Leading With The Heart Essays - Mike Krzyzewski, Leadership

Leading With The Heart I. Preseason Ch. 1: Getting Organized Establish right away in the first meeting the only rule for the team: Dont do anything thats detrimental to yourself. Because if its detrimental to you, itll be detrimental to our program... (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.4). Dont dwell on it, so it does not ruin the moment. Recruit individuals who want to be part of a team and who are cacheable. Use plural pronouns from the very first meeting on. Use the words our instead of my, we instead of I, and us instead of me. Leadership on a team is plural, not singular. Make sure you are not the only one speaking in meetings, especially the first one, to demonstrate the principal of were all important (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.7). Include players, assistants, trainers, and team managers. Time Management During the first meeting, hand out notebooks and pocket calendars with important dates listed, such as practice times, special events, and game schedule. Teach time management, not only as it relates to individuals, but as it pertains to a group (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.18). Academics Remind athletes to tell professors of their schedules, when they will be missing class, and their plans on what to do for getting the materials they missed. Encourage the athletes to get the total university life experience. That is why there are no athletic dorms, so there is no separation between the athletes and student body. Stress the honor in academics and all things. Rules The rule dont do anything detrimental to yourself covers a wide variety of things. Establishing too many rules gets in the way of leadership. Dont be a team of I gotchas (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.10). Leadership is ongoing, adjustable, flexible and dynamic, and so it allows the leader to have discretion. No hard and fast rule gives the leader the flexibility in different situations and provides the latitude to lead (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.11). Support System Set up a family support system for your team. Its like getting a shot to keep away jealousy (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.12). Distribute laminated cards to each individual with the phone numbers of staff and fellow players. Remind them to call somebody when theyre in harms way. A Handshake Deal Make handshake deals with players during the recruiting process, and tell them of the fair but not equal policy, which means be fair in everything that you do, but players will not be equal with regard to on-the-court playing time. A handshake deal means there are no hidden agendas, everything is straight up. Mutual commitment helps people overcome the fear of failure - especially when people are part of a team sharing and achieving goals (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.15). This commitment to each other allows for open lines of communication. Talk with the players regularly about their personal lives to show you care. Ongoing communication enforces the handshake (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.16). Each year brings with it a new team, a new set of personalities, and a new set of skills. So each year you have to coach differently. Each team has to run its own race (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.17). Ch 2: Building Your Team Talent When you first assemble a group, its not a team right off the bat. Its only a collection of individuals (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.19). Assembling skillful individuals as part of the team is a given in order to succeed Employ really good, smart people who want to be part of an organization. Not yes people, but people that will tell you the truth, no matter if it is good or bad. All assistants should want to be a top leader in the future. That way theyll want to learn and grow. Dont force an individual into a job description. Rather, they should fit each individual so that his/her strengths are best utilized. Never let a persons weaknesses get in the way of his strength (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.25). At the end of each year go through an appraisal and reevaluation process. Rotate responsibilities if needed. Trusting Relationships The level of cooperation on any team increases tremendously as the level of trust rises (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.26). Bonds must be formed between all members of the team, from player to player, player to coach, coach to coach, player to manager, etc.... A framework of leadership has to be created so that the wheel is sustained if something happens to the hub (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.27). This is accomplished by developing trusting relationships among everyone. Leaders have to give time for relationships. A Winning Attitude A real winning attitude is about standards of excellence - which are variable from