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"THE TRUSTED COMMUNICATOR" (JOHN WOODEN)
In addition to following his father‘s advice: "Never lie. Never cheat. Never steal.", John Wooden was a trusted communicator because he never wanted it to impress anybody with his expertise or knowledge.
I never heard Coach exaggerate about anything or even try to stretch the truth a little bit to make a bigger impression. He was not concerned with you believing what he said or have you agree with his point of view. He felt very strongly about some of his ideas, but at the same time recognized that you might feel equally strong about your ideas, even if there was a disagreement.
Coach never felt that his way was the only way to do things. When he was interviewed about a certain approach or technique that he had used, he would almost always preface his statement with the phrase: "In my opinion" and conclude his statement by reminding the listener that his way was not the only way, and there were many other people that took a different approach than his and also had good results.
When he was asked whether or not his practice of having the players and himself clean up their locker room after a game contributed to good team spirit, in classic Coach Wooden form he replied: "Well I don’t know, but I’d like to think so."
Coach also, as much as possible, based his beliefs and statements on data that he had acquired as opposed to just his opinion.
He thought using the backboard at a certain angle for a shot had a better chance of going in because he and a mathematician at his high school had got on ladders and measured the possible entry angles for the ball into the basket coming off the backboard as opposed to shooting directly over the front of the rim.
He believed his offense was balanced because over the course of the season he knew exactly how many shooting opportunities the guards got as opposed to the forwards and the center.
Of course, some of Coach’s opinions were based on his life experience and intuition, but he always presented those ideas as just his opinions and never as fact.
Another factor in Coach being so trustworthy was because he treated everybody, irrespective of their position in life, with consideration. He gave the maintenance person at the gymnasium, the same respect that he gave to the President of the United States. This consistent behavior was observed by his peers and gave them the feeling that John Wooden was a good man, a person you could trust.
The last element of Coach Wooden’s credibility was that when he spoke to you, he never had a selfish motive. You never felt like John Wooden was saying something to you because he wanted to get something from you.
Is your communication trustworthy?
Yours in Coaching,
Craig Impelman
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COACH'S FAVORITE POETRY AND PROSE
Fine
Isn't it fine when the day is done,
And the petty battles are lost or won,
When the gold is made and the ink is dried,
To quit the struggle and turn aside
To spend an hour with your boy in play,
And let him race all of your cares away?
Isn't it fine when the day's gone well,
When you have glorious tales to tell,
And your heart is light and your head is high.
For nothing has happened to make you sigh,
To hurry homewards to share the joy
That your work has won with a little boy?
Isn't it fine, whether good or bad
Has come to the hopes and the plans you had,
And the day is over, to find him there,
Thinking you splendid and just and fair,
Ready to chase all your griefs away,
And soothe your soul with an hour of play?
Oh, whether the day's been long or brief,
Whether it's brought to me joy or grief,
Whether I've failed, or whether I've won,
It shall matter not when the work is done;
I shall count it fine if I end each day
With a little boy in an hour of play.
Edgar Albert Guest (1881-1959)
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