Page 195 - How to Create a Winning Organization

The Carrot Is Mightier Than a Stick

ON WOODEN 177
Bill Hicks: UCLA Varsity, 1960–1962

FLEXIBILITY IN ENFORCING RULES
One of our top players—maybe our best—got upset about
something during practice one day and stormed off the court.
This put Coach Wooden in an awkward position because he
didn’t want to lose the guy. We didn’t exactly have a lot of tal-
ent to spare.
Coach solved the problem by telling the player who had
blown up and walked off the court that he was suspended.
However, he then informed the suspended player that our
whole team would be allowed to vote on whether or not to let
him return. This allowed everybody to save face. It also em-
powered the team, because it felt like we got in on the deci-
sion. Of course, we voted to let him back.
Coach had solved his problem, disciplined the player, and
strengthened our team all at the same time. This was typical
of his leadership—very innovative.
He treated all the players the same—no favorites—but said
he was only human and would probably like some of us more
than others. However, he promised to be absolutely fair in his
evaluation of us as players. Coach Wooden wanted us to
know that there would be no favoritism on his part. We all
had an equal chance.
Coach Wooden always had a passion for the little things.
He wanted us to tie our shoes the correct way, pivot the cor-
rect way. There was a correct way to do everything, and he
wanted us to know how.
So he taught us how.