by Craig Impelman | Aug 18, 2021 | Blog
“Big things are accomplished only through the perfection of minor details.” This quote defines what Coach Wooden thought the key to peak performance was: a lot of little things done well. In the book Wooden on Leadership, Denny Crum, former Louisville head coach and a...
by Craig Impelman | Aug 11, 2021 | Blog
If you are afraid of criticism, you will die doing nothing. Coach taught his players how to deal with criticism by breaking it down into two types: criticism they would receive from him and the coaching staff, and criticism they would receive from sources outside of...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 28, 2021 | Blog
Coach Wooden limited his scouting of opponents to a basic understanding of the strategy they might employ. Preparation? Coach commented on this perspective: “One of my players, a very interesting person—some of you I’m sure have heard of Bill Walton—once said we had...
by Cecilia Meis | Jul 21, 2021 | Uncategorized
Do what’s right because it’s the right thing to do. As a college coach, being a successful recruiter is critical if you want to keep your job. In 1983, I was an assistant coach at UCLA to Larry Farmer. I was excited as I sat in Coach Wooden’s old office...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 14, 2021 | Uncategorized
Coach Wooden was consistent about a lot of things, including: Being on timeBeing open-mindedBeing a great listenerConstantly trying new thingsTrying to improveMeticulous preparationAttention to detail that was coupled with careful planningAdmitting his mistakesBeing...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 7, 2021 | Uncategorized
Coach Wooden did not like this picture. “I didn’t win all these trophies,” he said. “I just played a small part.” Coach did not view recognition as any sort of reward for the leadership he was interested in. In his book The Essential Wooden with Steve Jamison,...
by Craig Impelman | Jun 30, 2021 | Blog
In the workplace, a supervisor sometimes criticizes an employee and walks away thinking they have just helped that employee improve. The reality is they have left an employee upset, feels picked on and is less productive. The ability to create an environment in which...
by Craig Impelman | Jun 23, 2021 | Blog
In John Wooden’s first 17 seasons at UCLA, his teams appeared in the NCAA Tournament five times and posted a record of three wins and nine losses. Bill Gates’ first company, Traf-O-Data (a device which could read traffic tapes and process the data), failed...
by Craig Impelman | Jun 16, 2021 | Blog
Let us overcome the angry man with gentleness, the evil man with goodness, the miser with generosity, the liar with truth. In his book, Coach Wooden’s Pyramid of Success with Jay Carty, Coach describes one of his first lessons about the power of overcoming anger...
by Craig Impelman | Jun 9, 2021 | Blog
Keep a cheerful, optimistic disposition. Think positively rather than negatively. Sincere optimism builds confidence and courage. It was a gloomy practice floor in Malibu, California, at Pepperdine’s Firestone Fieldhouse on Jan. 28, 1980. I was in my first year...
