John Wooden Lessons for Life, Sports and Business
John Wooden is regarded as the most successful coach in sports history. Wooden has had 12 NCAA final four appearances resulting in 10 championship wins. Wooden also has an amazing 80% overall winning percentage. John Wooden’s principles of success drove his life and those lessons transferred over into everything he did including his coaching career.
John Wooden had this to say about success…
Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
– Coach John Wooden
This is a valuable lesson to learn…by applying successful principles to your life as a whole…you will excel in everything that you choose to do. So what lessons did John Wooden live by?
Wooden crafted the “Wooden Pyramid of Success”, which I have added into this post.
Some of the most important lessons I’ve gathered from studying Coach Wooden over the years are:
- Control Your Personal Image
- Be true to yourself and follow your dreams
- Stand up and be accountable for your actions
- Build the best teams
- Failure to prepare is preparing to fail
- Don’t mistake activity with achievement
- Happiness begins when selfishness ends
- Make Your Yes Mean Yes
- It’s a weakness to get caught up in praise
- Be quick, but don’t hurry
Your image is how many people will perceive and judge you. Coach Wooden wanted all of his players to look respectable. Legendary UCLA center Bill Walton got thrown out of practice and told not to come back until he shaved and got a hair cut. Controlling your image and perception is extremely important online. People tend to Google your name when looking to hire you or go into business with you…What will they find? How will they perceive your personal brand?
This point may sound cliche, but it is so very true. Know who you are and who you are not and strive to achieve your dreams whether it’s being a successful father, business professional or athlete. Stay true to your values and strive for excellence in anything you decide to do.
It’s easy to pass the blame on to someone else or sweep something under the rug. Only when you realize your faults and short comings are you able to change them and grow. Listening to your customers and those in your life can give you insights that you may fail to realize otherwise. You don’t have to implement every change someone recommends to you, but have an open mind and be ready to digest the nutritional bites of insights that can be beneficial to you, or your company. Social media is a very powerful tool to listen to, monitor and respond to the chatter and feedback about your brand.
In any endeavor you are involved in it’s important to surround yourself with value creators, opinionated people and those skilled in their area of expertise. You want to make sure you don’t make the common mistake of building a team full of “Yes Men”, people with the same skill sets as you, or those who bring the team down with their negativity.
This lesson speaks for itself…Before going into any situation it’s good to gather as much information about that situation as possible. The big thing that Coach Wooden preached regarding this point was that his team should focus on themselves and do whatever they do best. Wooden didn’t even scout out competing basketball teams…he simply coached his teams to play their best basketball everytime they stepped onto the court. I don’t completely agree with this point. I favor Sun Tzu principle that if you know yourself and know your enemy you need not fear the result of 100 battles.
So many times people get caught working on what’s immediate as opposed to what is truly important. It’s a trap that’s very easy to fall into. I’ve experienced this trap many times…It’s easy to get an email or phone call and be obligated to answer it immediately thus getting distracted from important goals or tasks for the day. To avoid this trap I try to never lose sight of what is most important. I find that mapping out the steps to obtain a goal by starting from the end and working backwards is the best way to figure out the optimal path for achievement. Once I’ve determined the steps, I strive to find time to self reflect through reading and meditation to make sure I’m not getting too far away from the steps needed to accomplish my goal.
I Thought that this was a very nice quote. I feel most athletes or virtually any striving person or professional has to be a bit selfish with their time, attention and resources to be successful. It’s very important to remember why you are striving to be successful in the first place. For me it’s so I can help others be successful through my insights and experience, provide a great life for my family, and not be forced to trade my time for money allowing me to travel the world and see and do the amazing things god has created, or inspired, with those who are close to me. Keeping these end goals in mind will transform your journey to success from selfish to selfless. I love what I do and look forward to working everyday. Investing my time in the short-term to accomplish these “end goals” has made me very happy thus far and I’m confident that seeing these goals actualized will be even greater.
