Wooden's Wisdom | Leadership Resource Center

Issue 702 - Five Levels of Consideration for Others


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 13	Issue 702
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FIVE LEVELS OF CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS John Wooden Video Clip (75 sec.): Coach Wooden is asked: "What is the difference between a coach and a teacher?" It’s Nice to Be Nice: Five Levels of Consideration for Others It’s nice to be nice. Character starts with consideration for others. Five Levels of Consideration for Others Level 1: Consistent Consideration for Others Be thoughtful and respectful all the time, not just when it’s easy or convenient. Issue 700 Level 2: Consideration That Shows No Preference Treat everyone with equal regard, regardless of their status or position. Titles don’t change your kindness. Issue 701 Level 3: Consideration for Others Who Treat You Poorly Maintain respect and composure even when others are unkind. Your behavior reflects who you are, not how they treat you. Level 4: Proactive Consideration for Others Who Treat You Poorly Go beyond tolerance. Pro-Actively seek ways to help and support people who criticize or mistreat you. Help others before you’re asked for help. Level 3 and Level 4 consideration in action: When John Wooden retired, a prominent college coach publicly criticized him—making harsh and inaccurate statements. Coach Wooden knew about them. When that coach lost his job and later found another, Coach Wooden wrote the coach a personal letter—congratulating him on his new role and offering his assistance if he could help in any way. Coach Wooden never mentioned the other coach’s previous transgressions. Level 5: Unconditional, Proactive Consideration with No Expectation of Return The highest level of character. You seek out to proactively help others who treat you poorly with no agenda for yourself. Level 5 consideration in action: Imagine walking through a parking lot every week and passing a homeless person. You stop and give him five dollars. He scowls and doesn’t say thank you. The next week, and every week after, you seek him out to give him five dollars. He always scowls and never says thank you. His reaction doesn’t determine your action. Your action is who you’ve chosen to be. "Respond to anger with virtue." - Lao Tzu (600 BC) Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 702. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 702. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE Hard Work One day, in ages dark and dim, A toiler, weary, worn and faint, Who found his task too much for him, Gave voice unto a sad complaint. And seeking emphasis to give Unto his trials (day ill-starred!) Coupled to 'work' this adjective, This little word of terror: Hard. And from that day to this has work Its frightening description worrn; 'Tis spoken daily by the shirk, The first cloud on the sky at morn. To-day when there are tasks to do, Save that we keep ourselves on guard With fearful doublings them we view, And think and speak of them as hard. That little but ill-chosen word Has wrought great havoc with men's souls, Has chilled the hearts ambition stirred And held the pass to splendid goals. Great dreams have faded and been lost, Fine youth by it been sadly marred As plants beneath a withering frost, Because men thought and whispered: 'Hard.' Let's think of work in terms of hope And speak of it with words of praise, And tell the joy it is to grope Along the new, untrodden ways! Let's break this habit of despair And cheerfully our task regard; The road to happiness lies there: Why think or speak of it as hard? Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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