Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections On and Off the Court

A Leader Is Fair

Fairness is giving all people the treatment they earn and deserve. It doesn’t mean treating everyone alike. That’s unfair, because everyone doesn’t earn the same treatment.

That’s why I didn’t treat all players alike. I didn’t treat Walter Hazzard like I treated Gail Goodrich. I didn’t treat Bill Walton like I treated Keith Wilkes. Contrary to what you might think, it enhanced teamwork, because almost every player I coached knew that he would be treated fairly, that he would be given exactly what he had earned and deserved. They worked harder as a result. It’s true in sports and elsewhere in life.

In all circumstances, whether as a coach, teacher, or business leader, you must begin by determining exactly what is fair. That means ...