This is tribute page to celebrate the life and legacy of the late great John Wooden.  At JDS Consulting Group, we feel John Wooden is the best example of a coach, leader, husband and human being to model ourselves and our company after. 

7 LESSONS I LEARNED FROM COACH JOHN WOODEN by Jon Gordon

1. Success Is All About the Little Things - On the first day of practice Coach Wooden didn't discuss basketball strategy. Believe it or not, he taught his players the proper way to put on their socks and shoes so they didn't get blisters.

2. Focus on the Process, Not the Outcome - Coach Wooden didn't focus on winning. He focused on the character of his team, key fundamentals, daily improvement, effort, potential and selfless teamwork. As a result he won...a lot.

3. There's No Such Thing as an Overnight Success - Wooden was at UCLA 16 years before they won their first national title. Today we live in a world where people expect instant results. If a coach doesn't win a title in a few years he or she is fired. Wooden is a testament that greatness takes time.

4. Selfless Teamwork is Great Teamwork - Wooden said, "A player who makes a team great is much more valuable than a great player."

5. There's Power in Humility - Norman Vincent Peale said that humble people don't think less of themselves. They just think of themselves less. Wooden made his life about coaching, leading and developing others and in doing so exhibited true power.

6. Faith Matters - In our politically correct world where people are afraid to mention God, even though it says it on our dollar bill, I find it interesting how in all the media reports about Wooden they talk positively about how his faith guided his life, principles and actions. There is power in faith. More importantly there is enormous power when your faith moves you to love, serve, inspire, coach and make a difference.

7. Your Legacy Matters - The most important thing you will leave behind when you die is your legacy. And the greatest legacy you can leave is your life, your principles and the lives you touch. Wooden didn't spend his life amassing wealth and trying to make a fortune. He invested in others. And while buildings will fall, jewelry will tarnish and money will get spent, his legacy will live on in those who carry his teachings in their heart.

JOHN WOODEN QUOTES

"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"

"Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out"

"Success - peace of mind attained only through self-satisfaction and knowing you made the effort to do the best of which you're capable"

"It's what you learn after you already know everything that really counts"

"Parenting is the most important job in the world" 

"Failing to plan is planning to fail."

"Sports do not build character.  They reveal it"

"Make each day your masterpiece"

"Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but what you should have accomplished with your ability"

"Be prepared and be honest"

"Do not let what you can't do interfere with what you can do"

"Players with fight never lose a game, they just run out of time"

"Discipline yourself and others won't need to."

"The true test of a man’s character is what he does when no one is watching."

"You can’t live a perfect day until you do something for someone who will never be able to repay you."

"Seek opportunities to show you care. The smallest gestures often make the biggest difference."

JOHN WOODEN VIDEOS

TED Conference 2001

John Wooden on Giving

Leadership TraQ with John Wooden - Part 1

Leadership TraQ with John Wooden - Part 2

Leadership TraQ with John Wooden - Part 3

Outside the Lines Part 1

Outside the Lines Part 2

Have a great John Wooden video not listed here?  We would appreciate you sharing it with us so please email it here

BOOKS

Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden and Steve Jamison

My Personal Best: Life Lessons from an All-American Journey by John Wooden and Steve Jamison

Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and off the Court by Steve Jamison

The Essential Wooden: A Lifetime of Lessons on Leaders and Leadership

Coach Wooden's Pyramid of Success by John Wooden and Jay Carty

They Call Me Coach by John Wooden and Jack Tobin

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