Why You Should Always Give the Credit and Take the Blame | SUCCESS

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<h4>A mistake is valuable if you do four things with it: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.</h4>
This quote from Coach Wooden is one of my favorites because it summarizes and gives instruction to some of his key ideas regarding how to deal with mistakes:
<h2>1. Recognize it.</h2>
Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.
<h2>2. Admit it.</h2>
You may make mistakes, but you are not a failure until you start blaming someone else.
<h2>3. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/john-c-maxwell-how-to-make-the-most-of-your-mistakes">Learn from it.</a></h2>
It’s always about focusing not on the mistakes, but on the lessons learned from them. 
Never require repeated criticism for the same mistake.
<h2>4. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/how-to-break-the-pattern-of-dwelling-on-past-mistakes">Forget it.</a></h2>
Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today. 
Don’t make a second mistake because you’re thinking about the first.
John Wooden took on his first coaching assignment in 1933. The opportunity was in Dayton, Kentucky, for the Dayton High School Green Devils football team.
In his book My Personal Best with Steve Jamison, Coach described that experience:
“The Green Devils football team had a big lumbering lineman who bullied other classmates and even teammates; he was the kind of player who did only as much as he wanted to do and no more. On a sweltering Kentucky afternoon during the first week of football practice, this young man decided he’d had enough of my whistle blowing, directions and drills. When I told him to get back to work, he challenged me. He stuck his chin right in my face and snarled, ‘You’re not man enough to make me do it.’ The whole team was watching us. I responded emotionally and without thinking, and I am very ashamed of what happened next—a brief but physical altercation. It was terrible behavior from someone trying hard to follow the examples of my coaching mentors. Even more, it went against my father’s teaching. One of his favorite quotes was from Abraham Lincoln: ‘Nothing is stronger than gentleness.’
“Now, as a brand-new coach—two weeks into the job—I had quickly lost my temper and stooped to violence. It troubled me very deeply. These days I’d be fired, rightfully, but on that hot humid afternoon, we just moved on and continued practice. I quickly came to understand I wasn’t a good football coach. The stubborn lineman, however, was not the reason, and I asked my predecessor, Willard Bass, to come back. As the weeks went along, I heard through the grapevine that whenever one of them gave him any trouble, Coach Bass would warn sternly, ‘Please don’t make me tell Johnny Wooden about this.’ He was kidding, of course, but I didn’t think it was very funny.”
Seems like Coach Wooden followed his own advice regarding this mistake. He recognized it, admitted it, learned from it and moved forward.
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/10-mistakes-smart-people-never-make-twice">10 Mistakes Smart People Never Make Twice </a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/mistake" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

‘Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.’

‘Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.’ | SUCCESS

Do These 4 Things When You Make a Mistake

Do These 4 Things When You Make a Mistake | SUCCESS

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Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.
This maxim represents the foundation of famed UCLA basketball coach John Wooden’s <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/effective-teacher/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">approach as a teacher</a>. He often reminded his players of this with his <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/your-masterpiece/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">make each day your masterpiece</a> approach and spoke poignantly on the topic:
“Don’t live in the past; you can’t do anything about the past. It will never change whether it’s yesterday or last year. The future is yet to be determined and can be influenced by what you do today. Today is the only day that really matters. That’s what I tried to teach.”
Related: <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/your-masterpiece/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Make Each Day Your Masterpiece</a>
There is a poem that goes like this:
I’ve shut the door on yesterday, 
Its sorrows and mistakes. 
I’ve locked within its gloomy walls 
Past failures and heartaches. 
And now I throw the key away 
To seek another room, 
And furnish it with hope and smiles 
And every springtime bloom.
No thought shall enter this abode 
That has a hint of pain, 
And worry, malice and distrust 
Shall never therein reign. 
I’ve shut the door on yesterday 
And thrown the key away— 
The future holds no doubt for me, 
Since I have found today.
Coach Wooden often referenced <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/handle-adversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his father’s example</a> as a major influence on him. His mother, Roxie, also had a powerful impact on his focus on now, not yesterday approach. In his book A Game Plan for Life with Don Yaeger, Coach described it this way:
“I have written and talked a great deal during my long career about my father’s tremendous influence on my life, but have neglected to say much about my mother. That is a great oversight, as she was an incredible woman who managed a household with none of the modern conveniences and suffered the loss of both her daughters within a year of one another. Cordelia, who was born between my older brother Maurice and myself, died of diphtheria when she was 2; and there was a baby girl who died at birth and was never named. And yet Mother never once complained, or lost her faith, or showed any kind of self-pity. Instead, she poured herself into the lives of her surviving children with a fierce devotion that celebrated her love for us all.”
Related: <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/success-without-faith/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Why You Can’t Find Success Without Faith</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/live-past" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

