by Craig Impelman | Sep 18, 2019 | Blog
“Discipline yourself and others won’t need to.” –John Wooden It is a very challenging instruction when we give it to ourselves. Sometimes when a leader lacks self-discipline, there is no one watching. Rather than a reprimand from someone else, a lack of...
by Craig Impelman | Sep 11, 2019 | Blog
“The worst thing you can do for those you love is the things they could and should do for themselves.” –Abraham Lincoln In his book A Game Plan for Life with Don Yaeger, Coach provided the following commentary on Lincoln and this key idea: One of the first things that...
by Craig Impelman | Sep 4, 2019 | Blog
“Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.” This quote commonly attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt is a real key to understanding how John Wooden became John Wooden. The single greatest influence on John Wooden’s character was...
by Craig Impelman | Aug 28, 2019 | Blog
MONTYLOV / UNSPLASH “The uphill climb is slow, but the downhill road is fast.” This quote by Coach John Wooden was a central idea in his approach to conditioning. The following is from a handout Coach Wooden gave his players at their preseason meeting regarding...
by Craig Impelman | Aug 14, 2019 | Blog
FIZKES / SHUTTERSTOCK.COM “The leader has faith in people. He believes in them, trusts them and thus draws out the best in them.” These are ideas from the essay “The Art of Leadership,” which appears in The Art of Living by Wilfred A. Peterson, Coach John Wooden’s...
by Craig Impelman | Aug 7, 2019 | Blog
“Don’t permit fear of failure to prevent effort. We are all imperfect and will fail on occasions, but fear of failure is the greatest failure of all.” This often-used quote of Coach John Wooden’s summarizes the key element in his psychological approach to coaching,...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 31, 2019 | Blog
“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” –Mark Twain Coach John Wooden’s father used to give him similar instructions: If you always tell the truth, you will not have to remember what you said. It is a great self-reminder when we are asked...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 24, 2019 | Blog
“Be quick but don’t hurry” was a frequent phrase Coach John Wooden used at basketball practice, and it has great application to all phases of everyday life. Andy Hill, author of Be Quick- But Don’t Hurry, put it this way when he spoke at the first John R. Wooden...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 17, 2019 | Blog
“Be more concerned with your character than with your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” Coach John Wooden’s wisdom is timeless, and this famous quote of his continues to become more...
by Craig Impelman | Jul 10, 2019 | Blog
You cannot truly be judged by what others say about you, but you can be judged by what you say about others. This was an important part of Coach Wooden’s personal philosophy. Don’t be overly concerned about what others say about you, and never say an unkind word about...
