Page 100 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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my understanding of the relationship between a leader and the or-
ganization. Coach Stagg said: “I loved all my players the same, I
just didn’t like them all the same.” He had
love in his heart for everyone on the team,
“I will not like you all the
but not necessarily “like.”
same, but I will love you all
By the time I got to UCLA, my message at
the same. And whether I
the start of each season had changed to reflect
like you or not, my feelings
Coach Stagg’s sentiments. Making friends was
will not interfere with my
not the responsibility or the goal of leader-
judgment of your effort and
ship, and I cautioned the team of this.
performance.You will be
This is no different than a parent who
treated fairly.That’s a
may not like one child as much as another
promise.”
on any particular day or week, but whose
love for each child is constant.

TEAM MEMBERS WHO DIDN’T LIKE ME
I also recognized over time that members of the team wouldn’t all
like me the same—and that was fine. Andy Hill, a reserve player
on three national championship teams, wouldn’t speak to me for
27 years after he graduated from UCLA because he didn’t agree
with my decisions. What decisions? First and foremost, he didn’t
like that I would not make him a starter. Andy had been a good
player in high school, and it was difficult for him to accept the fact
that he was not in the starting lineup at UCLA. He was extremely
upset—perhaps bitter—with my decision to sit him down.
Your children might hate you for doing what’s best, but eventu-
ally, like Andy, they may come around. After 27 years he decided
that what his old coach had been doing made sense. He even called
me up to say so—that I had been right, after all.
Of course, “what’s right” is often the most difficult decision a
leader is forced to make, and a strong leader must expect some in