Page 88 - How to Create a Winning Organization

Wooden on Leadership
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on are often doing it for the wrong reasons. Individuals of this type
are perhaps more interested in winning the race than in running
the race, which means they are less inclined to put in the hard work
that “winning” requires. This is the kind of person who is quick to
quit in tough times, eager to leave when offered a better chance of
winning or making more money elsewhere. That type of person’s
allegiance, loyalty, and commitment are paper thin, and it is diffi-
cult to build an ongoing and successful team when fidelity is no
deeper than a dollar bill.
A person who values winning above anything will do anything
to win. And such people are threats to their organizations. We don’t
have to look further than the daily newspaper headlines to see how
true this is.

Character counts, and without it even the most talented indi-
vidual is hamstrung—a potential danger to the team. This holds
true whether it’s the owner, the leader, the coach, or any other
member of the group.
I wanted to run the race with those with whom I shared a code
of conduct, those who subscribed to the same set of values that
mattered to me. This outcome didn’t always happen; after all, peo-
ple are human. But one of the primary ways to ensure it occurs is
to make your values visible, to let the outside world—potential em-
ployees and others—know what you stand for and who you are. In
doing so, you will attract those who share similar principles and
standards—your code of conduct for competition. The opposite is