Winning At The Office

"The player who gives his best is sure of success, while the player who gives less than his best is a failure." - John Wooden

No player has lost who's done their best and keeps their smile. At that point, a short-sided score measures only skill, not real victory.

What does it mean to have a best effort at the office?

Showing up on time, and putting in the time.
Smiling, and keeping a steady heart rate.
Speaking positively, and with poised enthusiasm.
Working on the top priority items, with a plan.
Committing to development of those I supervise.
Being accountable and forgiving.

Everyone's standards are different, which is natural and fine. We win when we meet our own, thoughtfully considered.

Becoming Superior

"Others may have more ability than you, they may be larger, faster, quicker, better jumpers, better shooters, but no one should be your superior in respect to team spirit, loyalty, enthusiasm, cooperation, determination, industriousness, fight, effort and character." - John Wooden

Team spirit. Enthusiasm. Determination. Effort. Character. They make such sense, intellectually. Something bad happens... see it as not so bad. See the world around as missing a few smiles, and fill in the gaps. Take a second wind after receiving a body blow.

Few of us will star in the work place, any more than on the court. That's the nature of teams.

But we can star in the way we carry ourselves. Measuring against the standard of the best we think we can be. Focusing on character more than reputation. At the end of the day, did I make good choices consistently, or did I get distracted? A day spent on task is the superior day.

Realistic Optimist

"Be a realistic optimist and remind yourself that things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out." - John Wooden

As I sit here on day 2 of the "before the rooster crows" morning wake-up experiment, I can look back at yesterday's season-ending 5-1 soccer playoff loss with a good deal of happiness. Our team was expected to lose by at least that much, as the #8 seed against the #1 seed, and we were tied until late in the first half. I survived the usual flurry of running, after a month of inactivity, including enough wooziness at the end of the first half that had me staggering toward the car to get my reserve bottle of sports drink that I usually don't need until the ride home (meaning that I'd already downed an entire bottle). That memory of exhaustion is one that I hope will drive me back onto an exercise routine that will have me back near my explosive best by the time next April rolls around!

No Grief, No Gain

"Most worthwhile things in the competitive world come wrapped in adversity. Good leaders understand this and are inclined to see the truth in this verse:

Looking back it seems to me,
All the grief that had to be.
Left me when the pain was o'er,
Stronger than I was before."

I've spent some time this weekend pondering how to get back into shape. It occurred to me that it didn't use to require a lot of thought on my part, exercise was something that I did for fun. Everyday after school, Jack and I would slip into play clothes and head to the basement, the backyard or the street to play some kind of ball. Nowadays things are a little easier in one sense (no homework) but busier in others (LMC, condo board, Hidden Blog, reading).

Still, even it there's 'pain' in carving out the extra time to play some ball, wouldn't it be worth it? Some days will just be long... for example, this week with the LMC retreat it means that I'll be switching to a 10-hour work schedule. If I were to get up at 5am to play some basketball, then put in ten hours, and still get a decent night's sleep, say by 9pm, then I'd have fairly little time to truly relax. However, there are some things working in favor of it:

Fantasy baseball season is winding down. If I could essentially replace that computer time with the exercise time, there'd be not much loss. During non-LMC weeks, if I shifted my work start time to 7:00, then I'd be out at 3:15 which would not only give a little extra time in the evenings, but would let me leave with a little daylight once winter sets in. And since the hoopsters play M,W,F, then I really wouldn't have to go to bed early every night of the week... and if I couldn't fall asleep one night, there's always the Saturday morning option to fall back on.

This week there's a soccer playoff and a flag football game, so I wouldn't need to jump into this right away. But the thought is growing more strongly...

Fate Vs. Control

"And while we can't control fate, we must do all things possible to control our response to it." - John Wooden

Yesterday I was about ten miles away from Mom's house, and 100 from home, when the "Service Engine Soon" light came on in my 9-year old car. As I eased into faster traffic on the expressway, I found the car straining to reach 55 MPH. At that point, the mind starts becomes increasingly sensitive to every little thing. Doesn't it feel unusually warm in here? Did I just smell something burning? Is the temperature gauge starting to drift toward the red zone? How can I get closer to the shoulder? Should I turn off the fan to reduce engine power, or keep the fan on to vent any heat that might be building up? These radio buttons feel unusually hot, don't they? My God, what if the ENGINE EXPLODES? Maybe I should put my sunglasses on here at 7:00 at night so that engine pieces don't get lodged in my eyes... surely these $7 pieces of plastic can defend me from shards of metal that blast through a foot of dashboard.

Peace came with the thought that everything happens for a reason, and things are seldom as bad as they seem. I managed what I could... moving into the right hand lane, coasting at 55 m.p.h., calling Dena and asking her to keep the phone within earshot in case I needed her. Maybe, had the engine been fine and I sped along, I'd have gotten a speeding ticket, or been in the wrong place for an auto accident, or worse. And the slower drive was actually relaxing without all the hurriedness of constant lane changes and rearview mirror checking.

Gladly, the Saturn made it home safe and sound, and my sunglasses are still intact!

