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As I write this, I'm on my way to Los Angeles for a celebration of the life of John Wooden, who passed away on June 4. Coach Wooden was such a significant presence in the life of so many people over the course of his 99 years that UCLA had to require tickets for tomorrow morning's memorial,  even though it's being held in one of the largest arenas in LA. And it was reported that the number of people who wanted to be there could have filled the arena four times over.
How does someone impact that many lives? It is mind-boggling really. But what made John Wooden so special was that he lived as we should all aspire to live. Every month I try to tell a story about a lesson in Greatness learned from someone in the world of sports. The truth is that after several years of working with and learning from John Wooden, I know that each of the 16 Characteristics of Greatness I believe exists in true winners were absolute pillars in his life.
This is a much longer newsletter than usual, but please indulge me as I share some nugget about each of these characteristics that can be learned from this amazing man. Consider the many ways that he embodied Greatness:
1. It's Personal
Coach Wooden invested himself in the lives of his players and in teaching them the fundamentals of the game that they all loved. His personal dedication resulted in an unprecedented 10 National Championships in 12 years.
2. Rubbing Elbows
 He paired players together who could push each other to grow - most notably Swen Nater and Bill Walton, as I recounted in a previous Greatness newsletter. Coach Wooden truly understood the value of association and helped his students to understand how working with people who would continually challenge them to grow was the best way to ensure than they developed their talent to the fullest degree.
3. Believe
His faith was central to his life, his marriage, and the shaping of his character - and he encouraged personal spiritual development in his players, as well. He was never especially public about his beliefs but held them very deeply and sought to express his faith through his actions and his genuine love for other people.
4. Contagious Enthusiasm
Just about everyone who ever played for Coach embraced his methods of teaching and his philosophies on life. Even those who initially thought his ideas were out of touch or outdated eventually came to realize how much they valued his outlook and spirit, and how important his gentle excitement for life was in uniting the team around a common goal of true success.
5. Hope For the Best, But...
 He believed in being brilliant at the basics. All the fancy moves in the world will get a team no where if its members are not competent at the fundamental elements. Coach Wooden went so far as to teach his players how to put on their socks and shoes correctly to minimize blisters that might cut into practice time. "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail" he often reminded his teams. They were to do whatever they could, no matter how simple it might seem, to make sure they were ready to give their all come game time.
6. What Off-Season?
Coach never stopped working. Even though more than a third of his life was lived post-retirement, following the 1975 season, he continued to promote causes, give speeches, write books, and meet with anyone who asked to visit him. "Make each day your masterpiece," he often said. He did not believe in allowing a single moment to go to waste but instead committed himself to learning and teaching every single day that he lived in order to continue growing in character and wisdom - up until his last day on earth.
7. Visualize Victory
At the beginning of season, Coach would write down his prediction for how the next year would unfold, and place it in a sealed envelope in his desk. Though he never shared those goals with anyone else, he told me he was always almost exactly spot-on - and with ten National Championships to his name, as well as an 88-game undefeated streak, those goals must have been pretty high;yet he led his team to reaching them year after year.
8. Inner Fire
The biggest challenge of Coach's life was the loss of his beloved wife of 53 years, Nell, in 1985. Yet rather than withdrawing from the world as he mourned her loss, he challenged his intense grief into charitable works they both believed in and to speaking publicly about the importance of a solid marriage relationship. He used his own pain to help others.
9. Ice in Their Veins
In 1947, when he was still coaching in Indiana State, his team received an invitation to the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball National Tournament, but Coach Wooden turned it down because the NAIB refused to allow African-American players to compete and Wooden's team was integrated. It was a risky move to refuse the invitation because he ran the risk of alienating the governing board; but his risk paid off the very next year when they received another invitation - and his integrated team made it all the way to the finals.
10. When All Else Fails
Coach Wooden was not a fan of the zone-press, but it was clear that the basketball was trending in that direction. It wasn't until a former player and assistant coach named Jerry Norman challenged Coach Wooden to adapt his game that the Bruins were able to take full advantage of the speed and size of their players. The change was a difficult one for Wooden to make but afterwards, he was grateful that he'd not let his pride stand in the way of changing. "Whatever you do in life," Coach said of that decision, "surround yourself with smart people who'll argue with you."
 11. Ultimate Teammate
When a player scored in a game, Coach encouraged him to give a nod to the teammate who had given him the pass or set a pick for him. He didn't want any superstars to get the idea that they were more important than the team. If an assistant coach made a suggestion that ended up succeeding, Coach Wooden always tried to make a point of publicly praising that individual in the press conference following the game. If the suggestion failed, Coach Wooden took the blame upon himself since he felt that as the Head Coach, the ultimate decision was his.
12. Not Just About the Benjamins
Coach never made more than $38,000 per year, and he never asked for a raise. It was more important for him to be surrounded by a good team of assistant coaches and to be loyal to the school where he worked than to go out and seek more lucrative opportunities elsewhere. And as a testament to his leadership, many of his assistant coaches turned down head coaching positions somewhere else in order to stay a part of Coach Wooden's team.
13. Do Unto Others
One of the most fundamental rules for his team was that they treat those around them with respect, no matter who they were or what they did. This respect was especially important, in his eyes, to the players, fans, and staff of the opposing teams. More than once, Coach Wooden received a letter of thanks from the maintenance crew at a rival school for the neat and orderly way his players left the locker room there - a gesture of respect that Coach stressed from the beginning.
14. When No One Is Watching
Integrity was an integral part of Coach's life. As he famously remarked: "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
15. When Everyone Is Watching
Coach Wooden was always aware of his high-profile position, and sought to act accordingly. He made it a personal goal not to lose his cool on the court or lash out at referees - and on the rare occasions where he did break his calm demeanor, he always apologized to the person afterwards. He felt that setting a good example was an important responsibility that came with his position.
 16. Records Are Made to Be Broken
The walls of his home were lined with awards, ceiling to floor, and in many places the plaques and certificates were stacked four and five deep. It seemed the whole world wanted to celebrate him, but Coach Wooden didn't see his career as his most important or lasting legacy. That honor belonged to his role as a mentor both to his own family (two children, seven grandchildren, and 13 great-grandchildren), as well as to the millions of fans who looked to and learned from his incredible example.
He was truly one of the Great Ones, and even though he will be sorely missed, John Wooden's legacy will live on in each of us who seek to learn from his example and make his Greatness our own.
Click on the image below to get a print version of Wooden's Pyramid of Success...
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