#138 - Daily MG - Wooden on Leadership by John Wooden - 4 of 6

"Firm and flexible. On this particular day, as Bill Walton [an all american] prepared to step onto our bus, he did not look “clean and neat” - keep in mind, this was during the hippie era. I would not allow him on the bus and sent him home. He had violated a rule I viewed as important, one that connected to a bigger picture. To have ignored his appearance would have sent a bad message to his teammates: Bill Walton gets special treatment because he’s so important. “Bill can break the rules, but you guys can’t.” This perception not only creates dissension, in my opinion, but it soon leads to others breaking any rule they want. Ultimately, no rules matter, and everyone does whatever he or she wants."

John Wooden is ESPN's Coach of The Century and won 10 NCAA D1 basketball championships in 12 years.