Leadership 6, Little Things Make Big Things Happen (Bot9 #144)

"Little Things Make Big Things Happen" John Wooden's Leadership Lesson #6 by Keith Wahl

John Wooden wrote 12 Leadership Lessons that enhance our understandings of leadership and success. These 12 lessons will be the focus of Bottom of the Ninth for 12 weeks.

Doesn't it seem that coaches are far more concerned with the little things than the players? It's almost like learning the importance of the smallest of actions takes a high level of maturity and experience. Only those who have lived and experienced much can truly understand the truth of the so-called "Butterfly Effect" - "It has been said that something as small as the flutter of a butterfly's wing can ultimately cause a typhoon halfway around the world."

We know this on the fields of play and we know this about our lives. As we prepare to embark on another year, I know that it will take out team some time to understand the value of the little things in the game of baseball - Quality At Bats, executing bunts, throwing strikes, and making the routine play. The sooner we grasp those ideas, the better we will be throughout the year.

More importantly, we're working on the relationships between coaches and players. When coaches and players make the little efforts with each other, the pay off is incredible. A smile upon a greeting. A kind word of encouragement. A question about life outside of baseball. Laughter. All of these little things allow a baseball player experience more success individually and within a team.

We recognize the big things that Christ and Paul did through the New Testament, but we sometimes miss all of the little things. Love. Discipline. Grace. Forgiveness. None of us will be resurrected upon death and none of us will write letters to the church that will last 2,000 years. We can all love the way we've been loved by our Savior, discipline as our Father in Heaven disciplines us, give grace to fellow believers and unbelievers alike, and gift the gift of forgiveness as He has forgiven us. Those little things are what made all of the big things happen.