Page 114 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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tion, imitation, correction when necessary (and it usually is), then
repetition. The laws of teaching, of course, are the same as learn-
ing, and both take time; both require great patience.
Some of those under your supervision will catch on quickly, oth-
ers not. Understanding that patience is an integral part of good
teaching and effective leadership allowed me to accept the varying
speeds at which people learn and to accommodate, within reason,
those differences. Patience became an asset for me rather than a li-
ability. I came to understand that good things take time.

GET A GOOD HAT RACK
An effective teacher must have a good hat rack, one with plenty of
hooks. In the course of a day’s work, I eventually became adept at
wearing many different hats: teacher, of course, but also discipli-
narian, demonstrator, counselor, role model, psychologist, moti-
vator, timekeeper, quality control expert, talent judge, referee,
organizer, and more.
In fact, when I first arrived at UCLA, I also wore the custodian’s
hat and washed the court before practice. My assistant coach,
Eddie Powell, would walk behind me with a mop as I dipped my
hand into a bucket of hot water and sprinkled it on the court be-
hind me like I was feeding chickens back on the farm. It was just
one more hat I wore.
A good leader knows how and when to delegate, of course, but
in addition to the delegation of duties, an effective leader assumes