Page 210 - How to Create a Winning Organization

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SEEK SIGNIFICANT CHANGE

“Be uncomfortable being comfortable,
discontent being content.”

he 1961–1962 season would be a turning point for UCLA bas-
Tketball, one that eventually produced 10 NCAA champion-
ships including seven in consecutive years and an 88-game winning
streak. I had no idea it was all about to happen.
At the beginning of the season, I’d been coaching basketball at
UCLA for 13 years in conditions I would describe as harsh, per-
haps as bad as any major university in the country. Our practice fa-
cility, the Men’s Gym, was cramped and poorly ventilated and
often jammed with student-athletes participating in other sport-
ing activities during our basketball practices. There was constant
commotion and distraction—hardly a place to teach or learn the
finer points of basketball.
Additionally, the seating area for fans was so limited that it was
declared a fire hazard and “home” games were subsequently played
at other local schools. The facility also hurt us when it came to at-
tracting players with exceptional talent. Many, no doubt, chose
programs that offered decent facilities.
I was confronted with this situation immediately upon my ar-
rival at UCLA and soon concluded it was virtually impossible to

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