4 team-building tips from Coach K
This post is from Liz Ruskin, contributing editor for SmartBrief on Leadership.
Legendary Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski told an audience of business executives how he builds winning teams. Here, from a panel discussion at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles Monday, are a few of his pointers.
- Leadership isn’t singular. No one leads alone, Krzyzewski says. When he was building the team that won gold at the Beijing Olympics, he relied on Lebron James, Jason Kidd and Kobe Bryant as the team’s “internal leaders.” They had tremendous sway on the rest of the team. “If they said it, it’s pretty much going to go,” he says.
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Soaring egos need a higher purpose. Talented players often have outsized egos. It’s not Krzyzewski’s style to break them down, but he has to keep ego from blocking improvement. To get them working as a team, Krzyzewski first meets with each player individually, lays out what he expects from him and instills in each a common purpose. Fellow panelist Pete Carroll, head football coach at the University of Southern California, said it best: No matter how huge the ego is, a star player needs to feel he is part of something bigger than himself. “You have to look every one of them in the eye, respect that they’re unique and figure out where they’re coming from,” Carroll said. “You have to give of yourself to figure them out.”
- Great players learn best from each other. When Krzyzewski met with Lebron James before training for the Olympics began, James told him that he wanted to learn the secret of Jason Kidd’s excellent passing, and how Kobe Bryant, whom he considered the best player in the sport, prepared off court. James forged close relationships with both men and has become a better player because of it, Krzyzewski says. The trick for the coach, he said, is to create an environment in which the players learn from each other without having to expose vulnerabilities. “The guys who are really good in our sport don’t want to show weakness,” he said.
- Love them after they leave you. College players, like rising young executives, will move on. Fulfill your commitment to them by maintaining your ties, Krzyzewski advises. His players have gone on to play in the NBA, to coach at influential colleges or to new endeavors. “We maintain a relationship of being a friend and part of their family for the rest of their lives,” he says. It’s a form of networking that he finds particularly rewarding. He suggests looking for ways to make it easy for former protégés to ask for help without losing face.
Image credit, iStock
Posted by 4 Killer Team-Building Tips. | Rich Gee Coaching on April 30th, 2009 at 10:03 am
[...] By Liz Ruskin, at SmartBrief. [...]
Posted by SmartBlog on Workforce » Blog Archive » This week’s most clicked on May 1st, 2009 at 8:14 am
[...] 4 team-building tips from Coach K [...]
Posted by Minneapolis Team Bui on May 18th, 2009 at 6:57 am
I love his strategy how he handles star players. Coach K can definitely handle egoistic team members. These are perfect tips on how to build a team.
Leni
Posted by Guest Speaker on July 30th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Nice post! A must read for those starting a TEAM.
All the best!
Posted by Our Blog » Blog Archive » Duke coach tips for business execs on September 6th, 2009 at 11:46 pm
[...] 4 team building tips from Coach K, by Mary Slayter, April 09, on SmartBlog, shares some personal tips from legendary Duke Coach, Mike Krzyzewski. [...]
Posted by Corporate Events on September 19th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
Hello, I know this post is an old post but I feel so good after reading this. Somehow its good to have something to do a wake up call to realize that we are not alone and should not be alone no matter how good we are.
I guess I really like this post among all the post that I've read, very well explained and something to take inspiration in reaching your dreams. Everyone wants to be the best and everyone wants to reach out for what they believe they are at their best of.
Posted by Team Building Co. on May 26th, 2010 at 9:55 am
These are principals that we, as a company, try to instil into our clients when facilitating and consulting to help improve their teams, totally agree!
Posted by Liz Fletcher on September 9th, 2010 at 9:33 pm
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Posted by Team Building UK on September 27th, 2010 at 5:28 am
Great artcile. Especially vakluable is the recommendation to keep in touch and still be useful after someone has moved on. As someone involved in the team building shpere, that's worth remembering. It's easy to go in a do a great job on the day, but a little bit of help here and there after an event can really make a difference to the transfer of learning to maximize the outcomes from the time spent.
Posted by Paul on December 1st, 2011 at 4:05 am
Dealing with egos – never easy! How do you manage to get buy in from a huge ego in a different department – proactive team building if you like?