The importance of moving past adversity | SUCCESS

Why You Can’t Live in the Past

Why You Can’t Live in the Past | SUCCESS

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Professional Growth

Professional Growth Archives

Professional Growth | SUCCESS | What Achievers Read

Many of famed UCLA basketball coach <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/motivational-quotes-john-wooden/">John Wooden’s favorite maxims</a> reflected his keen appreciation of unselfishness:
“You cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone without a thought of repayment.”
“Be as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.”
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/4-reasons-you-should-celebrate-others-success">4 Reasons You Should Celebrate Others’ Success</a>
Coach Wooden considered the ability of an individual to be a team player an essential character trait in selecting the players he chose to recruit at UCLA.
One of my favorite stories that Coach told regarding unselfishness is from his book <a href="https://amzn.to/2DiNuY5" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">They Call Me Coach</a>, which he wrote with Jack Tobin, describing an incident after the 1964 championship game victory over Duke:
“As I turned away from the post-game press conference and headed down that long corridor in Kansas City toward the dressing room, my feet and spirits dragged. For while I looked forward to congratulating the team on their victory, my thoughts were also on Fred Slaughter. What was he feeling at this moment?
“Throughout the entire season, Fred had started every game. He had a brilliant year. Fred was a <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-attributes-of-healthy-humility">totally unselfish</a> player with great team devotion and was frequently asked to do things for which a player receives little public attention. Even though he was short for a college center, barely 6’5” tall, Fred was the blocker, screener and rebounder—things seldom seen and appreciated by the crowd. But in this final game for the championship with Duke, he had gotten off to a bad start. As the game moved along, it got worse instead of better. Finally, a change had to be made, so I pulled Fred and put in Doug McIntosh. And Doug did such a fine job that I left him in until the game was ours.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=4829&amp;action=edit">Bad Times Can Make You Bitter or Better</a>
“While I walked along toward the dressing room, George Moriarty’s words were ringing in my mind: ‘Who could ask more of a man than giving all within his span? Giving all, it seems to me, is not so far from victory.’ And yet I knew that Fred was not alone in his disappointment. Having grown up not too far away in Topeka, Kansas, where he had attended high school, he was well aware that the crowd had been pretty well sprinkled with Slaughter relatives and fans.
“Pushing open the dressing room door, I ran right into Fred. He had evidently been waiting for me. ‘Coach,’ he said, ‘before someone gets the wrong impression, I want you to know that I understand. You had to leave Doug in there because he played so well, and I didn’t. I wanted to play in the worst way, but I do understand, and if anyone says I was upset, it’s not true. Disappointed, yes, but upset no, and I was very happy for Doug.’”
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/victorious-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">How John Wooden Led His Teams to a Victorious Life</a>
Coach also described another compelling incident following UCLA’s victory over Michigan in the 1965 national championship game:
“Doug McIntosh, whose spectacular substitution for Slaughter in the 1964 championship game contributed so much to that win, was our regular starting center. He had a good year, but he didn’t get off to a good start in this decisive Michigan game. And just as with Slaughter the year before, I had to pull Doug and substitute Michael Lynn, a sophomore. Mike did well and I played him almost all of the rest of the game.
“And so, as I headed toward the dressing room, my feelings matched those of 1964. But, like Fred, Doug understood and told me that I had no choice. <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/character-fuels-intentness/">There wasn’t even a hint of resentment</a>, and Doug was happy that the team had done so well.”
Fred Slaughter went on to become a dean at the UCLA Law School, a highly successful attorney and member of the UCLA Hall of Fame.
Following his college career, Doug McIntosh attended seminary at Dallas Theological Seminary and later co-founded the Cornerstone Bible Church in Liburn, Georgia.
As Coach liked to say, “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one is concerned with who gets the credit.”
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/humble-leader/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Qualities of a Humble Leader</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/real-success-begins-selfishness-ends" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

‘It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one is concerned with who gets the credit.’

