Issue 718 - "2025: Cooperation: Seven Levels of Collaboration (Part Four)"


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 13	Issue 719
Craig Impelman Speaking \| Championship Coaches \| Champion's Leadership Library Login
"2025: COOPERATION: SEVEN LEVELS OF COLLABORATION (LEVEL FOUR)" John Wooden Video Clip (1 min. 30 sec.): Coach Wooden is asked: "What is your advice on managing expectations?" Great Poem This is the fourth of a seven-part series on The Seven Levels of Collaboration. The first three levels—Level One: The Intimidating Non-Collaborator, Level Two: The Unintentional Non-Collaborator, and Level Three: The Placating Non-Collaborator—all described negative behaviors that hold collaboration back. Starting with Level Four, we shift to the positive side: and begin looking at progressively higher levels of collaboration. Level Four: The Sincere Collaborator The sincere collaborator genuinely wants to know what others think. The sincere collaborator asks questions because they want to learn and explore possibilities. A great example of sincere collaboration comes from John Wooden and Denny Crum. Before becoming the head coach at Louisville (1972) and leading them to two national championships Coach Crum played for John Wooden at UCLA (1957-59) and had returned to UCLA as an assistant coach (1967-71), coming from a coaching position at Pierce Junior College. Since he came from a junior college coaching job, he was surprised Coach Wooden wanted to learn from his ideas. In Coach Wooden’s book, "Wooden on Leadership" with Steve Jamison, Coach Crum described working with Coach Wooden this way. "Coach Wooden never thought he knew everything. In spite of the fact that he’d been winning championships every year, four of them when I got there as an assistant coach—he wanted to keep learning and improving as a coach and leader. When I came up with an idea, he would never tell me, "Well, this is the way we’ve always done it and we’re winning championships. So, no, I’m not changing." He was open to change. His approach was to listen; if he thought it made sense, try it. If it works, great. If not, move on. He was always searching for ways to improve." As Coach liked to say, "A leader destined for success asks, "What can we do to improve?" A leader destined for failure says, "That's the way it's always been done." Are you sincere when you listen? Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 719. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 719. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE Tomorrow He was going to be all that a mortal should be Tomorrow. No one should be kinder or braver than he Tomorrow. A friend who was troubled and weary he knew, Who'd be glad of a lift and who needed it, too; On him he would call and see what he could do Tomorrow. Each morning he stacked up the letters he'd write Tomorrow. And thought of the folks he would fill with delight Tomorrow. It was too bad, indeed, he was busy today, And hadn't a minute to stop on his way; More time he would have to give others, he'd say Tomorrow. The greatest of workers this man would have been Tomorrow. The world would have known him, had he ever seen Tomorrow. But the fact is he died and he faded from view, And all that he left here when living was through Was a mountain of things he intended to do Tomorrow. Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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Issue 718 - "2025: Cooperation: Seven Levels of Collaboration (Part Four)"

Level Four: The Sincere Collaborator