John Wooden and Influencing Sales

Every March, college basketball takes center stage with the NCAA Tournament—March Madness. While millions of fans rely on team colors, mascots, or gut feelings to fill out their brackets, there was a time when the safest bet was always the UCLA Bruins.

That era belonged to one man: John Wooden.

Widely regarded as the greatest coach of all time, Wooden took over a little-known UCLA basketball program in 1948 and transformed it into a dynasty. By the time he retired in 1975, he had:

🏆 Won 10 NCAA national championships, including seven in a row
🔥 Led UCLA to an 88-game winning streak—a record that still stands
🏅 Earned Coach of the Year honors 12 times across various organizations
📜 Became one of the founding members of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
📖 Built lifelong relationships with players—including Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who has written extensively about Wooden’s impact

And my personal favorite? They even named a post office after him.

But Wooden’s greatest lessons were not just about basketball—they were about leadership, discipline, and doing the little things that lead to big success.

The Power of Doing What Needs to Be Done

One of Wooden’s most powerful stories isn’t about championships. It is not about coaching legends.

It’s about sweeping the floor.

When UCLA recruited Wooden from Indiana State, they promised him a state-of-the-art basketball facility. That promise never materialized—at least not for his first 17 years on the job. Instead, UCLA’s basketball team practiced in a cramped, outdated gym on the third floor of the men’s gymnasium—a space shared with the gymnastics and wrestling teams.

To make matters worse, the gym was so poorly maintained that Wooden had to sweep the floors before and after every practice.

Let that sink in.

🏀 A coach who would go on to become the greatest of all time… spent 17 years sweeping floors.

He did not complain. He did not blame the administration for broken promises. He did not make his players or assistants do it for him.

He simply did what needed to be done to put his team in the best position to succeed.

How This Applies to Sales

💡 Sales, like coaching, is full of obstacles.

Some salespeople complain about bad leads, poor market conditions, or outdated technology. Others spend more time creating internal drama than closing deals.

But here is the reality:

📌 Every job has its challenges. The best do not make excuses—they find solutions.

👉 Imagine if your top salesperson stayed after a big meeting to clean the conference room.
👉 Imagine if your CEO spent a day working on customer service calls to understand client frustrations.

💡 What would that say about your company culture? About leadership? About accountability?

Wooden’s willingness to sweep the floor was not about the act itself—it was about the mindset.

🚀 Success comes from doing the little things—without ego, without excuses.

Winning Comes Down to Preparation

Wooden did not just preach preparation—he lived it. His teams were famous for their attention to detail, from how players laced their shoes to how they executed fast breaks.

📌 In sales, preparation is everything.

✔️ Showing up early
✔️ Researching your prospects
✔️ Handling objections before they arise
✔️ Refining your pitch until it’s flawless

💡 Winning is not about talent alone. It is about doing the work others will not.

Wooden did not wait for perfect conditions. He did not wait for a better gym, better resources, or better support.

👉 He built a dynasty in a gym nicknamed “The B.O. Barn.”

Final Thoughts: Find the Path to Success

Many people in sales and business focus on why they can not win.

❌ The leads are bad.
❌ The economy is tough.
❌ Our product isn’t perfect.

But champions—whether in sales or basketball—focus on what they can control.

John Wooden didn’t wait for excuses to disappear. He found a way to win.

👉 Are you making excuses—or are you sweeping the floor?

Key Takeaways:

🔥 Success comes from doing the little things—without ego, without excuses.
🔥 Preparation is not optional—it is what separates champions from the average.
🔥 Stop focusing on the obstacles. Find the path that leads to success.

What’s one “small thing” you do everyday that leads to success? Drop a comment below! 👇