"Perform"ance

"...our attention had to be focused on producing the best stage play possible by focusing like a laser on each day's rehearsal... That's what we were striving for - to put on the best stage play of which we were capable.

As their leader, my job was to help them accomplish the goal of blocking out their future, the standings, and what they hoped the scoreboard might show at the end of the game." -- John Wooden

Sometimes thinking of ourselves in a play can be helpful. On those mornings when, for whatever reason, my energy is down, I've found a good medicine in pretending that today is my retirement day. There is plenty of negative ammunition around to trick us into thinking that life is worse than it really is - "crises" on the news and so forth - why not even the score with a little positive imagination?

Deign Dreaming

"As goals, predictions, hopes, or dreams to be sealed up and filed away, fine. But as a day-to-day preoccupation they're a waste of time, stealing attention and effort from the present and squandering it on the future. You control the former, not the latter." -- John Wooden

Actually, I think that the key here is "preoccupation" to the extent that it distracts you from doing the necessary work. Goals are useful, and powerful motivating tools whether we're talking about exercise or sales or Christmas gifts. Vision and goals lead to reality, as long as we're smart enough to think long and hard about how to get there.

Prepare Simply By Being Prepared

"I never scouted other teams. We were better off, I believed, letting them adjust to us. My belief was that we'd be stronger executing our system at the highest possible level than trying to change each week depending on who the opponent was." -- John Wooden

On one hand, it's surprising to think of that philosophy when looking around at businesses today which are constantly scouting the marketplace. For that matter, the sports industry has scouting as its heartbeat whether for player development or game strategy design. Still, it's not only comforting to know that he found extreme success by focusing simply on being the best that he could be -- and we know from earlier passages that he never stopped tinkering with his own system to keep it constantly improving -- but it applies to other arenas of life too. When we stay true to our core values, we persevere through all conditions.

Laws Of Learning

"He was very efficient in his teaching and kept it simple - broke it down into parts, taught each part, then built the whole back up. Always he used the laws of learning: explanation, demonstration, imitation, and repetition. Lots of repetition. You can't believe the repetition." - Gary Cunningham, on John Wooden

I read sentences like this and feel more convinced that my calling is to teach. The exercise of breaking things down into simpler parts, of explaining, and of seeing others grow through repetition are all things I enjoy and believe in. And I'm fortunate to have a job that pays more than a normal teacher's wages, yet still involves lots of teaching. Life's good!

Making Change

John Wooden once allowed his staff to talk him into using a 3-2 zone defense, which collapsed in a loss shortly thereafter.

"That was the last time we brought up the 3-2 zone defense. But Coach Wooden had listened and given it - and us - a chance. He wasn't afraid to make a change. And when it didn't work, there were no recriminations. He moved on without making us feel we had led him down he wrong path." -- Gary Cunningham

This week was the completion of the Employee Opinion Survey process at work. One immediate change is that I've been assigned to run the "support staff" meetings on a full-time basis. Whether I'll do a good or bad job is yet to be seen, but the response to the concerns about inclusiveness will be met head-on, through a survey of the attendees as to what they want to get out of the meetings... if they want them at all. I'm excited about this chance to get to know more members of the department, and delighted for the trust to handle this. Whatever the group decides, we'll try. It's a nearly cost-free way of enabling employees to meet two fundamental human needs: to experience change, and to make a meaningful contribution through input that makes a difference.

How, Kimosabi?

"Success is more often attained by asking 'how?' than by saying 'no.'" -- John Wooden

Recently I was asked to evaluate a proposal which suggested trying to accomplish something in what seemed to me to be an overly aggressive timeline. In a past life, I might have weighed in with all the authority I could muster, thick with phrases like "doubt" and "shouldn't." But these phrases rarely carry long-run value for me, so I've mostly stopped using them. First and foremost, my view is never the only right one (and often is not the right one!). I offered a counter proposal, but with openness to other ideas. And now other ideas are being considered. Ideas flow better from others when I don't clog the lines with self-righteousness.

Role Over

"At UCLA we had five guys on the court playing basketball and seven guys on the sidelines forming a cheerleading squad. When I was on the bench, I was a cheerleader, and I felt that it mattered; I needed to be a great cheerleader, because it could help our team." -- Doug McIntosh, UCLA Varsity, 1964-1966

As a creative person, it can be a real challenge to keep my thoughts to myself. I've seen a pattern where I'll first get active in a cause and be just happy to be there; later I'll think of ways that things could be better; then I push those ideas onto others. "Pushing" ideas is a skill that some have, but when unsolicited it tears at the fabric of the team, dishonoring the role that others own. Some of my prouder moments in recent years have been resisting the temptation to suggest to people how things should be done, and letting things roll with the faith that everything's going to be all right. Besides, there are plenty of things I can do to improve myself in my own role!

Top Yourself

"You can always do more than you think you can." -- Doug McIntosh, on a lesson learned from John Wooden

The sublesson is that there's always more inside if a person's willing to work hard enough to bring it out.

