I lost my idol on Friday night.

John Wooden was perhaps the only person I have ever met for which I was in complete awe. His teachings left an indelible mark on my life. John Wooden was one of those rare people who instantly made you want to be a better human being. He made us more humble, more gracious, more caring and more willing to serve others.

Coach was larger than life, and the business and leadership lessons survived by his legacy are many. His Pyramid of Success is as likely to be found in a corporate board room as a high school gym. The man had an undeniable, unwavering commitment to quality. When new players showed up for freshman camp, they were taken aback by his extraordinary level of detail; starting with how to put on their socks and lace up their shoes as not to get blisters.

Coach Wooden’s innovations were legendary and his words insipring. “Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.” Every off season, Coach Wooden would seek out the best coaches in the country in a particular discipline (such as zone full court press) and would spend that year learning everything there was to know about it. The man did not accept mediocrity. “If you don’t have time to do it right, when you will have time to do it over?”

The most important thing I learned from studying Coach Wooden is that we all need to be more thoughtful about the affect we have on others. We can choose to lead, to inspire, to demand more of others; or we can be wrapped up in what is best for us. We must be committed to teaching (as he was) and creating leaders who are lifelong learners. “It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts.”

In announcing the passing of the greatest coach of all time, Vin Scully quoted Shakespeare on air Friday night “His life was gentle and the elements so mixed in him that nature might stand up and say to all of the world; this was a man.”

John Wooden 1910-2010

“The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.”

“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”

“Never mistake activity for achievement.”

“Be quick, but don’t be in a hurry.”

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”

“Don’t give up on your dreams, or your dreams will give up on you.”

“Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.”

“Winning takes talent, to repeat takes character.”

“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from what you can do.”

“Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful.”

“It’s not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.”

“You can’t let praise or criticism get to you. It’s a weakness to get caught up in either one.”

“A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.”

“The team that makes the most mistakes usually wins, because doers make mistakes.”

“Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It’s courage that counts. ”

“What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player. ”

“There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer. ”

“It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”

After watching Lance Armstrong’s miraculous 3^rd place finish in the Tour de France, I read his book, “It’s Not About the Bike”, an inspirational read about his triumph over cancer.

I first became enthralled with him during a keynote I saw him give at a conference several years ago.  He told the story of his rise to prominence as the world’s premier cyclist.  Having had cancer spread throughout his body, he had brain surgery in an Indianapolis hospital where he had found one of the few doctors who thought he had a chance to live a productive life.

The day after the surgery, he was visited by his agent, one of his closest friends.  When the agent asked him how he was doing, Armstrong said he was incredible (I am paraphrasing).  The agent, befuddled by his state of mind fired back, “Lance, you almost died, how can you be so positive?”  “I am as low as you can go.  It can only get better from here.  I am going to reinvent myself,” said Armstrong.  And he did.  He went to the only race team that would have him and rebuilt the organization including the team, the equipment, the sponsors and training regimen from scratch.

The Tour de France (cycling 2200 miles through the Alps including several 7,000 foot mountains) is amongst the world’s most grueling sporting events.  Armstrong’s feat of winning seven Tour De France titles in a row may be the most incredible sports achievement of our lifetime. 

Many of us have our own mountains to climb, but we don’t have to wait until we hit rock bottom to do it.  We should be reinventing ourselves and our companies constantly.  Our clients expect it. Global hyper-competition requires it. To re-imagine your business requires the decline and focus of a world champion bike racer.  What will you reinvent today?