Page 81 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Good Values Attract Good People
We had one more game scheduled that weekend, so I told him 63
I wanted the rest of my pay for the game we had just played plus
$50 in advance for the next day’s game. Otherwise, I was heading
home.
There was some hesitation, but he realized that he needed me
on court the following day because they expected a full house and
a boisterous crowd. The owner paid up even though it was clear to
me he did it grudgingly.
The next afternoon I played the entire game and we outscored
them without much trouble, but that was it for me; I couldn’t play
for such a person. After the game I resigned and signed up again
with the Kautskys, a team run by a leader with a decent set of val-
ues, someone I respected and who respected me and what I was
willing to give to his team, namely, everything I had.
What happened in Cleveland taught me a good lesson. I saw
how character—doing the right thing—is fundamental to suc-
cessful leadership. It became more and more apparent over the
years of my own coaching, including for UCLA.

SHARED VALUES
Whether Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is the greatest college basketball
player of all time is a question better left for others to decide. He
was, however, in my opinion, the most valuable player in the his-
tory of the college game. As a professional, he continued to per-
form at extraordinary levels with the Milwaukee Bucks and the Los
Angeles Lakers, and became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, a
record he holds to this day.