The Power Of Paying Attention To Details.
Legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, amassed one of the most impressive resumes of any modern day athletic coach. While coaching at UCLA, coach Wooden accomplished the following:
Led UCLA to ten national championships.
Was named national Coach of the Year, six times.
Led UCLA to eighty eight consecutive wins, over the course of four seasons.
During the period of time when UCLA had the most success under Coach Wooden, student athletes from all over the country wanted to attend UCLA. These student athletes were interested in UCLA, not only for their legendary basketball programs, but also for their excellent academic rating. The layman would think, of course Coach Wooden was successful! He had the “best of the best” at UCLA. True, there was great talent on the UCLA basketball teams. However, we all know what happens when there are great players, without a great leader, cohesive team culture and great attention to details. Details you say? Author Pat Williams, in his book, ”Coach Wooden’s Greatest Secret”: The Power Of A Lot Of Little Things Done Well” In this case, “little things” mean details.
One story, regarding Coach Wooden’s attention to details, has been a part of basketball history for many years. Prior to going out on the court for the first practice of the year, Coach Wooden would gather his players in the locker room. There, in front of some of the most highly recruited players in the country, Coach Wooden would begin his tutorial on the proper way to put on athletic socks. Standing in front of high school all stars, Coach Wooden would begin his season long process of focusing on details. As Pat Williams wrote, ”a lot of little things done well”
All people struggle at times, finding the correct formula for success. Focusing on finding the “next big thing” ,has been the war cry for many in this culture of “NOW” Perhaps, taking a page from Coach Wooden’s playbook and focusing on small details and doing those things well, might move our lives forward in a positive manner. For a moment focus on all of the little things that make up key areas all people need to navigate daily. What if we all developed our own personal list of details and focused daily on these little details and doing them well? My guess is, that we would have a more successful, happier and fulfilled life. So now you have your homework assignment. Make your own personal list of small details, that you can try to implement and execute each day. These small details, will soon become habits and together can position you for success in all that you do. To help you get started, I have listed my personal little details list below:
1.Return all phone calls and e-mails in twenty four hours or less. Following this habit, demonstrates to others your interest in them as family members, friends, or business associates.
2.Have pride in the little details of your appearance and of wearing proper appropriate clothing for a designated event.
3.Keep your car clean, especially the interior. No one wants to navigate a seat filled with fast food wrappers, newspapers, or empty drink bottles.
4.Keep your workspace clean and tidy, with an organization system that allows easy access to key documents quickly.
5.Listen better and always try to be ‘present” ,during face to face conversations.
6.Pay attention to your diet and workout routine.
7.Limit distractions, to keep you focused on the task at hand.
8.Create a check list, or “to do” list to keep your days/weeks/months organized.
9. Develop a routine that works for you.
10. Insure that key points and details are remembered, no matter how small. Write things down. ”ABTN”, ”Always Be Taking Notes”
Good luck!
