John Wooden through his books and interviews, has been one of the most influential leaders and mentors in my life.  His books have resonated in my mind and heart and forced me to rethink some of my leadership actions.  Let me share a few of my favorite quotes and what they mean to me.

 

“Never try to be better than anyone else, but never cease trying to be the best you can be.  You have control over that.  Not the other”

 

This is so important in life.  You do not control the other person or their performance, but you are responsible for your performance.  Focusing on what you cannot control is not empowering and creates a helplessness-hopelessness situation.  Addressing areas you can control empowers and motivates you to improve.  John Wooden has nailed a key success principle here.

 

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

 

This is a radical philosophy change from the current culture’s love affair with winning and loathing of losing.   I was of this mindset myself and felt if I lost, it didn’t matter how hard I had worked.  I was wrong and many other people are too.  I learned that losing is the major stepping stone to success.  That effort and preparation bring an internal peace that communicates you have done all you can do.  In fact, I would say you win or lose before the competition begins depending on how you prepared mentally, physically and spiritually.  I love when people count me out.  Orrin lost this or Orrin failed at that.  I know I have had another learning experience and I did all I could do with what I knew at the time.  The other side of the coin is someone can be winning and receiving the awards and yet be losing.  How is that you say?  If they are not giving 100% effort then they are not honoring God with their abilities.  Do we all enjoy winning?  Absolutely, but winning is only the icing on the cake and not the main meal.  The main meal is your personal best.  Everyone can give their personal best and only you truly know when you are giving it.   My question to you, “Are you giving your personal best?”  My second question, “Are you successful using John Wooden’s definition of success?”

 

My third John Wooden example is not a quote, but a true story of his grade school basketball coach.  Coach Earl Warriner taught John Wooden two important leadership principles.

 

  1. No individual is more important than the team.

 Coach Warriner benched John Wooden even though he was the star of the grade school team.  John had tried to use his position as the team’s best player to get a teammate to do what he should have done himself—get his jersey which he had inadvertently left at home.  When John explained to the coach that they would lose with him, Mr. Warriner said, “Johnny, there are some things more important than winning.”

I love this story!  Coach Warriner knew that winning while violating your core principles is not winning at all.  It is a catastrophic loss of character and conscience to violate principles in an effort to “win.”   There are principles more important than winning or losing and John Wooden learned a valuable lesson he would carry with him throughout his coaching career.

 

  1. Be willing to suffer the consequences of standing up for your beliefs.

 Mr. Warriner was the principal of a local grade school in Indiana and expelled a student who had done something very bad.  The boy’s father was on the school board and demanded his son be reinstated immediately.  The father told Principal Warriner he would have his job if his son was not allowed back in school.  Mr. Warriner stuck to his convictions and was “fired” by the school.  A year later the father was off the school board and Mr. Warriner was rehired.  I believe there is a justice in the world and the truth will come out.  It has been said, “The wheels of justice grind slowly, but they do grind finely.”

 

John Wooden states about his former coach, “Earl Warriner would not compromise on principle to save his own skin.  He would not kneel at the altar of expedience as so many others do.  He was a man of fine character.”

 

Are you a person of this type of character?  Without principle centered leadership—you will blow with the winds of convenience and never inspire loyalty to your cause.  Would you risk your job or business like Mr. Warriner did for your deeply held principles?  We have one life to live and it begins by knowing what principles we are willing to die for.  God Bless, Orrin Woodward