My stumbling - Wooden & his relationship with success

Team, Wisdom is evergreen. I was introduced to John Wooden back in early 2000s and am so glad he’s back in the forefront of my journey.

While I was home for Thanksgiving my high school basketball coach and forever mentor (Coach “D”) reminded me of the brilliance of John Wooden. Coach D reminded me:  “Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” - John Wooden 

Wooden is one of the most winningest coaches of all time yet he never referenced the scoreboard!!! His success as a coach was not defined by his wins or his 10 NCAA championships… 

The scoreboard (i.e. the financial numbers) can become a distraction from the behaviors required to reach full potential. The sole focus cannot be on the scoreboard. It’s on the little moments and how those little moments tie to the larger vision of “success.” Wooden was an expert at jumping between the sky and the dirt.

Wooden had the extraordinary skillset of an executive because he balanced the high-level vision while on the other hand involving himself in the seemingly trivial details. Jim Collins, the prolific business guru, affirms: “How you deal with certain details is actually a very high level statement…”

At the start of every season, Wooden started practice with every athlete learning how to tie their shoes properly. The message was sent that the details mattered. A failure to tie one’s shoes properly could lead to a blister. Which could lead to an injury. Which could lead to an absence in March. Which could lead to a loss during the playoffs without a full roster!  The little things lead to BIG things.

“Success is peace of mind…” I think Wooden could have stopped here and it would have been sufficient. How many people truly have peace? How many people can truly sit in stillness with themselves? 

Ryan Holiday so excellently articulates peace of mind:

“What do we want more of in life? It’s moments when we feel we are enough.” 

As we are winding up an incredible year at Century, may we find peace in knowing we are enough just as we are. I am so very grateful to be on this incredible team with you and the direction we are taking the organization with an aim toward all having the opportunity to FLOURISH!

May we all find time to rest and recharge so we can lead with a full cup to inspire our team to become the best we are capable of becoming.

PS - Importance of rest: “Good decisions are not made by those running on empty” - Ryan Holiday