I had the unbelievable good fortune to have legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, as a mentor. We ended up in a relationship that allowed me every other month for 12 years to fly to California to spend a day learning from Coach. One day, Coach said, “Don, I want to tell you the story of one of the greatest players to ever play for me.”
Coach Wooden knows I am a basketball junkie, so he says “great player” and I am thinking Bill Walton, Marcus Johnson, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar. But Coach leans in and says, “I’m going to tell you the story of Swen Nater.”
When I tell this story on stage to corporate audiences, few people raise their hand to claim they’ve heard of Swen Nater. In this episode, we will dive into his incredible story and learn a valuable lesson: We will never outperform our inner circle. Swen believes that great leaders are great teachers. He reflects on the teaching principle of John Wooden — You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned — and demonstrates how to apply them to our business.
You will learn:
- 15:00 How Swen’s relationship with Coach John Wooden developed after he left UCLA.
- 20:00 The “shoes and socks lesson” given to all UCLA players under Coach Wooden.
- 21:30 How to solve the biggest complaint amongst employees in the workplace.
- 25:00 How the pursuit of individual glory can hurt a team.
- 30:00 Why you should use recognition as a motivator within your team.
- 34:30 How to get serious about continuous improvement.
Books mentioned in this episode:
- You Haven’t Taught Until They Have Learned: John Wooden’s Teaching Principles By Swen Nater.
- A Game Plan for Life: The Power of Mentoring By John Wooden and Don Yaeger.
- Gung Ho: Turn on The People in Any Organization By Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles.
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Greg Brenneman
“Don, you have mastered the skill of interviewing and asking great questions. That is a great skill all leaders need in order to understand their team members’ thought processes.”
John C. Maxwell
“I am a subscriber because you are one of the greatest teachers, one of the best storytellers I have ever met, and I know you will maximize the people you have on the podcast. I’m telling everyone because when you find gold you point everyone to it.”
Simon Sinek
“Don is one of the best storytellers I’ve ever met. I’ve known him for a long time and every time we talk I walk away wiser and more inspired. He is the best in the business at teaching you a skill – storytelling – that will last you a lifetime.”
Beth Brooke
“The ability for athletes to get hired is carried on through you because you are putting out the message that lessons learned from sports are important in life. It is embedded in this podcast, what you’re doing is significant.”
Rick Hendrick
“We speak the same language. I am inspired by the stories you tell, the people you have met, and the things you’ve done. Those of us that are competitors like to follow others that have been down that journey, so it is always fun talking to you!”
Bill George
“Many of the leaders I have worked with were excellent athletes, and I think there is a direct correlation. You’re one of the few people that really has pursued this study, Don. Keep up the great work. What you are doing really makes a difference.”
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