Leading with the Heart

February 28, 2000
Duke basketball coach Krzyzewski, today's most successful NCAA coach, reviews significant games and key events in his career in addition to offering advice to coaches, players and everyone trying to do better in life. The son of working-class Polish immigrants, he got a scholarship to West Point, where he became an accomplished player before becoming a coach. His breezy approach is direct and simple: what's most important is working as a team toward a common goal--not necessarily to win the game, but to play the best possible game. Says Coach K, "There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride." Approaching each season the same way, he extends himself to his players, encouraging them to spend time at his home and with his family, while emphasizing the importance of keeping up with academics and enjoying the overall experience of college. In fact, Krzyzewski tries to hire assistant coaches who have played for him because they're versed in on- and off-court problems. At the end of each chapter, he offers general pointers, such as that "business, like basketball, is a game of adjustments. So be ready to adjust." Although he occasionally refers to a coach as a "leader," for the most part he leaves it up to readers to connect the dots between his coaching strategies and useful business strategies.

April 15, 2000
For six-time National Coach of the Year Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke University Blue Devils, coaching basketball is all about leadership and team building. His first step is to recruit good people with strong character who are willing to be taught. The five fundamental qualities that he looks for in each team that he coaches are communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring, and pride. The basic principles he tries to teach each group include integrity, planning, remaining flexible in thinking and planning, always working to improve performance, and always thinking about what you are doing and how to do it better--the same principles that make a good leader or coach. Phillips is the author of several books, including Martin Luther King, Jr., on Leadership. The authors have written an excellent book on coaching and leadership principles. Recommended for most sports or coaching collections.--Terry Jo Madden, Boise State Univ. Lib., ID

Copyright 2000 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2000
Krzyzewski, or Coach K, is the extraordinarily successful head basketball coach at Duke University. Unlike other coaches turned business gurus, Coach K doesn't overemphasize the connection between coaching strategy and workplace success. Mostly he talks about the basketball program at Duke and how he fosters the teamwork that is a Blue Devil trademark. A small example: each year every player gets a card with phone numbers for all fellow players, coaches, trainers, etc. If ever an individual finds himself in a difficult personal situation, he is encouraged to call another member of the "family." Coach K, the son of an elevator operator and a cleaning woman, knows about the real world and understands that sports are not a mirror image of it. But hard work, honesty, and imagination are all components of success in any field. Coach K uses them and challenges us to use them, too. Inspirational without being phony or sappy. ((Reviewed March 1, 2000))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2000, American Library Association.)