7 Game-Changing Leadership Lessons for Your Career (and Life)

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I used to play a ton of sports - softball, field hockey, track & field, and basketball. Basketball was my favorite, though, because I had one "hero" that I looked up to and learned from....not just during high school and college but many, many years later as a leader and coach.

If you haven't read "The Essential Wooden: A lifetime of lessons on leaders and leadership," by John Wooden you MUST pause reading this post and ORDER it now!!!! It's that amazing!

Here are the key lessons I took with me throughout my career; most of these apply to personal areas in life as well!

1. Longevity in leadership is related, in part, to your love of learning & sense of urgency you attach to it.

2. Apply strength in a measured and even gentle manner. There is nothing more powerful than gentleness.

3. If you're not making some mistakes, you're not doing anything. Act, initiate, and be bold in execution rather than hang back in fear of failure. Mistakes are part of winning!

4. You can influence the future only by what you do today!

5. Talent may get you to the top but it takes character to stay there; one important aspect of character is the ceaseless desire to improve.

6. The choice you make, makes you.

7. Improvement comes in direct proportion to your willingness to ask questions.

"Success is never final; failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts." - John Wooden

By Angie Janko, COO of GSD Coach & Recruiting, helping SaaS founders build the top 5% of talent, FAST!