McGill 1

3/c Michelle McGill

LT Tyler Kelley
Leadership and Organizational Behavior
1st Period
02 December 2015
Word Count: 621
Leading with the Heart
Although Mike Krzyzewski is a basketball coach, he has created successful strategies for
business, life, and leadership. In his book Leading with the Heart he gives us his basic
leadership techniques for preparing, performing, reflecting, and the overall big picture of life and
leadership.
For 35 years Coach K has served as the head coach of the Duke Mens Basketball team.
During this time he has earned 5 NCAA championships, 12 Final Fours, 12 ACC regular season
titles, and 13 ACC tournament championships. Additionally, he is an accredited former soldier,
point guard, husband, son, and leader. Coach K may be a basketball coach, but he teaches his
players much more than the game. He teaches them discipline, work ethic, communication,
compassion, and a love for life.
While preparing his team and preparing to be a leader, Coach K says that My goal is to
get to know my players and what they can do. This is an important leadership technique because
in order for your team to be effective, your people must listen, understand, and agree with the

McGill 2
mission and you as a leader. If there is no relationship between you and your team then often it
will be hard for your entire team to agree and act as one unit. Therefore, when preparing for
missions, or leadership opportunities, get to know your people, build a relationship with them,
establish trust, and learn where they come from.
Next, while performing Coach K states that the most important aspect of a team is
working together; not having several individuals working separately; but one collaborative unit
working toward a shared goal to complete the mission. This is important in leadership because
any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable. Teams can build off
each other, feed one another, confidence shared is better than confidence in yourself. A team that
is collaborative and shares the work, shares the pain, shares the reward, is a team that cannot be
broken.
Then Coach K talks about reflecting on his seasons and leadership, and how his team
performed. He states Take time to get refreshed. Clear your head, rest and recharge your
batteries, and then get after it. The postseason is Coach Ks time to fix and nuances in his
players, so that they are playing their best basketball. In life, this is the perfect opportunity to
reflect on your actions, and how you reacted in situations, analyze and decide how you can better
yourself as a person and a leader. Be one of the people who believes you can win it all. But
dont assume that you will win it all.
Lastly, Coach K speaks on his opinion of the whole process, the big picture, the entire
season, life. This is based on one concept: Character. Who you are as a person and how you
conduct yourself. Courage gives a leader the ability to stand straight and not sway no matter
which way the wind blows. Overall, Coach K believes that if at the end of the day you are

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sound morally, and able to stand up for your decisions than you can never go wrong. Trust in
yourself, be disciplined, be strong in your morals, and be passionate no matter what you do.
From this book I have become a better leader, because I have learned how to incorporate
more of myself, the person that I already am, into my leadership style. By using experiences
from growing up, or lessons that my mom taught me as a teenager, or experiences from swab
summer, I can make myself an effective leader.