The Smallest Details Matter: Leadership Lessons From Coach Wooden

Coach Wooden, basketball’s all-time winningest coach, said, “It’s the little things that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

Wooden Trainer: The basics: the smallest details do matter.

The coach had his players’ feet measured “left and right” by their coach, “to make sure the newly issued shoes fit correctly. He didn’t want them to slip.” The coach began working with his players “from scratch”, “feet first”. (“Wooden On Leadership” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, pp. 136-137)

First lesson from the coach: Put on socks and shoes to avoid blisters

Coach Wooden’s first lesson for his basketball students was to put on their socks and shoes correctly. The coach said, “You know basketball is a game played on a hardwood floor. And to be good, you have to… change direction, change your pace. That’s hard on your feet. Your feet are very important. And if you don’t have all the wrinkles in your sock… you get blisters, and those blisters will lose you game time, and if you’re good enough, your loss of game time could get the coach fired “.

The coach would instruct his students by having one student sit in front of the group and the coach would “take the athletic sock and start putting it on” on the students’ foot. Coach Wooden, “Now lift it up the back, lift it up real good, real hard. Now run your hand over the little toe area… make sure there are no creases and then lift it up again. Check the heel area We don’t want any wrinkle sign about it.” The smallest details do matter.

The coach then pulled out an Athletic shoe. He said, “Now put it wide, now pull it up. Now don’t grab these lines up here, go down, eyelet for eyelet… each one, that’s all. Now pull it up there… Tie it up like this …There’s always the danger that they’ll break loose when you’re playing. If they break loose, I may have to take you out of game practice, I may have to take you out. Miss practice, you’re going to miss game time and not just That, too, will irritate me a bit.” The coach then told him to “twice your shoelaces so they don’t come untied.” The smallest details do matter.

From the beginning: The smallest details do matter

To be successful in life, you want your shoes to fit, your socks or stockings to be “smooth and wrinkle-free” with no little stones to 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 players to practice with their jersey tails tucked in, socks up, and I want a neat, clean look. Some don’t think that’s going to make them a better basketball player, I think. If they can discipline themselves in En In this sense, they can do the same thing when we get to the fundamentals of basketball.”

First impressions in life and business are lasting impressions.

Coach Wooden said that 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 more than 20 years, said it best: “Look in the mirror, what do you see?”

If he didn’t like the clothes you had chosen, he would help you find other clothes to change into. If your hair wasn’t combed and you weren’t upright, she would remind you. It was important to Grandma to dress and look her best at all times. I wanted you to be proud of your appearance. For Grandma, the smallest details mattered.

Before you leave the house, look in the mirror and make sure you look your best.

Lesson Three: Coach’s Halftime Snacks: Healthy Foods for Your Body

Originally, the coach would give his players small pieces of chocolate, but this created phlegm in his players’ windpipes. So instead, during halftime of games, the coach would provide orange slices for energy and ask his players to throw the peels in the bin he provided. Coach Wooden made sure his students ate healthy energy snacks to boost his energy. The smallest details do matter.

During halftime at basketball and football games, players today are still given 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 top reasons businesses fail. To increase the likelihood of success for your business, reduce your business expenses by 10%. Changing the smallest detail in your business does matter.

Here are three things to remember to be successful in your business and in your life: The smallest details do matter.

1) Leaders must keep a “discerning eye” on their businesses and look down to see if something isn’t looking right, whether it’s excessive business cost, moral issues, or something else. They have to keep an eye on their employees like Coach Wooden does to make sure their students’ shoes are still tied. Leaders have to fix the problem. Coach Wooden made sure “the sock is smooth and wrinkle-free” as the balance line on a budget. In business, look at your bottom line to see if you need to cut excess costs by 10% to improve your business and keep it sharp.

2) When hiring for your company’s team, make sure the person is a “good fit” for your company. Just like Coach Wooden, he made sure from scratch that his students’ left and right feet 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, attitude and makes a good first impression.

3) Just like Coach Wooden had his students eat healthy foods to hydrate and fuel up during halftime, it’s important to 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 small 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.