Leading With The Heart

.. he leader and members of the team.

Seeing Themselves Through Your Eyes For members of the team to know truly how they are with the leader (not how they think they are), they need to be able to see themselves through the leaders eyes. Plan for Nuances Prepare your team for any nuances that they may encounter in games. Creativity and Innovation Try not to erect any artificial walls "that might limit potential, stifle creativity, or shackle innovation" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.97).

Leaders should not be predictable, but should be reliable. "They should be consistent without being anticipated" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.98).Ask lots of questions. A good idea can come from anywhere or anyone.

Ch 7: Turn Negatives Into Positives Pay Attention to Detail It is important for leaders to focus on the technical skills of their industry, but it's also very important to focus on details related specifically to people in the organization. "People talk to you in different ways - through facial expressions, moods, mannerisms, body language, the tone in their voice, the look in their eyes" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.107). As a leader you must able to read your players.Also, be able to recognize the different ways they are talking to you and then react to it or take action. Think About Winning A leader must remain positive no matter what happens to his team.

Do not view events in the past as failure. It is impossible to win every game, but it is possible to learn from every game. The Courage to Lead It takes courage to make tough decisions and then to live with those decisions after they are made. A leader must have the courage to make tough decisions in a split second."Courage and confidence are what decision-making is all about" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

113). "Don't let a single game break your heart" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.115). Ch 8: Game Day Make game day your best day. Avoid distractions and try to relax. Members of the team expect the leader to be upbeat, positive, and have confidence that the team will win.

Leaders show respect for members of the team by giving them time.Have a clear head when going into a game. With a clear head you'll be more likely to react well to unpredictable situations that you might encounter. Encourage team members to be well rested and to be at a high level emotionally before games. A Game of Adjustments Both business and sports are games of adjustments. Be ready to adjust.

Be prepared for the fact that you may have to throw out your game plan after only five minutes.A leader may have to set aside his emotions in order to help his team reach its goals. Coach By Feel At times a leader has to "draw a line in the sand" to show his team to take a stand (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.124). "Game day is not a day for long, drawn-out speeches. It is time for interaction" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

125). All Aboard the Train It is the leaders job to make sure everyone is about the train.III. Postseason Ch 9: Refresh and Renew We're 0-0 After the regular season, take time to get refreshed. Now is the time to clear your head, rest, and "recharge your batteries." Then get after it! (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

139). As a leader you have to look at the demeanor of your team. See if they are injured, healthy, excited, down, energized, or tired.As the team leaders (captains) for their opinions about the demeanor of the team.

The formula of preparation, communication, hard work, practice, and focus should continue to be your guide. "Set mini-goals. Plan for 'energy bursts'" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.141). How you win in the first round sets the stage for the rest of the postseason.This is key.

Media and Public Relations Deal with the media with respect and honesty, but don't tell them every detail. Believe but Don't Assume Be a team that believes you can win it all. But don't assume that you will win it all. Respect your competition at all times.Disrespecting them is disrespecting yourself. Ch 10: Handling A Crisis "The worse the crisis, the more people will tend to think as individuals rather than as members of a team" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

151). Truth and Trusting Relationships Luck favors teams who trust one another. When you make a mistake, admit it and apologize in front of the whole team. To admit you screwed up is a strength, not a weakness.

"Successful crisis management is best achieved when people are truthful with one another - immediately" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.154).Have Fun When you have fun, it helps reduce pressure. Always maintain a good sense of humor. Show The Face Your Team Needs to See Before a leader ever speaks, they see his face, his eyes, and even his walk.

A leader must always show the face his team needs to see. "You do not necessarily beat fear with a hug. Sometimes you have to attack the hell out of it." Confidence can be a great weapon against fear.

Don't show your opponents your weaknesses, show them your strengths. (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.158). Trying To Get to Heaven Anger can be used in situations if it motivates you to do something good. Part of a leader's job is to create opportunities. The leader has to find ways to win.

