Page 225 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Seek Significant Change
When we fouled up, he never criticized us in front of the 207
team, nor would he allow the players to challenge us. He in-
sisted on having them address us as Coach Cunningham or
Coach Crum rather than by a nickname or informally as Gary
or Denny.
In the locker room talks there was no yelling, no pounding
on the wall. It was focused and intense, and always at the end
he’d say: “Now go out there and do your best so you can come
back in here with your heads up. Let’s make sure you can do
that.”
He was very efficient in his teaching and kept it simple—
broke it down into parts, taught each part, then built the
whole back up. Always he used the laws of learning: explana-
tion, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. Lots of repe-
tition. You can’t believe the repetition.
Coach Wooden didn’t believe in lengthy discussions. He
was very succinct, clear, substantive. When I first started with
him as an assistant, if I took more than 10 seconds to say
something during practice he’d say, “C’mon, let’s get going.
C’mon.” Not rude, just a great sense of urgency.
I learned to keep it short and say it right. Every word
counted, because he believed every minute mattered.
The way he conducted himself embodied the Pyramid. It
wasn’t until later that I realized he was teaching the Pyramid
all the time with the model of his behavior.
Teamwork was so important. He kept saying that it doesn’t
matter who gets credit. If we play together as a team, each
player doing his job, we’ll like the results. We’ll all get credit.
He was prepared, and he got us prepared. People can see
when you’re not prepared. UCLA was always prepared.
Coach Wooden was an intense competitor and loved to