Blog #2 - Coach K

Book: Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life.

Author: Coach Mike Krzyzewski

Pages read: 35 

Summary: While reading the first chapter of coach K's book, I was intrigued by the way he wrote, and got into my mind and made me think about all the things he was saying. I still remember meeting him and listening to his speeches, last summer at Duke basketball camp. The first chapter opens up with a powerful quote from the chapter Pre Season, "We have only one rule here: Don't do anything thats detrimental to yourself. Because if its detrimental to you, it will be detrimental to our program and to Duke University," (Krzyzewski 4). Some of the things coach K talked about during his pre season was how he became a coach. His colonel in the army saw him playing basketball and told him that he couldn’t play anymore, but then the Major General, called him to ask why he wasn’t playing in the post basketball game. Mike then told him that his colonel wouldn’t allow him to play. General Rogers went to the colonel and declared to him that they should have the best damn team they can possibly have and he wanted Mike to not only play, but also be the coach. At the beginning of each pre season he tells his new or same players the same story. “Each of you is special, you were recruited specifically for this purpose,” (Krzyzewski 6). After that he talked about academics and being honest.
 

What is the Great Human Path? Is there one that I can clearly describe?

     ·      I think that a great Human path should be something that a person would do, for a very long time, be successful, and in the mean time, not only do good for themselves but do good for others as well.

Describe your figure’s early life, family, homeland, and upbringing.

     ·      Mike Krzyzewski (pronounced Sha-shef-ski) was born in Chicago and was raised by his half Polish half American family. His father, when Mike was younger, was an elevator operator, and his mother was a cleaning lady. He, his family and his relatives, all lived in a two-story home. From when Mike was a little boy, he always had a big passion for all sports, but when he got to high school, he started working and focusing on just Basketball. That’s where it all started. After a lot of hard work he then got recruited by a very well known coach Bob Knight. He recruited him to play for him in the United States Military Academy at West Point. There, he became captain of the basketball team, and after he graduated in 1969, he served in the U.S. Army from the year 1969 to 1974 in Fort Carson, Colorado. 

In your opinion, how did these facts (above) reflect/influence your figure?

     ·      Coach Mike Krzyzewski was born in a not very wealthy family, who gave everything they could to the church to help it develop (his family was very religious). Even though they were poor, they always went to church, gave anything that they had left in order to help others. Coach K was brought up to give. He looked up to his mother in many ways, as an icon, as a role model for what was good in life. 

Here is a video that I found on iTunes: 

https://itunes.apple.com/artist/mike-krzyzewski-kevin-white/id420416991?mt=2

Leveraging a broader view: Enhancing leadership Effectiveness by drawing on "outside" Experiences.