‘It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one is concerned with who gets the credit.’ | SUCCESS

Real Success Begins Where Selfishness Ends

Real Success Begins Where Selfishness Ends | SUCCESS

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A mentor is defined as someone who imparts wisdom to and shares knowledge with a less experienced colleague; a trusted counselor or guide.
In his book <a href="https://amzn.to/2lIdykM" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring</a> with Don Yaeger, Coach Wooden said this:
“While I made my living as a coach, I have lived my life to be a mentor—and to be mentored!—constantly.
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-mentorship-dos-and-donts">6 Mentorship Do’s and Don’ts</a>
“Everything in the world has been passed down. Every piece of knowledge is something that has been shared by someone else. If you understand it as I do, mentoring becomes your true legacy. It is the greatest inheritance you can give to others. It is why you get up every day—to teach and be taught.”
Coach Wooden often pointed out the profound influence his father Joshua had on him. In addition to his father’s <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/3-rules-for-life/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Two Sets of Three</a> and <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/john-woodens-7-point-creed-true/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Seven-Point Creed</a>, Coach attributed these key <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/words-of-wisdom/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points of wisdom</a> to him:
Never try to be better than someone else. But always be learning from others. Never cease trying to <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/your-masterpiece/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">be the best you can be</a>. One is under your control, the other isn’t.
You’ll never know a thing that you didn’t learn from someone else.
The more concerned we become over the things we can’t control, the less we will do with the things we can control.
Mother Theresa and Abraham Lincoln were two historical figures that Coach considered to be his mentors. He described their influence this way:
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/videos/youtube/the-most-powerful-tool-we-have-is-influence-heres-how-to-wield-it">The Most Powerful Tool We Have Is Influence; Here’s How to Wield It</a>
“Both of them lived their lives completely devoted for others.
“Lincoln was president during the most difficult time in our country. He never lost his common man approach. At the end of the terrible war between the states, he was being criticized by the secretary of state, who told him, ‘You’re supposed to destroy your enemies, not make friends of them.’ His answer, of course, was, ‘Am I not destroying an enemy if I <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/why-you-should-cooperate-with-the-competition">make a friend of him</a>?’ Lincoln was my favorite American.
“Mother Theresa said, ‘A life not lived for others is not a life.’ And if anyone ever truly lived their life for others, it was Mother Theresa. I’d say she’s the person I have the most respect and admiration for that’s lived in my lifetime.”
Coach also considered his grammar school coach, Earl Warriner; high school coach, Glenn Curtis; and college coach, Piggy Lambert to be valuable mentors. And I would be remiss if I failed to mention <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/wave-of-influence/">the amazing impact</a> Coach often alluded to that Nellie, his wife of 53 years, had on his life.
The example that Coach Wooden set for us is that we all have opportunities to positively influence others every day. Remembering, as Coach liked to say, you cannot live a perfect day without doing something for someone without thought of repayment.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/20-ways-to-be-successful/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">20 Ways to Do Your Best and Be Successful</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/mentor" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Mentoring is the greatest inheritance you can give to others. It is why you get up every day—to teach and be taught.

Mentoring is the greatest inheritance you can give to others. It is why you get up every day—to teach and be taught. | SUCCESS

