Page 141 - How to Create a Winning Organization

It Takes 10 Hands to Score a Basket
tributions to their team’s success. If the lug nuts come off, the race car 123
crashes. I did not want UCLA to crash because people weren’t doing
their jobs because they felt their contributions didn’t count much.

ACKNOWLEDGE THE UNACKNOWLEDGED
I was conscientious about making those with less significant roles
feel valued and appreciated. I singled out individuals who seldom
saw the limelight—the player who made an assist on an important
basket, a pivotal defensive play, or a free throw at a crucial moment
in the game.
I also was careful to give recognition to those who did not get
much playing time—the players who worked hard in practice to
improve not only themselves but also their teammates who were
receiving more game time. Their contributions were important and
sparked the play of the stars, All-Americans such as Bill Walton and
Lewis Alcindor, Jr. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), and others.
Regardless of my emphasis on the “quiet” contributors, report-
ers only wanted to ask about the stars: “Coach Wooden, what did
you think of Bill Walton’s great performance tonight?” I would de-
flect the question and call attention to the contributions—crucial
contributions—that other players made. The superstars get enough
attention—too much attention, in my opinion.
Whether in business or in basketball, no superstar or top per-
former, regardless of his or her level of God-given talent and pro-
ductivity, does it alone. Every basket Bill Walton ever made utilized
“10 hands.” In truth, it involved many more than 10—the hands,
heads, and hearts of nonstarters, the assistant coaches, the trainer,
the managers, and, of course, the coach.
Here’s a more dramatic description: Without teamwork in bas-
ketball, the slam dunk would become extinct. Without teamwork
in business, your organization may become extinct.