Be Brilliant on the Basics to Finish Well

Summer is over and it's back to work, back to school, back to the grind.

Perhaps you're looking at where you're at now and thinking, how do I finish this year strong?

I’ve found the words of legendary UCLA men's basketball coach?John Wooden?to be an inspiration and a great reminder of what is required to succeed and finish well. Wooden stated, “Champions are brilliant at the basics.” The coach wasn't concerned with how flashy a player was. Rather, he wanted a person rooted in great character, someone coachable, and a person who excelled at the basics of the game and at life.

A List of Small Steps and Actions for Greater Results

I’ve prepared a list of things for you to review. Select three or four to focus on for the balance of 2024.

Remember, small steps and actions can lead to great results.

• Make promises and keep them
• Do the reading and homework – be prepared
• Don’t be late
• Say please and thank you
• Delegate – find people more skilled than you to do the work
• Use a calendar or planner to get organized
• Don’t hold a grudge
• Share, don’t hoard information
• Put away your dishes and wash your own coffee mug and someone else’s too
• Talk about people only when they’re in the room
• Celebrate in public, criticize in private
• Repeat back what you heard to be clear you understand – “To ensure I understand you, here’s what I believe you're saying…”
• When you don’t know the answer, ask
• Use more open-ended questions than closed – who, what, why, when, where, and how?
• Pick your team with care, and invest in them once you do
• Commit to grow through learning and personal development
• Before you hold others accountable, be accountable

?“Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become.”

~ Heraclitus

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