The whole essence of this lesson is to be a man of your word. Wooden was quoted as saying “Make your yes mean yes and no mean no”. This is a very simple concept, but a very important one to live by.
Praise and achievements can be motivational, but what you have accomplished is only proof that you have ability to achieve some level of success. You should not allow yourself to be caught up or become complacent due to your past accomplishments. In business and sports there is always someone else striving to take your spot, customers or future successes. The focus should not be on what has been already accomplished, but what you’re striving to accomplish next.
“Be quick, but don’t hurry” is my favorite John Wooden quote. It’s better to take your time and do one thing right then to rush and do 1,000 things wrong. In an ESPN interview Wooden was cited as saying “The key to sustainability is being patient and doing things right.”
A while back I wrote a post about the the business lessons I learned from sports. It may be worth reading if you’re interested in the subject. Years back I also had the fantastic opportunity to read the book Be Quick But Don’t Hurry
by Andrew Hill. It was a fantastic book and I give it my highest recommendation.
John Wooden will surely be missed, but his lessons will live on forever.
Many have called Coach Wooden the “Gold Standard” of coaches. I believe he was the gold standard of people and carried himself with uncommon grace, dignity and humility. Coach Wooden’s name is synonymous with excellence and deservedly so. He was one of the great leaders- in any profession-of his generation.
– Mike Krzyzewski
Duke Head Basketball Coach
Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.
I get stuck with #6 sometimes. I just keep on working but I might not actually be making any progress. It is good to sit down and think about your priorities some times.
I get stuck with #6 sometimes. I just retain on functioning but I might not actually be making any progress. It is good to sit down and think about your priorities some times.
I just maintain on operating but I may not truly be generating any progress. It truly is great to sit down and take into consideration your priorities some occasions.
What a great human being! Basketball success was so secondary to who John Wooden was, and how he influenced countless others, by his example. We have been privileged to live with him, and almost certainly will not see another like him.
Good luck with the move. NYC is now only a quick train ride away for more sports + social media events.
I think no one like him in sports. His achievements are endless in sports. Made a world record with 10 championship wins. also he was a
good human being.
Basketball Hall of Fame as both player and coach. At Purdue guard was considered a medium-sized, three-time All-American, who was always ready to take the enemy a few elbows way to the basket.
Wooden was certainly a great man and coach. A lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Being successful it had, but if you have the right knowledge and team you can achieve anything.
That sounds like a fun business to be in! I couldn’t imagine my days being filled with mascot talk and working with big names to build their costumes.
I was wondering if someone could tell me which universities had the top programs. I would also like to know the top business schools in general if possible…
John Wooden was a legend man for sure, It’s great to see that hes still alive and well. I really like the line that he says “Make each day your Masterpiece”
Remembering his accomplishments from the time his Bruins defeated my Wolverines for a championship and through all the great years of continued success, and thinking of the high standards he set and lived by, I am thoroughly impressed by this man.
what a beautiful tribute to a well deserving individual. we can all learn from him…the world would certainly be a better place.
Well, I’m writing an autobiographical incident essay and this is what I wrote. I just need to know what people think about it lol. Like is it good.
Very timely. I believe very soon i will need to use the pyramid very intensively – it’s good to have it handy.
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I salute for all his contribution that he gave to sports. A lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Being successful it had, but if you have the right knowledge and team you can achieve anything. Very nice post.
As a professional coach, I love no. 6 – coach for life. It is my philosophy to develop sustainable skills that can last a lifetime, rather than focussing on short term targets. Another outstanding summary of a great thinker.
Coach Brown knew Coach Wooden, but only because they had played against one another when Coach Brown was an assistant coach at Utah State. When he accepted the head coaching job at LSU, he turned to Coach Wooden for advice.
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Great dedication for the country. A lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Thanks for sharing with me such awesome post.
Love the quote from Coach Wooden about reputation and character! Thanks for posting it.
