In some respects, a top-level college coach is a lot like a manager in any business. He has to turn a group of talented individuals into a smoothly running team, and he has to produce results that please the fans of his team--the shareholders of the athletic program. Thus, in Leading with the Heart, Krzyzewski reviews the lessons he's learned as basketball coach at Duke University, and tries to universalize them so they translate to any leadership position. For example, he writes, "Adjustments are not unusual, they are usual. So a leader's ability to think on his feet ... to do things without instruction ... is of paramount importance." Makes sense, as does this admonition: "When teaching, always remember this simple phrase: 'You hear, you forget. You see, you remember. You do, you understand.'" The book has four sections--"Preseason," "Regular Season," "Postseason," and "All-Season"--and each of those has four chapters. Each chapter begins with three quotes ("Too many rules get in the way of leadership" leads off chapter 1), and ends with bulleted tips summing up the chapter's message. Between the quotes and the bullet points are anecdotes about Duke basketball games and (occasionally) Krzyzewski's life outside basketball. What you come away with is an understanding of why Krzyzewski is a great basketball coach, why former Duke assistants such as Tommy Amaker and Quin Snyder are probably going to become great basketball coaches, and how anyone who's currently a coach can become a better coach. It would be great if other types of managers in other types of businesses could incorporate these lessons in compassionate, focused, highly flexible leadership, but it seems unlikely. Most managers in business rise through the ranks not because of their ability to lead or inspire but because of their knowledge and competence (if not their connections). On the other hand, it would be nice if each of us, just once, could work for someone like Coach K, someone who could push the right buttons and lead us to our own version of the Final Four. Not likely, but a pretty sweet fantasy. --Lou Schuler
From Library Journal
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 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
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. Wes Lukowsky
