Issue 749 - "Are your actions achieving your goals?"


Wooden's Wisdom - Volume 13	Issue 749
Craig Impelman Speaking \| Championship Coaches \| Champion's Leadership Library Login
"ARE YOUR ACTIONS ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS?" John Wooden Video Clip (2 min. 20 sec.): Coach Wooden is asked: "Tell us how you went about preparing for UCLA practices?." In 2009, The Sporting News released a definitive poll naming John Wooden the greatest coach in American sports history. For his first 15 years at UCLA, John Wooden was known as a very good coach but one who couldn’t win the big game. He did not win a single NCAA Tournament game until his 15th season. Everything changed in 1963. After the 1962–63 season, Coach Wooden took a hard look at his own actions—not just the results—and asked a simple question: Are the things I am doing actually aligned with having the best team possible? What follows are the processes he reviewed and changed: 1. Player Rotation Action Identified: Playing 10 players in a democratic rotation. Perceived Result: Keeps players fresh and satisfied. Actual Result: Poor continuity; players off the bench were not performing at a high level. Change Made (Coach Wooden): "Starting in 1962–1963, my new policy was to go primarily with seven main players—virtually, seven starters—in both practice and games. My previous goal of doling out playing time in a democratic manner was discarded. I changed a fundamental policy for how I did things." New Result: Better team cohesion and higher-level performance from all players. 2. Practice Length Action Identified: Lengthening and intensifying practices before the NCAA Tournament. Perceived Result: Better conditioning and sharper play. Actual Result: Players were physically and mentally exhausted by tournament time. Change Made (Coach Wooden): "An extensive review of my notebook also revealed that when UCLA qualified for the NCAA postseason tournament, I intensified our already grueling practices, working players even harder—so hard, in fact, that by tournament time they were physically and mentally spent. Once I saw evidence of this fact in my notes, I became very prudent in conserving players’ energy prior to the playoffs." New Result: Shorter, more efficient practices produced fresher, more focused players. 3. Late-Season Adjustments Action Identified: Adding new plays late in the season. Perceived Result: Gain an advantage and surprise opponents. Actual Result: Increased complexity and confusion. Change Made (Coach Wooden): "Additionally, my notes showed that in preparation for the NCAA tournament, I added new plays and piled on more information. Instead of staying with what had worked during the regular season—a clear and uncomplicated strategy—I unintentionally made things complicated. I resolved that in the future, I would keep it simple going into postseason play, just as I did during the regular season." New Result: Greater clarity, better execution, and improved performance under pressure. Coach Wooden changed what he was doing. He later explained why: "The changes I have described came about because I had stopped giving myself an excuse for accepting the status quo, for staying at the same level." After making these changes, in the next 12 years, Coach Wooden won 11 conference championships and 10 national championships. None of that happened until he identified, prioritized, and committed to actions that aligned with his strategic priorities. Reflect on this idea of prioritization. How are you doing? Write it down. Share with someone on your team. Click here for personal development exercise: Issue 749. Click here for Printable Poetry: Issue 749. Yours in Coaching, Craig Impelman www.woodenswisdom.com Follow @woodenswisdom	COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE The Rainy Day The day is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains, and the wind is never weary; The vine still clings to the mouldering wall, But at every gust the dead leaves fall, And the day is dark and dreary. My life is cold, and dark, and dreary; It rains, and the wind is never weary; My thoughts still cling to the mouldering past, But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast, And the days are dark and dreary. Be still, sad heart, and cease repining; Behind the clouds is the sun still shining; Thy fate is the common fate of all, Into each life some rain must fall, Some days must be dark and dreary. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)
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