The smallest details do matter: leadership lessons from Coach Wooden
Coach Wooden, basketball’s all-time winning coach, said, “It’s the little details that are vital. The little things make the big things happen.”
Wood Trainer: The Basics: The smallest details do matter.
The coach had the coach measure the feet of his “right and left” players, “to make sure the newly delivered shoes fit correctly. He didn’t want them to slip.” The coach began to work with his players “from scratch” “feet first.” (“Wooden On Leadership” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, pp. 136-137)
Coach Lesson 1: Putting On Socks And Shoes To Avoid Blisters
Coach Wooden’s first lesson for his basketball students was putting on their socks and shoes correctly. The coach said, “You know basketball is a game played on a wooden floor. And to be good, you have to … change your direction, change your pace. That’s hard on your feet. Your feet are very And if you don’t have all the wrinkles in your sock … you get blisters, and those blisters will make you lose playing time, and if you’re good enough, your loss of playing time can get the coach fired. “
The coach would instruct his students by having a student sit in front of the group and the coach would “take the sports sock and start putting it on” at the students’ feet. Coach Wooden, “Now pull it from the back, lift it really good, really hard. Now run your hand over the little toe area … make sure there are no wrinkles and then pull it up. Check the heel area.” . We don’t want any signs of wrinkles. “The smallest details do matter.
The coach then pulled out an athletic shoe. He said, “Now put it wide, now pull up. Now don’t grab these lines here, go down, buttonhole for buttonhole … each one, that’s all. Now pull in … Tie it like this … Always there is danger of untied when you play. If untied, I may have to get you out of game practice, I may have to get you out. Miss practice, you are going to miss playtime and not only that, it will also irritate me a bit “. The coach then told him about “tying your shoelaces twice so they don’t untie.” The smallest details do matter.
From the beginning: The smallest details do matter
For your success in life, you want your shoes to fit well, your socks or stockings to be “soft and wrinkle-free” with no small stones in them that can cause blisters. You want to move comfortably to do your best work.
Second lesson: Coach Wooden insisted on “a neat and clean appearance.” First impressions
He said, “I want the players to practice with the jersey on, the socks up, and I want a neat and clean appearance. Some don’t think that will make them better basketball players, I do. If they can discipline themselves in this way, they can do it. the same when we delve into the fundamentals of basketball. “
First impressions on Life & Business are lasting impressions
Coach Wooden said his players represented the UCLA Bruins and he wanted them to make a good first impression. The smallest details do matter!
My grandmother, Belle S. Frank, a women’s clothing buyer for a department store for over 20 years, said it best: “Look in the mirror, what do you see?”
If she didn’t like the clothes she had chosen, he would help her find other clothes to change into. If you didn’t have your hair combed and you weren’t upright, she would remind you. For Grandma it was important to dress and look her best at all times. I wanted you to be proud of your appearance. Grandma cared about the smallest details.
Before leaving home, take a look in the mirror and make sure you look your best.
Lesson Three: Coach’s Half-Time Snacks – Healthy Foods for Your Body
Originally, the coach gave his players small pieces of chocolate, but this created phlegm in the windpipe of his players. So instead, during games halftime, the coach provided orange slices for energy and had his players put the peels in the trash he provided. Coach Wooden made sure his students had healthy energy snacks to eat and improve their energy. The smallest details do matter.
During halftime at basketball and soccer games, today’s players still get orange halves to keep them hydrated with vitamin C, as well as other healthy snacks.
Eating healthy fruits and vegetables helps us look and feel our best and have the energy to do our best work.
In business, the smallest details matter
Experts say that 96 percent of businesses fail. Not managing your cash and not paying your bills are the main reasons that businesses fail. To increase the probability of your business success, reduce your business expenses by 10%. Changing the smallest detail in your business is important.
Here are three things to remember for your business and life success: The smallest details do matter.
1) Leaders have to keep a “keen eye” on their businesses and look from scratch to see if something doesn’t look right, be it cost of business over runs, moral issues, or something else. They have to keep an eye on their employees like Coach Wooden does to make sure their student’s shoes are still tied. Leaders have to fix the problem. Coach Wooden made sure “the sock is smooth and wrinkle-free” like the balance line on a budget. In business, look at your bottom line to see if you need to reduce excess costs by 10% to improve your business and keep it on track.
2) When hiring staff for your company team, make sure the person is a “good fit” for your company. Like Coach Wooden, he made sure from scratch that his pupils’ feet, left and right, were measured correctly, as one foot is usually slightly larger than the other. The coach wanted his students’ athletic shoes to fit well. In business, make sure the person you hire is a “good fit” for your company; he or she has the necessary qualifications, training, and attitude and makes a good first impression.
3) Just like Coach Wooden had his students eat healthy foods to hydrate and energize during halftime of the game, it is important that you keep your body energized with fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods to do your best work.
As Coach Wooden said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
For a balanced life, changing the smallest detail will make a big difference. What little detail can you change in your business or family life to improve it?
Remember that the smallest details do matter. Every day add a new Coach Wooden lesson or behavior to your tools for success.