Today was one of those challenging days, where I failed to cross-check my source of information and ended up making some false statements and irritating customers as a result. In those situations it's tempting and easy to blame the source and save face. But it's more useful I think to avoid the blame game, take responsibility and learn from the mistake. Still, that kind of strength doesn't come naturally to me. It takes a focused effort, a desire to be a good role model for others, that brings out more than would otherwise come.

Most Valuable Team Player Awards

"The postseason awards I encouraged alumni and university groups to bestow on individual players never acknowledged the top scorer. Instead, qualities such as 'mental attitude,' 'most unselfish team player,' and 'improvement' were recognized and saluted." -- John Wooden

Wooden Sandwiches

"I also attempted to combine a compliment with a criticism when possible. Most people don't like criticism, even when it's for their own good. An acknowledgement - praise - offered as part of the criticism reduces their resistance; for example: 'I like your aggressiveness on defense. Can I see some of that when you drive to the basket?'" -- John Wooden

At another meeting, from another speaker, I heard someone describe the "sandwich" approach to constructive feedback. For example: 'Your work's been really accurate. The only problem is the curse words in the delivery. Can you try to cut that way back, so that it matches the rest of the professionalism of your writing?' Positive-negative-positive.

The pessimistic view is that it doesn't "cut to the chase," is cowardly of the coach or misleading to the player. I think that reality is twofold. First, words are more powerful than they're given credit. A baldly negative comment is like starting a fire in the woods without proper enclosure -- that which was intended for good turns into destruction. Second, people are basically good. Pointing out fault without compliment is inaccurate in most cases.

Mixing positive with negative does require skill, though. It becomes misleading or deceptive when the two are completely disconnected.

"Nice tie Jim. How the hell did you lose the Farkinson account? At least you get to shake it off while driving home in that sweet convertible of yours."

One Critic At A Time, Please!

"When mistakes are made, such as missing an easy shot... I insist that the boys never criticize each other but encourage the offender so that it won't happen again. It is up to the coach to do the criticizing and it should be as constructive as possible." -- John Wooden

We're eternally surrounded by willing critics... it's human nature to want to be right, and what better way to feed that craving than to point out someone's wrongs? That kind of temporary rush is like that of a big bar of chocolate or a thermos of coffee: briefly energizing, followed by a crippling crash. Lasting happiness often requires patience, the opportunity we get whenever someone lets us down. And how helpful is it when the number of critics can be limited?

Rules, Who Needs 'Em?

"Over the years, I changed from having lots of rules and few suggestions to lots of suggestions and fewer rules. To a large degree, I replaced specific rules and penalties with strong suggestions and unspecified consequences. This gave me much greater discretion and allowed for more productive responses to misbehavior." -- John Wooden

As a corollary to that, over the last few years I've replaced the word "should" with "might" in most situations... it's a little thing, but feels to me like a better reflection of openness and empowerment to others. Who likes to be told "this is the way it has to be?" Not only that, but often "should" is flat out inaccurate. There are exceptions to most every rule, and usually multiple ways to get to the right answer. And sometimes, the outcome isn't nearly as important as they way it was reached -- as a product of the input of the entire team.

Carrots And Sticks

"I came to the conclusion that when choosing between the carrot and the stick as a motivational tool, the well-chosen carrot was almost always more powerful and longer lasting than the stick. In fact, simply withholding a properly selected carrot can become a most forceful punishment and powerful motivator. Its denial creates desire; the carrot becomes a stick.

I believe the strongest and most meaningful motivators are not necessarily the materialistic, but the intangible. In that regard, there is perhaps no better carrot than approval from someone you truly respect.

I avoided the phrase 'That's great!' Instead, I would say, 'Good, very good. That's getting better. That's the idea. Now you're getting it. Good.' My tone was measured and my demeanor controlled. And I was honest." -- John Wooden

So many lessons in there... appreciation is ranked #1 above even compensation among most employees according to many studies. Respect is often given to those who care the most. And what better way to show you care than to take notice of something specific that a person's done? Why let a chance to say 'thank you' or 'good job' slide by? We wouldn't buy a gift and let it sit on a shelf. The opportunity to make the most of the good times in life is worth every effort.

How Not To Waste Time

"Prior to the daily coaches' meeting, I would privately review my notebook from the previous year's practice for that exact day, looking for clues as to what had been effective and what did not work as well. In fact, I regularly reviewed notes from two or three years back." -- John Wooden

The man's discipline continues to inspire. Other leaders I've read about were similar in their practice of self-review, be it daily or weekly. How else will one improve as quickly?

About Time

"One of my father's favorite refrains: 'Make each day your masterpiece.' This axiom was his way of reminding me to always use time prudently - each day, each hour, each minute.

On average, I had 210 hours of practice time to accomplish my teaching goals (105 practices, each two hours long). I placed great significance on every single one of those minutes -- each an opportunity to teach our team what they needed to know to improve, what they needed to do to achieve competitive greatness and hopefully, outscore opponents." -- John Wooden

That kind of attention to the clock brings some great productivity. I will say, though, that I stopped wearing a watch following a retreat in 2002. Life offers enough distractions from enjoying the scenery and the moment, without attaching another one to my wrist!