Only two months into 2014, it's still smart to prepare for the year ahead.

And at the beginning of planning, I always think of how the great basketball coach John Wooden began each season: he reviewed how to tie shoelaces with his players.

Wooden went over the process in great detail: He made sure each player understood that precise attention to every detail is a terrific competitive advantage. A careless opponent might pay less attention to basics like tying shoes — and that could be the difference in a close contest. And the shoelaces secured the foundation of a player's leverage on the floor. Wooden knew that paying attention to such a basic item would also underscore the value of attention to other details, by creating a mindset that nothing can be assumed when it comes to preparation.