Page 167 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Little Things Make Big Things Happen
of a few important rules we have here at UCLA. Number one: 149
Keep your fingernails trimmed. Number two: Keep your hair
short. Number three: Keep your jersey tucked into your
trunks at all times.” He looked around the room for a mo-
ment and then added solemnly: “Am I clear?”
I wondered, “Is he making a joke?” But there was no laugh-
ter, not even smiles, from any of the varsity players. They
knew better. Nevertheless, I couldn’t understand why he was
wasting his time on stuff like that.
As the months—eventually years (and three more national
championships)—went by, I came to recognize that “stuff like
that” was part of the genius in his leadership. There was logic
to every move. Details of fingernails, hair, and jerseys led to
details for running plays, handling the ball, and everything
else—hundreds of small things done right.
Everything was related to everything else; nothing was left
to chance; it all had to be done well. Sloppiness was not al-
lowed in anything; not in passing, shooting, or trimming
your fingernails and tucking in a jersey.
Coach Wooden taught that great things can only be ac-
complished by doing the little things right. Doing things
right became a habit with us.
He kept it simple. What’s more simple than short hair?
What’s more simple than squaring up for a shot? All these
simple little things added up—one at a time—to an enor-
mous amount of information that he presented in a plain and
direct way, bit by bit. Ultimately, he and the team put it all
together in practice and then in games.
To accomplish this, he thought out his lesson plan for each
day’s practice with great precision. He knew what he wanted
to accomplish and how to do it. Part of his effectiveness may
have come from the fact that he has a master’s degree in En-