I am interested in going into sports business and I was wondering if someone could tell me which universities had the top programs. I would also like to know the top business schools in general if possible..
Great sports he was really. A lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Being successful it had, but if you have the right knowledge and team you can achieve anything.
Everyone knows that Pakistan is caught-up in chaos. Newsweek recently reported that for 2009, Pakistan surpassed war-torn African nations in the number of newly displaced people. And although two-thirds of the displaced have returned home.
They immediately improved with him as assistant to Gary Kurdlemeier and he took over two years later and the rest is for the record books, including 9 straight titles.
Really good post Susan! A keeper. Sometimes when we get caught up in things we forget the simple principles of life which are many of the points above….D 😛
Hi very great post telling about Sports and Business all is very necessary today i love this post very much.
I’ve always been a huge fan of John Wooden and his work, hes simply a phenom at what he does, the man is just genius really, hes done so much for the world for sure!
Till then,
Jean
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Thanks John Wooden to teach the lesson about life, I will recommend this post to my friends…
Jacob Lee
Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”that’s lines are “John Wooden’
A Game Plan for Life is the one closest to John Wooden’s heart: a moving and inspirational guide to the power of mentorship. The first half focuses on the people who helped foster the values that carried Wooden through an incredibly successful and famously principled career.
Will Coach John Wooden’s valuable lessons/values eventually become extinct?
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Really he was great sports personality. I am pretty much pleased with your good work.You put really very helpful information. Keep it up. Keep blogging. Looking to reading your next post.
Great post telling about Sports and Business all is very necessary today.
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May his soul rest in peace. His contributions to the sports world are enormous and you rightly quoted that his lessons will live on forever.
@Mike I’m not quite sure I understand what your saying
Very good post and a lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Being successful it had, but if you have the right knowledge and team you can achieve anything.
I agree with you, but do you think its really accurate?
A lot has to be said for his pyramid as well. He was very wise and knew what it took to make a great team. Being successful it had, but if you have the right knowledge.thanks..
I like how he says not to compete with anybody, that’s so true. That he journaled for each student individually is nothing short of amazing. And keeping emotions in check whether lose OR win really struck me too.
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I will guarantee that had mmikemchone ever met Mr. Wooden, he would not be in the position he is in today. If anyone can motivate from beyond it would be Mr. Wooden. Good luck mmikemchone.
It is last week of the quarter guys. We are in the bottom of the ninth. We should go get that guy on our marketing team. I heard he is currently a free agent!
There was an awful lot of economic miscalculation when it came to sports planning in Arizona and the battle is far from over. Mesa would like to hold onto the Chicago Cubs..
find that mapping out the steps to obtain a goal by starting from the end and working backwards is the best way to figure out the optimal path for achievement. Once I’ve determined the steps, I strive to find time to self reflect through reading and meditation
Do you think that is going to work?
jerky
Hi!
I think that A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.
Instead of using the phrase sports is a business use a particular sport such as ” baseball + business” Baseball as a business is below. Substitute football or any other sport and you should obtain web sites.
My favorite post of yours so far… John Wooden is the man!
We have been privileged to live with him, and almost certainly will not see another like him.thanks..
The edge is knowing that you are getting to your goals and treating people right along the way because as good as you can be, you are so focused that you need regular people around you to balance you and help you.
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Wow, this hit the nail right on the head. Great post buddy.. I can’t wait for your next article. Thanks for the great share pal. Cheers
Thanks for taking the time to keep John Wooden wisdom alive, I did not know him personally but he spoke a lot of sense, and his results proved his formula.
Thanks also for the Martin Luther King speech, this is something to cherish. Indeed he was a great and wise leader, I would definitely put him on par, if not a notch up from Nelson Mandela and Steve Biko. Great men who sacrificed their lives for the enfranchisement of the black masses in the South! (South Africa). I think NM and SB had the benefit of empirical studies paved by MLK and Booker T Washington.