Page 28 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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victory. It redefines how you measure success and makes it achiev-
able in every situation you and those in your organization face,
whether good or bad.
I have also found that accepting this philosophy dramatically
improves the probability of winning the race—the by-product all
competitors seek. But first you must commit yourself—and your
organization—to a goal beyond merely beating others. You must
define success as making the complete effort to maximize your abil-
ity, skills, and potential in whatever circumstances—good or bad—
may exist.
Sometimes the competition you and your organization face will
be bigger or stronger, more experienced or better financed. Re-
gardless of the situation you face as a leader, you must believe and
teach those under your leadership that success is theirs when to-
gether you summon the will to put forth everything you have.
Doing so is under your control. At least, it should be.
I recognize that incorporating my definition of success—my
philosophy—into your own leadership methods may not be easy

WINNING IS A BY-PRODUCT.
FOCUS ON THE PRODUCT: EFFORT

We live in a society obsessed with winning and being number
1. Don’t follow the pack. Rather, focus on the process instead
of the prize. Even during the height of UCLA’s best seasons, I
never fixated on winning—didn’t even mention it. Rather, I did
everything I could to make sure that all our players gave every-
thing they had to give, both in practice and in games. The score
will take care of itself when you take care of the effort that
precedes the score.