Page 220 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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enough to know that the future for UCLA basketball in NCAA
tournament play was going to be very good. The changes I installed
had put UCLA on the verge of reaching the next level.
The tournament loss to Arizona—red hot in the game against
us—couldn’t change what I came to believe during the 1963 regu-
lar season. I felt strongly that in the following year, 1964, UCLA
could be a very strong contender for the NCAA national champi-
onship. And we were. One year later, on March 21, 1964, UCLA
outscored Duke and won the national title.
It all began when Walt Hazzard, Fred Slaughter, Billy Hicks, and
their teammates forced me to stop saying “no” and start asking
“how?” With that new mindset, I began seeking significant change
and putting new ideas to work with the Bruins.
The changes were directly responsible for UCLA’s national
championships in 1964 and 1965. In turn, those two titles set in
place conditions that helped produce eight championships: Pauley
Pavilion was built to replace the Men’s Gym; top talent such as
Lewis Alcindor, Jr. (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar) and others began sign-
ing on to the team; and, importantly, UCLA basketball acquired a
reputation for excellence—a winning tradition.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH PEOPLE
STRONG ENOUGH TO CHANGE YOUR MIND

I believe that you must have people around you willing to ask
questions and express opinions, people who seek improvement
for the organization rather than merely gaining favor with the
boss. Look for these people when hiring and making promo-
tion decisions. Remember: Failure is not fatal, but failure to
change might be.