Leadership Lessons from a Curtain-Call

 

More than…just a Drapery Call

 

This was more than our typical drapery call.

Don’t get me wrong, technically it was the same kind of call we go on day-in-and-day-out.

Yet, this doesn’t happen everyday in our business of designing, selling and installing window coverings.

This was about receiving the unexpected.

This was about lessons and life and gleaning insight when you least expect it.

And, we learned more than we do in our typical product-knowledge seminars where we gain greater knowledge through workshops and continuing education and webinars.  We gained much more about humility, interest and intention.

No one has a corner on wisdom. Regardless of how much we know there is always room for more wisdom, more knowledge and more skill. School is always in session – at least in the classroom of life. Essential to developing wisdom is an acute need to cultivate a willingness to learn and remain teachable. Learning from your co-workers. Learning from your customers. Learning from your friends. Learning from your children. Even learning from our enemies.

And, learning from a Coach.

Posted on a board in our employee break room is Coach John Wooden’s The Pyramid of Success, a chart he used to both inspire players and sum up his personal code for life & leadership.  So, recently when my company received the call to do a drapery project at John Wooden’s home we marveled at the opportunity.  After all, it’s not often that a leadership & organizational icon you admire and……a curtain call collide.

Scattered around Coach Wooden, the day of our drapery installation, were several reporters passionately documenting his responses to their many inquiries of his life.  Without hesitation, upon our entrance into the room, Coach Wooden,stopped speaking to the reporters to smile and acknowledge our presence. That’s right, to smile and acknowledge with intention the laborers in his home. What a class act!

Coach Wooden is known as a Class Act, because frankly, he acted like one. He took time to acknowledge others and he acted in a way that says to people, “You’re special. You count.”

Lessons.

He showed humility. Always remember your goal is not to get people to think more highly of you, but to get them to think more highly of themselves.

He showed interest. Show your team you are interested in them before they take an interest in you.  If you care nothing about the people you lead it will become a hindrance to your ability to lead them. Recognition is appreciated by everyone, not just high-profile leaders. A little recognition can go a long way in a person’s life.

He was intentional. Work with purpose – making every action count.  Successful leaders are intentional. It’s about focusing on doing the right things consistently.  Just as Coach Wooden was intentional as he politely parted the men-in-suits to acknowledge our presence, we need to be intentional in our actions towards other people.

It’s important to note that leadership personalities vary. Learn from others, yes, but be yourself! Commit to lifelong self-improvement and learning – improving your mind and increasing your skills.

And, learning from a Coach!

Sometimes, it’s not always just about a curtain call.

Lesson Learned.

How do you stack up against the winning ways of a great coach?

{This was written as a tribute to our customer, Coach Wooden. Since his passing, we’ve continued to put into practice the lessons we’ve learned since that very unique drapery call.}