Page 128 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
110
EMOTIONALISM CAN CAUSE DAMAGE
Early in my career I let emotions spill over and affect my judgment
in ways that I am still ashamed of. At South Bend Central High
School, an incident occurred that involved one of our basketball
players whose father was on the school board. Although the boy
hadn’t qualified for a letter, the athletic awards committee allowed
coaches discretionary power to make exceptions if the situation
warranted it.
This particular young man had worked hard with a good posi-
tive attitude throughout the season, and though he lacked adequate
playing time, I was strongly considering recommending him for a
letter in basketball. In those days, a coach’s recommendation was
never turned down by the athletic awards committee. However, a
few days before I had written out my final list of lettermen, the
boy’s father suddenly appeared in my office. Without even a hello,
he demanded to know if I was going to put his son’s name on the
list. “I haven’t made my final decision yet,” I answered. “I may in-
clude him, but technically your son doesn’t qualify.”
The man poked his finger in my chest and threatened,
“Wooden, he’d better get a letter or I’ll have your job.”
That really got to me. I shot back that he could do whatever he
wanted with my job, and furthermore, “It’s fine with me if you
want to take our discussion outside and settle things there.” I chal-
lenged him to a fight. Emotion had taken over for common sense.
Fortunately, the boy’s father just turned and stormed out of my of-
fice, but not before he repeated his demand and the threat against
my coaching job.
I didn’t recognize it at the time, but the real damage was still
ahead. Because I was so filled with anger—emotionalism—I de-
cided not to recommend his son for a letter even though moments
before I was 99 percent sure the boy would be on my final list. It
was an awful thing for me to do. In fact, after turning in the list of