The Score Takes Care of Itself

One of the greatest lessons from some of the greatest coaches of all-time is this:

A team should focus on the inputs, the little things, the details, the effort. The lesson is that if you do all of that, if you focus on what you can control and you do it to the best of your abilities, the score takes care of itself.

Bill Walsh, legendary coach of the 49ers, believed this so strongly he made it the title of his book, "The Score Takes Care of Itself". But he was not the only one who believed so strongly in this philosophy...

In the business world, consider this quote from Jeff Bezos: "We believe that focusing our energy on the controllable inputs to our business is the most effective way to maximize financial outputs over time."

And in the sports world, the greatest basketball coaches of all-time at both the college and high school levels agreed, almost verbatim:

John Wooden: "The score will take care of itself when you take care of the effort that precedes the score."

Morgan Wootten: "Be concerned with process and the results will take care of themselves."

Walsh famously taught the receptionists the right way to answer the phones. Wooden taught his players how to put on their socks and shoes. You do all of these little things right, and the big things take care of themselves. 

The score takes care of itself. The profits take care of themselves. Do your best to do the little things right in life, and the big things will take care of themselves.