The Heart of the Matter
“He did what?!” was the immediate reaction I had when I read a headline in an online news report first thing this morning. Anytime I see something written about Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary coach of the Duke basketball team, I automatically pause to scan it. This time I needed to stop and read the article in its entirety. The headline read, “Mike Krzyzewski has banned Duke players from their own locker room, per report”.
On 26JA17, Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports posted an article describing the situation. It seems that even though Coach K is sidelined himself, and has been since January 4th while he recovers from back surgery, he called a team meeting in his house shortly after Duke lost a home game to North Carolina State. This loss comes on the heels of a year that is not shaping up in typical Duke style; the team has lost three of their last four games.
The Duke team has been further shamed by the need to suspend one of their star players for the flagrant foul of intentionally tripping an opponent. This player has been penalized three times in the last twelve months. In Coach K’s eyes, his team is an embarrassment. They are not living up to the Duke Ethic, or the life code of what it means to be a Duke Blue Devil. His disciplinary action was simple and straightforward: until further notice, the team is banished and locked out of the locker room, and they are further forbidden to wear any Blue Devil gear. This action is reportedly in place until the team starts living up to the standards of the Duke program. The full ESPN report can be found here.
Now before hate mail starts pouring in from those who do not like Duke or Coach Krzyzewski, I’d like to instead turn our attention from basketball to leadership and explore a valuable leadership lesson.
Like all great leaders, Coach K and his team know their mission, and normally they execute it with passion. Simply put, they have a laser-like drive to win NCAA basketball games. They want to win enough games to qualify for the NCAA March Madness Tournament, to proceed to the Final Four, and ultimately take home the prize of being the NCAA Champions. Of course, a lot of other good stuff can follow, like nearly unlimited funding for the program and lucrative contracts, but the essence is to play the game and win.
Also as a leader, the coach knows the priceless value of ensuring his players not only master the skills of the game of basketball, but Coach K must focus on amassing this collection of awesome talent and ensuring that they come together and work as a team. As they face their competition, the leader makes sure that they are able to execute strategic and well-rehearsed plays on the court. Coach K apparently knows something else as a leader. He knows there is something that goes much deeper, something even bigger than winning the games, something that is at the very heart of the matter. He knows, in order to be consistently successful on the basketball court, his team needs to know what it means to be a Blue Devil. This is something much bigger, and spans the boundary of time for the season at hand. It is something that speaks to the legacy of all the greatness that has gone before it, and all that will follow. It speaks to the spirit of the Duke community, and to each and every Cameron Crazy in the stands. As a great leader, Coach K knows that the heart of the issue is the need to kindle the flame of what it means to be a Duke Blue Devil basketball player. He knows that if you do not keep that flame burning, and only focus on the perfunctory aspects of the game, you will not only miss the chance to be champions, you will miss the chance of being part of the story of Duke. Hence the punishment, and why after thinking about it, it seems to make perfect sense. If you do not have the spark, if the flame burns out, you cannot be an authentic Blue Devil, and as such, you should not enjoy the hard-won amenities of the team, and you don’t deserve to wear the badge…you haven’t earned that honor.
Other great leaders know this truth. Staying on the subject of basketball, my son in law Blayne sent along the following story of the remarkable coach and leader, John Wooden who made a different, but similar example. The story goes something like this:
Funny John Wooden story from memory: The year was 1970 and Bill Walton was THE MOST sought after high school basketball recruit entering college basketball. Bill agrees to go play at UCLA, because well, who wouldn't want to play for John Wooden? Bill shows up the first day with ridiculously long hair. Walton was hanging out getting to know his teammates when all of a sudden he is called to Coach Wooden's office. He comes in and Coach Wooden then asks him how he's enjoying his time then explains the teams hair cut policy. Bill then tells the coach something along the lines of how his hair is a reflection of his beliefs in protest of the military.
Coach Wooden then takes a moment to think then tells Bill Walton (the best player in the country) "Wow, I've never thought of it that way. You are entitled to your own beliefs and opinions of the world and I respect you for that and I wish you the best of luck wherever you go from here." Bill Walton was so confused. John Wooden was letting the best player in the country walk away from the team over a haircut.
The story ends with Bill getting a haircut and having one of the most historic college basketball careers in NCAA history, with UCLA.
I am not sure of the source of this story, or its authenticity, but it sure seems aligned with what I have read and studies about Coach Wooden's leadership style and puts the issue in context. The following YouTube link sums it up right from the source himself;
Like Coach K, Coach Wooden held a standard of what it meant to be a member of his team. Both men set high standards and they were willing to suffer losses to keep those standards in place. The standard might not even be that important in the long run (like the length of a player’s hair, or what spirit wear he dons), but it speaks to the need for the members of that team to be willing to sacrifice personal desires, for the greater good of being part of that legendary team. It is that kind of leadership that is required to make legendary teams, well, legendary.
As we lead our teams, let’s spend some time focusing on the deeper issues that are part of our life code, and what makes our organizations special. Let’s fan the inner flames, no matter how big or small. Give our teams an identity, a reason to be part of something bigger than themselves that makes all of the hard work and sacrifice worth it.
Stay Strong,
Terry
p.s. Coach K's strategy might just be working. After the ban the Blue Devils went on to get a win over Wake Forest.
(Also, Terry completed the Duke University Fuqua School of Business Executive Education Advanced Management program in 1998. See Bio page for more details )
