Some of you who have taken USAV’s IMPACT course may recognize the phrase, “Be Consistent,” as core to being the best coach you can be. This philosophy came from an encounter I had while flying back from the 1988 Seoul Olympics. Head Coach Marv Dunphy, who had just led the U.S. Men’s Team to a second Olympic gold medal, was on the flight with me.

During the flight, I asked Marv about his BYU thesis on legendary UCLA men’s basketball coach John Wooden. I asked him to tell me, in 25 words or less, what he had learned from Coach Wooden that should be in the IMPACT manual I was writing. Marv said, “John, I don’t need 25 words; I just need two: ’Be consistent.’ That was what I learned the most; how he treated everyone fairly, but not equally; how he never bruised the dignity of the player being disciplined, which is done for someone, never to someone. He was always consistent so his players could rely on him.”