Ch 11: Focus on the Task At Hand The Final Four A leader has to delegate as much as possible when events beyond his control pull him away from his team. Each member of the team is responsible for their own performance. Winning the Moment A leader has to remove any obstacles that may prevent his team from doing its best. During crucial times, a leader has to fend off negative emotions. He has to be strong.For a team to overcome a overwhelming adversary, they must have extreme concentration and focus.

Encourage team members to take initiative and act on their own. Handling Success Any organization will not win on reputation alone, no matter how good they are. They have to go out and earn it. Next Game Don't let moments of ecstasy last to long. They may cause you to lose the next game.

"When you cleanse yourself of a big victory, you may open yourself up to the opportunity for an even bigger victory" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.183).Ch 12: Celebrate Tradition At the end of every season, thank your team for their effort. Give the team a night of its own at the end the season. Maybe a banquet, but however, give them a chance to celebrate the journey. And make it fun.

A Part of Something Bigger Given enough time, an idea can become an established tradition.Tradition helps motivate people. It brings them back and motivates them to go on another journey. "If people are part of something with a lot of tradition, they will be less likely to be jealous of a teammate or do something detrimental to the organization. Tradition makes it more difficult to bring out the negative aspects of human nature" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.189).

Binding the Past to the Present "Consistent excellence engenders pride" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.199). Always honor the seniors in your organization.The Sixth Man Build relationships with people who support your organization.

Once you have tradition in place, confidence, excellence, unity and pride will grow. IV. ALL-SEASON Ch 13: Blueprint Basics Commitment If the leader is committed, the more likely followers will commit. Give players the freedom to show their own level of commitment to the team. Excellence Define your own excellence and always strive for it, not for success. Motivation Motivation is both an individual and team effort.

"Each moment requires its own maneuver" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.210).Remain hungry to stay successful. Don't cheat yourself with complacency.

Teaching Plan what you teach. While teaching your players, you can always learn from them. Family "When your organization operates like a strong family, you can't be knocked out by one punch" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.217).

Family is just like the fist principle.It makes individuals part of something bigger. Ch. 14: The Core of Character Courage "True bravery in leadership revolves around the degree to which a person maintains the courage of his convictions" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.224). When you stand strong against an opposing force for the first time, it's easier to have courage again and again the next time.

Confidence People must have confidence in themselves before they can realize their full potential.Continual Learning Put yourself in situations where you can always learn something new. When you stop growing and learning, you start to decay. Don't forget defeats, defeats can be the key to future victories. Hard Work When people achieve something that they've worked their butt off for, it makes them feel great. "The only way to lose is if you don't try your best" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

233). Honest and Integrity "Integrity is nothing more than doing the right thing no matter who's watching you" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.233).Make the truth the basis of everything you do. Ch 15: Friendship "We Will Always be Friends" Work hard at staying in contact with your friends so the relationships continue to live on.

When Friends Leave Sometimes people have to move on, no matter how many good things you did for them. Part of leadership is dealing with instability. When people leave, thank them for what they've done. Don't hold grudges.Jim Valvano Pack everything into the moment.

The future should always be uncertain for you. "Touch people's hearts with sincerity and eloquence" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.247). Never, never give up. Make your last game your best.Find a way to win.

Ch 16: Life "Sometimes when you're blinded by your emotions and your commitments, it's best for someone else to tell you what to do" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.278). Every once in awhile you have to be committed to yourself, and only yourself. People tend to look at things closer when they lose, not when they win. Be careful when dealing with extremes not to use the singular pronoun "I.

" "Stop the 'Success Express' once in awhile to enjoy the journey" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.278). If you teach something, you better be able to do it.Surround yourself with people who will say no for you. When things go wrong for the team, accept the responsibility, admit the mistakes, and move on. "Regularly ask yourself the question: 'What's your job, knucklehead?'" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.

278). "Take care of your core" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.278). "Listen to your doctors" (Krzyzewski, 2000, p.278).

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