The Powerful Legacy of Mentoring

The Powerful Legacy of Mentoring | SUCCESS

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Coach Wooden’s favorite ideas regarding leadership came from Wilford Peterson’s essay on “The Art of Leadership” from his book <a href="https://amzn.to/2CHHBzB" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Art of Living</a>. The essay states in part: The leader is a servant.
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/blog/why-successful-leaders-need-to-learn-humility">Why Successful Leaders Need to Learn Humility</a>
Coach Wooden’s actions always reflected humility.
In Pat Williams’ <a href="https://amzn.to/2B0AkdS" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to Be Like Coach Wooden</a>, there is an entire chapter titled “If You Want to Be Like Coach, Strive for Humility.” In that chapter, Coach Wooden’s grandson Greg described Coach: 
&nbsp;
My grandfather is an extremely humble man. He’s led by example his whole life and stayed true to his beliefs. He’s never asked anyone to do anything he wouldn’t do himself. 
&nbsp;
Coach Wooden’s teams always left their locker room, home or away, cleaner than the way they found it. In How to Be Like Coach Wooden, Franklin Adler, a student manager for the UCLA basketball team from 1964 to 1968, recalls an incident when he was cleaning up after a game that reflects Coach’s <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/6-attributes-of-healthy-humility">humility</a>: 
&nbsp;
I was scurrying around between banks of lockers when I heard the sound of footsteps and the thud of objects landing in a receptacle. Thankful for any help, I assumed that a Washington State janitorial employee was making his rounds after the game. Imagine my surprise when I came around a corner and saw that my ally in cleaning up the room was Coach Wooden! 
&nbsp;
Coach Wooden never wanted special privileges.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/integrity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">What It Means to Be a Person of Integrity</a>
In Marv Dunphy‘s Ph.D. dissertation, John Robert Wooden: The Coaching Process, Frank Arnold, a former assistant coach of Coach Wooden, recalled the time he and Coach Wooden got in line to register for the National Association of Basketball Coaches at the Final Four. It was on an occasion when Coach Wooden’s Bruins were there to play for their eighth National Championship. Coach Arnold said: 
&nbsp;
The line was enormous and here’s John Wooden at the back of the line when we were a participant in the tournament. People kept telling him, “Coach, go to the front of the line, pay your dues and get out of here.” He wouldn’t do that. We stood in that doggone line for an hour and a half to pay our $20 dues. We could have gone to the front, but he wouldn’t. He wanted to be an ordinary guy, but he certainly was not an ordinary guy. 
&nbsp;
The humble leader will aspire for noble goals because he or she realizes, “The happiest moments in life come from making someone else happy.”
The humble leader will be a <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/to-be-skilled/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lifelong learner</a> with a keen desire to improve and be full of <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/alert-leaders/">alertness</a> because he or she realizes “When you are through learning, you are through.”
The humble leader will inspire <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperation</a> because he or she believes that “You must listen if you want to be heard” and that “What is right is more important than who is right.”
The humble leader will inspire <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/team-spirit/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">team spirit</a> because he or she knows “It’s amazing how much can be accomplished if no one is concerned with who gets the credit.”
As you may have guessed the previous five quotes, are courtesy of my favorite humble leader: Coach Wooden.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/motivational-quotes-john-wooden/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">27 Motivational Quotes by John Wooden to Inspire You to Be Better</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/humble-leader" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Coach Wooden’s actions always reflected humility.

Coach Wooden’s actions always reflected humility. | SUCCESS

The Qualities of a Humble Leader

The Qualities of a Humble Leader | SUCCESS

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The last block on the second tier of the Pyramid of Success, intentness, is an essential quality for any leader and team if they are going to perform near their capability.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/live-with-intentness/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to Live Your Life With Intentness</a>
Coach Wooden once summarized this concept as “patience with action”—that is, having the determination, stamina and resolve to stay the course when things aren’t going well.
A great leader not only has intentness as an individual character trait, but also builds and coaches his or her team or organization in a manner that promotes and encourages intentness from all team members.
A leader and team with intentness truly believes that “a setback is a setup for a comeback.”
The intentness of the team keeps industriousness, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/enthusiasm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">enthusiasm</a>, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/value-of-friendship/">friendship</a>, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/loyal/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">loyalty</a>, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/cooperation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cooperation</a>, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/self-control-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">self-control</a>, <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/alert-leaders/">alertness</a> and <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/initiative/">initiative</a> in motion when facing adversity. The team members themselves must individually possess these character traits if the team is going to have a “never say die” attitude.
The leader hoping to build a team with intentness should choose his team members based on these character traits before considering personality and skill.
Related: <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/rohn-6-essential-traits-of-good-character">6 Essential Traits of Good Character</a>
Coach was doing a home visit with an excellent high school prospect when the young man’s mother asked a question. The recruit turned to his mother and said, “Mom, how could you ask Coach Wooden such a stupid question?” Coach Wooden politely ended the home visit and stopped recruiting the prospect.
When asked if he considered character in the selection process of his teams, Coach responded:
“Absolutely. Character is so important in everything. Character is what you really are. You’re the only one that knows your character. You don’t know my character. I know my character. You know <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/11-expert-ways-to-build-an-impeccable-reputation">my reputation</a>. It could be different. Reputation is what you are perceived to be by others. Your character is what you really are. And certainly on all these things that I would study on the transcript, I’m determining the character of the individual. And that will determine to some extent, too, whether or not he’ll be a <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/great-teamwork/">good team player</a> or whether he’ll be a selfish player, thinking too much of himself.”
Coach described the importance of character as follows:
“Too many of us are concerned with building a reputation or obtaining material possessions. We should be more interested in building character within ourselves. Material possessions can’t bring contentment, peace of mind, happiness or true success.”
Adversity and power reveal character.
Related: <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/handle-adversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to Handle Adversity: Don’t Whine, Don’t Complain, Don’t Make Excuses.</a>
Coach liked to say, “Ability may get you to the top, but it takes character to keep you there.”
In an interview with Steve Churm for a 2005 edition of the OC Metro, Coach expanded on this idea.
“People change when they acquire power, authority and material possessions. <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/7-steps-to-shape-great-character">A person with character</a> won’t change. Character is what you really are inside. Some people have great individual ability, whether it’s physical or mental. They may reach great financial success. But if they don’t have character, they won’t stay there for very long. They’ll go down fast and you’ll find the road down is much faster than the road up.”
The saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” aptly describes a team with intentness. The “tough” have character.
The leader desiring a team with intentness should select the team carefully.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/foundation-of-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Foundation of Leadership</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/character-fuels-intentness" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

