Coach Wooden, the all-time winningest basketball coach, said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
wooden coach: The basics: the smallest details do matter.
The coach had his players’ feet measured “right and left” by his coach, “to make sure the newly issued shoes fit properly. He didn’t want them to slip off.” The coach began working with his players “from scratch”, “feet first”. (“Wooden On Leadership” by John Wooden and Steve Jamison, pp. 136-137)
Coach’s First Lesson: Put on your socks and shoes to prevent blisters
Coach Wooden’s first lesson for his basketball students was to put on socks and shoes correctly. The coach said, “You know basketball is a game played on a hardwood floor. And to be good, you have to… change direction, change your pace. That’s hard on your feet. Your feet are very important. And if you don’t have all the wrinkles in your sock… you get blisters, and those blisters will cost you playing time, and if you’re good enough, your loss of playing time could get the coach fired “.
The coach would instruct his students by having one student sit in front of the group and the coach would “take the athletic sock and start putting it on” on the students’ feet. Coach Wooden, “Now pick it up from behind, pick it up real good, real strong. Now run your hand over the little toe area… make sure there are no wrinkles and then pick it up again. Check the heel area. We don’t want any wrinkle sign about it”. The smallest details do matter.
The coach then pulled out an Athletic shoe. He said, “Now put it wide open, now take it out. Now don’t grab these lines up here, come down, eyelet by eyelet…every one, that’s it. Now pull it in there…Tie it like this…Always there is a danger that they will come loose when you play if they come loose I may have to take you out of game practice I may have to take you out Miss practice you are going to miss game time and not only that it will also irritate me a little”. The coach then told him to “twice your shoelaces so they don’t come undone.” The smallest details do matter.
From the beginning: The smallest details do matter
To be successful in life, you want your shoes to fit well, your socks or stockings to be “smooth and wrinkle-free” with no little stones to cause blisters. You want to move comfortably to do your best work.
Second lesson: Coach Wooden insisted on “a clean and neat appearance.” First impressions
He said, “I want players to practice with their shirttails turned in, their socks pulled up, and I want a neat, clean look. Some don’t think that’s going to make them better basketball players, I think. If they can discipline themselves in this sense, they can do the same thing when we get to the fundamentals of basketball.
First impressions in life and business are lasting impressions.
Coach Wooden said his players represented the UCLA Bruins and he wanted them to make a good first impression. The smallest details do matter!
My grandmother, Belle S. Frank, a department store buyer of women’s clothing for over 20 years, said it best: “Look in the mirror, what do you see?”
If he didn’t like the clothes you had chosen, he would help you find other clothes to change into. If your hair wasn’t combed and you weren’t standing straight, she would remind you. It was important to Grandma to dress and look her best at all times. I wanted you to be proud of your appearance. For Grandma, the smallest details mattered.
Before leaving the house, look in the mirror and make sure you look your best.
Lesson Three: Coach’s Part Time Snacks: Healthy Foods for Your Body
Originally, the coach gave his players small pieces of chocolate, but this created phlegm in his players’ windpipes. So instead, during halftime of games, Coach would provide orange slices for energy and ask his players to throw the peels in the trash can he provided. Coach Wooden made sure his students ate healthy energy snacks to improve his energy. The smallest details do matter.
During halftime at basketball and football games, players today are still served orange halves to keep them hydrated with vitamin C, as well as other healthy snacks.
Eating healthy fruits and vegetables helps us look and feel our best and has the energy to do our best work.
In business, the smallest details matter.
Experts say that 96 percent of businesses fail. Not managing your cash and not paying your bills are the main reasons businesses fail. To increase the probability of success of your business, reduce your business expenses by 10%. Changing the smallest detail in your business does matter.
Here are three things you need to remember to be successful in your business and in your life: The smallest details do matter.
1) Leaders need to keep a “sharp eye” on their businesses and look down to see if something isn’t looking right, whether it’s excessive business cost, morality issues, or something else. They have to keep an eye on their employees like Coach Wooden does to make sure his students’ shoes are still tied. Leaders have to fix the problem. Coach Wooden made sure “the sock is smooth and wrinkle-free” as the balance line on a budget. In business, look at your bottom line to see if you need to cut excess costs by 10% to improve your business and keep it sharp.
2) When hiring for your company’s team, make sure the person is a “good fit” for your company. Like Coach Wooden, he made sure from scratch that his students’ feet, left and right, were measured correctly, since one foot is usually slightly larger than the other. The coach wanted his students’ sneakers to fit well. In business, make sure the person you hire is a “good fit” for your company; he or she has the necessary qualifications, training, attitude and makes a good first impression.
3) Just like Coach Wooden had his students eat healthy foods to hydrate and energize during halftime of the game, it’s important that you keep your body energized with fruits, vegetables, and other healthy foods to do your best work.
As Coach Wooden said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
For a balanced life, changing the smallest detail will make a big difference. What small detail can you change in your business or family life to improve it?
Remember that the smallest details do matter. Every day add a new Coach Wooden lesson or behavior to your tools for success.