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CLARITY CREATES CREDIBILITY (JIA JIANG AND JOHN WOODEN)
Coach Wooden had great credibility with his players because he was crystal clear in his communication.
The following is an excerpt from Coach Wooden's letter to the team on August 1, 1972:
You may feel, at times, that I have double standards as I certainly will not treat you all the same. However, I will attempt to give each player the treatment that he earns and deserves according to my judgment, and in keeping with what I consider to be in the best interest of the team. I know I will not be right in all of my decisions, but I will attempt to be both right and fair.
Coach made clear how playing time would be decided. Here’s an excerpt from the 1971 letter:
Although I am very interested in each of you as an individual, when you are on the practice floor my interest in you is only as a part of our team. Your position or situation on our team will depend upon how you perform in comparison with your teammates. Your race or religion will have no bearing on my judgment, but your ability and how it works into my philosophy of team play definitely will. Furthermore, your personal conduct and adherence to standards that I make, undoubtedly will be taken into consideration, either consciously or subconsciously.
"No matter the situation, bringing people’s doubt out in the open can be a powerful way to gain their attention, their trust, and often even their acceptance. By acknowledging the skepticism that other people might feel, you can help put them at ease, yourself at ease, and boost your credibility at the same time."
Are you clear in your communication?
Yours in Coaching,
Craig Impelman
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COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE
Chums
Husband and wife for fourteen years!
And just like children now,
As fond of one another as
The day they took their vow.
Where he goes she goes, hand in hand,
And thus their record sums,
Through all those years of joy and strife
They really have been chums.
Husband and wife. No, more than that,
For husbands oft are known,
In search of pleasure now and then,
To journey off alone;
And wives have clubs and other things
That interest them more
Than business plans their husbands make,
When honeymooning's o'er.
Not so with them — through weal or woe,
Through sunshine and through rain,
Together they have journeyed on;
She cheered when all seemed vain.
His greatest joys have always been
The ones that she could share,
We knew that when we saw the one,
The other must be there.
If I could change the marriage rite
That binds a pair for life,
'T would be to drop that stilted phrase,
'You 're husband, now, and wife.'
For just one little word, I think,
The knot far more becomes;
I 'd like to hear the parson say:
'Beloved, now you 're chums.'
Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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