Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be!

One of America’s most legendary college coaches, John Wooden, passed away recently at the age of ninety-nine. He not only was known for his incredible and unsurpassed contribution as a UCLA’s Men’s Basketball coach, but he was equally admired by peers and players alike for his deep love and respect for every individual whom he met.

For those unfamiliar with his legacy, he was best known for the Leadership tool he designed for his players called the Pyramid of Success. But he was just as famous for his simple rules that could instantly translate from sports to business to life such as…

Never be tardy
Never use profanity
Never criticize your teammates.

Though Wooden hadn’t coached a basketball team for decades, an outpouring of honor flooded the news channels from former players and fellow. But it was more than his basketball legacy that was being applauded. It was his willingness to coach generations of young men and women that could not go unnoticed.

At the end of his life, his teaching would come to a wonderfully serendipitous culmination.

The week of his death, the UCLA Women’s Softball Team had made it into the final series of the NCAA Final Women’s College Softball Tournament against their storied rivals, the Arizona Wildcats.

In a calculated attempt to peak as a team during the finals, the UCLA coach had focused her efforts on the final triangle in the Pyramid of Success: Competitive Greatness. Not surprisingly, most of the players had met Coach Wooden and all of them lived by his pyramid and were indebted to his mentorship. They wanted to make him proud.

ESPN reported that everyone—even Arizona Coach Candrea—knew that Wooden’s passing was surely going to impact the UCLA team.

"The Bruins have been open all weekend about how much they feel like they are playing for, and perhaps with, Wooden's spirit. The seniors on this team visited his house as freshmen and most of the Bruins met him at least once or twice.
"His teachings and his philosophies have been a theme of our season this year," Monica Harrison said. "So it's really fitting that he's kind of at the center of what we're doing right now."

In the first extra inning of Game One (in a best of three games series), UCLA came from behind to win the game with a walk-off home run by the pitcher! (She had been pulled from the pitching line-up earlier in the game and had come back in the game as a designated player.) It was an amazing finish to Game One. On the following day, UCLA clinched the series with an amazing show of, not surprisingly, competitive greatness.

The Pyramid, the quotes, and the person, John Wooden are not complicated, but simple. Everyone who interacts with Wooden's teachings has the potential to succeed, but as he warned, it will most likely require some little change—some little adjustment—in ones character to do and be different.

Here is how Wooden felt about change: "Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be."

Today, print out the pyramid or review the 3 Simple Team Rules with family or co-workers and consider what little change you can make today that is destined to have a big result in your life!

Be encouraged,

Becky