The Leadership Edge Gets Tested by One Person

I’ve written a lot this month about credibility. Actions that match your words.

Credibility is easy when everyone is pulling their weight. It gets tested when one person isn’t.

John Wooden knew this. UCLA had a rule: no facial hair. In the early 1970s, his star center, Bill Walton, showed up to practice with a beard.

“Bill, have you forgotten something?” Wooden asked.

Walton said he believed he had a right to keep it. He believed it very much.

“Bill, I have a great respect for individuals who stand up for those things in which they believe,” Wooden said. “And the team is going to miss you.”

Walton shaved before practice. No yelling. No lecture. No hard feelings.

Years later, Wooden explained: He wasn’t worried about a beard. He was worried about the rest of the roster, watching to see whether the rules applied to the best player on the floor.

Your team is watching for that same moment, when someone bends a standard you said mattered. Will you hold it? And will you hold it with respect?

Wooden did both. He was clear: the standard was known before the problem showed up. And he was kind: he honored Walton as a person while refusing to bend.

Clear without kind feels like a hammer. Kind without clear feels like you don’t mean it.

Most difficult employees aren’t Bill Walton. Some are struggling. Some are in the wrong spot. Figuring out which is which is its own skill, and one I’ll be digging into soon.

For now, ask yourself: is a standard on your team quietly slipping because one person is testing it?

Join the Free Webinar (New Date)

“The Leadership Edge: How Top Leaders Build Influence, Grow Value, and Attract the Best People” is now Thursday, October 29, 11:30 a.m. to noon Central. Bring a notebook. Bring your questions. Let’s grow something together. Register HERE.

Save the date: Thursday, November 5, my next free webinar made for every leader who’s ever asked, “What do I do about that one person?”