Adversity and power reveal character. | SUCCESS

How Character Fuels Intentness

How Character Fuels Intentness | SUCCESS

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The first two blocks on the second tier of Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success—<a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/self-control-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">self-control</a> and alertness—are essential qualities for any leader and team if they are going to perform near to their capability.
A leader with self-control will create consistency. A leader with self-control will resist taking shortcuts irrespective of how alluringly they are presented and how easily they are made available. A leader with self-control will “keep his cool” <a href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/handle-adversity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">in the face of adversity</a>.
It is the self-control of the leader that will enable him to maintain alertness for himself and his team members.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/being-alert/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Why Being Alert Is Essential to Being Successful</a>
In an interview with Steve Churm for a 2005 edition of the OC Metro, Coach was asked, “If you were to give a speech to business school graduates, what are two or three things that you would tell them to do to be successful?” As you can see in Coach’s response, self-control is critical:
“I would certainly stress <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/9-tips-to-become-a-better-listener">listening</a>; I think that very well could be number one. Secondly, I would tell them not to get absorbed or involved in things in which you have no control. Finally, concentrate on improving what you can. Work on the things in which you have control to help overcome the things you feel need changed.”

It takes self-control to become a great listener. Sometimes we may be thinking of how we’re going to respond while the other person is talking. The leader who has the self-control to avoid doing this will exhibit a key component of alertness: listening and learning from others.
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/art-of-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Art of Leadership</a>
A leader who listens with alertness will avoid fitting the mold of this Woodenism: “Too many know the last word about everything and the first word about nothing.”
The following is an excerpt from the letter Coach sent to his 1970-71 team in July of 1970 in which he explains he will be available to listen, but also clarifies his role as a leader:
Come in and talk to me whenever you feel like it, but please remember that it isn’t necessarily lack of communication if we fail to agree on your position or the position of another on the team. I am and will always be interested in your problems, but do feel that everyone should do everything possible to work out his own problems rather than become dependent upon others. I have found prayer most helpful when I am troubled and believe that all prayers are heard and answered, even though the answer may be no.

The leader with alertness has the <a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/9-easy-ways-to-stay-mentally-sharp">mental quickness</a> to recognize changing circumstances and adjust accordingly. The alert leader is open-minded and constantly facilitating feedback, creating an engaged and energized team committed to constant improvement.
The alert leader is not content at the end of each day simply because “the numbers were good.” Every day, the alert leader asks the question, “<a href="https://successcom.wpenginepowered.com/article/43-ways-to-improve-yourself-in-just-10-minutes">What did we do to improve today?</a>”
The alert leader recognizes, as Coach Wooden put it, “When success turns your head, you face failure.”
Related: <a class="row-title" href="https://www.thewoodeneffect.com/foundation-of-leadership/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">The Foundation of Leadership</a>


This article originally appeared on <a href="https://thewoodeneffect.com/alert-leaders" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">TheWoodenEffect.com</a> and has been republished with permission.

‘When success turns your head, you face failure.’

‘When success turns your head, you face failure.’ | SUCCESS

Why Leaders Must Be Alert

Why Leaders Must Be Alert | SUCCESS

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