Advice from Coach John Wooden

The following is an example of the type of article I write every month for our employee newsletter, The Employee Matters. In these articles, I attempt to use real-life examples or stories to convey something that matches up with our culture, mission, and/or values. In this article, I use wrote about some very simple advice from UCLA basketball Coach John Wooden, arguably college basketball’s most successful coach ever.

Advice from Coach John Wooden

It was roughly eighteen months ago that we lost the legendary Coach John Wooden. He was arguably the best coach who ever lived…in any sport! He had a wisdom and insight into people and their needs and he was able to get more out of people than even they thought possible. Following is an excerpt from How to Be Like Coach Wooden by Pat Williams.

Coach Wooden insisted that his players always acknowledge the help and support they received from other members of the team. For example, a player who scored a basket after receiving a pass from a teammate was expected to acknowledge the assist as he headed back up the court to play defense – usually by pointing, smiling, winking, or nodding at the man who had helped create the scoring opportunity.

Some players asked, “But Coach, what if he [the teammate who gave the assist] isn’t looking?”

“Believe me,” Wooden replied, “he’ll be looking!”

Acceptance and Approval

See, what Coach Wooden understood about all people is something that many of us know about ourselves, but have never applied to others. He understood that EVERYONE needs acceptance and approval.

We seek it at every opportunity. We need it from our parents and we need it from our children. We need it at work and we need it at home. Anyone who says they do not have this need is simply lying or does not recognize the need in themselves!

So What?

So why is this important to us? Because it is our responsibility to meet this need in those around us. Whether these people are co-workers, family members, or friends, we should be attempting to meet this need in their lives. It is a simple fact that if we help enough other people get what they want in life, then we will get what we want!

If we all become people who consistently meet this need in the people around us, can you imagine how much better our world would be?

[You can download a copy of this article (and others) here in my Resources.]

What are your thoughts about the point of the article?

Do you have an opportunity to do something similar for your employees?

If you already do, what results have you seen?