Page 280 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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instill good habits and improve timing, footwork, elbow and hand
position, and balance.
I suppose it’s similar to shadowboxing, where a fighter concen-
trates on the moves rather than the target. Without the right moves
it’s hard to hit your target. The same is true for basketball teams
and most organizations. Figuring out “the right moves” and teach-
ing them is up to the leader. Perhaps there’s a version of the “imag-
inary ball” that would be useful in your own quest for improving
your team.

TEAM CAPTAIN?
NO POPULARITY CONTESTS
I did not like the idea of appointing a team captain for an entire
season, nor did I permit players to elect one. Part of the reason
went back to something that happened during my first year as head
coach at South Bend Central High School in Indiana. Before I ar-
rived, the basketball team’s custom was as follows: At the conclu-
sion of each season the players would elect their captain for the next
year—almost eight months in advance.
When I began coaching the team, Sebastian Nowicki was al-
ready in place as captain of the Bears—elected before I even arrived
in South Bend. Unfortunately, Sebastian did not earn a starting po-
sition on the Bears basketball team during my first year as coach.
It became a little awkward to have him represent the Bears as team
captain in pregame duties and then go sit on the bench during the
game itself.
That event reinforced my opinion that electing a captain could
be more of a popularity contest than having anything to do with a
player’s leadership ability. While Sebastian accepted his role in good
spirit, I saw the potential for trouble in the future. Electing a cap-