March Madness: Coach K's Philosophy & Found Haiku

Review by Bill Doughty

One foundation for Duke University men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski  (along with his family) is his education at West Point U.S. Military Academy, where he learned three disciplines: "respect for authority, personal responsibility and the discipline to be honest."

"Imagine if every person had such a great foundation and then the passion and heart to love what they do. They'd always love their lives," he writes in "Leading with the Heart," written in 2000 and published by Warner Books. "That's what I'd call success."

Fundamental qualities for success in leadership and performance include communication, trust, collective responsibilities, caring and pride, according to Coach K. "In leadership there are no words more important than trust. In any organization trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved."

Pride comes from ownership of the mission; understanding of the mission comes from communication, caring and demonstrating collective responsibility as a team.

Coach K writes about being overly rigid in his early days as a coach, but he learned how to keep his core principles while being flexible, adaptable and innovative, depending on the personalities and situations he faced as his teams evolved. Now, "I want no artificial walls erected that might limit potential, stifle creativity or shackle innovation." Good leaders must be able to think on their feet and react immediately when necessary. And good leaders give their teams freedom to excel.

"At Duke, nobody is a number. Rather, we try to plant seeds that help people grow. We try to give every individual the freedom to develop their full capabilities.

"If you put a plant in a jar, it will take the shape of the jar. but if you allow the plant to grow freely, twenty jars might not be able to hold it. The freedom to grow personally, the freedom to make mistakes and learn from them, the freedom to work hard, and the freedom to be yourself – these four freedoms should be guaranteed by every leader in every organization."

Touring the Pentagon after the 1992 season.

A pivotal moment in the book is his retelling of one of the most memorable plays in college sports history, the East Regional championship game against the University of Kentucky in March 1992. The Duke Blue Devils were down 103 to 102 with 2.1 seconds left in the game. Coach K called up a play for Grant Hill to pass the ball 75 feet down the length of the court to Christian Laettner at the top of the key on the other end.

It's what happened immediately before the play was called and immediately after it was executed that sets Coach Krzyzewski apart as a great coach, leader and human being. It must be read in its entirety to be fully appreciated, and it's too long to excerpt here.

Speaking with Soldiers at Fort Bragg.

In "Leading with the Heart," Krzyzewski offers practical advice for leading teams with exuberance and excitement, always living with integrity, demonstrating confidence, using plural pronouns such as "we" and "our" instead of "me" and "my," and building pride, unity and motivation through traditions. 

Returning several times to examples from his experience at West Point, Coach K writes:

"I find that people, generally, want to be on a team. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be in a situation where they feel that they are doing something for the greater good."

Found Haiku in Coach K's Philosophy

This book is filled with Sun Tzu or Confucius-like sayings like, "Never let a person's weakness get in the way of his strength," "Sometimes a loss can be a win," and "The only way you lose is if you don't try your best."

Within some of his words of wisdom are "found haiku," poems or verses generally fitting the rule of three lines of 5-7-5 syllables.

Here are some found haiku in "Leading with Heart":

The deal is [in] the

handshake; the deal is that there

won't be any deals

You hear, you forget;

You see, you remember; You

do, you understand

Confidence can be

an extremely effective

weapon against fear

Confidence shared

is better than confidence

only in yourself

A key principle:

don't worry about losing;

think about winning

People have to be

given the freedom to show

the heart they possess

And at the heart of

character is honesty

and integrity

Help me do my best,

help me be myself, and help

me lead with my heart

"Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business and Life" by Mike Krzyzewski with Donald T. Phillips was written 15 years ago, so references to Duke basketball players and others are somewhat dated (no mention of Jahlil Okafor, for example, who was only four years old at the time), but references harken back to some great memories of NCAA seasons and games. Among the names Coach K recounts in hardwood stories: Bobby Hurley, Grant Hill, Danny Ferry, Chris Collins, Trajan Langdan, Steve "Wojo" Wojciechowski, Shane Battier, Christian Laettner, Tommy Amaker and Johnny Dawkins.


Coach K's book is on CNO Adm. Greenert's professional reading list. 

Duke Blue Devils (28-3) are ranked 3 by the AP as of March 8. Coach K's team was victorious yesterday over the University of North Carolina at Dean E. Smith Center, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Down by two points at the half, they ended with a win at 84-77. They are expected to be a number-one seed in the upcoming NCAA tournament bracket.

Duke's Coach K and Navy Core Values

by Bill Doughty

Coach K after 1,000 wins with his 2014/2015 team.

Victory starts with strong defense and execution through power projection. That's the theme of today's victory by the Duke Blue Devils over the Michigan State Spartans.

The best teams have strong, good and caring coaches, and each of the coaches for this year's NCAA Final Four tournament in Indianapolis has a good, experienced coach on the bench.

"But the strongest bench job of the season has been done by arguably the best coach of any sport on the planet: Mike Krzyzewski," writes Steve DeShazo of Fredericksburg.com on the eve of today's game.

Coach K and Coach Izzo have fun yesterday.

Coach K is the picture of sustained honor, courage and commitment.

"After 35 years at Duke, his program is almost self-sustaining," DeShazo writes. "He’s won a record 1,016 games, four national titles and will tie the legendary John Wooden today with his 12th Final Four appearance ... Krzyzewski’s role with USA Basketball enriches his status even more."

Krzyewski knows when to be serious yet he shows he can have fun.

Coach K is author of several books, including "The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team," "Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords For Success" and "Leading with the Heart: Coach K’s Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life." We featured "Leading with the Heart" in a recent Navy Reads review; the book is on the CNO's Professional Reading Program.

Coach K on Honor, Courage and Commitment:

Honored to coach Team USA in the Olympics.

Honor as head coach of USA team in the Olympics – “For me, this is the ultimate honor in coaching,” said Krzyzewski. “It is a chance to represent the United States at this elite level of basketball. I am honored to be chosen and look forward to the opportunity to develop this team that will represent our great country in its own sport, both on and off the court.”

Courageous leadership – “It takes courage not only to make decisions, but to live with those decisions afterward.”

Committed teamwork – “Mutual commitment helps overcome the fear of failure—especially when people are part of a team sharing and achieving goals. It also sets the stage for open dialogue and honest conversation.”

Kobe Bryant: Self-Reflection, Work Ethic, Reading

By Bill Doughty

Kobe Bryant at Arlington, 2012.

Star of Lower Merion High School in Pennsylvania, NBA rookie Kobe Bryant was interviewed by anchor Tim Russert on Meet the Press in 1998. In the interview, the future #24 Lakers superstar spoke about what it takes to be a better individual in today's society: self-reflection, a strong work ethic and reading.

"I was fortunate to have a family ... a strong family background, wonderful mom and dad, two older sisters," Bryant acknowledged.

Russert asked him what advice he had for other young black men, many who did not have fathers living at home.

"In some cases they don't have somebody to love, to latch onto," Kobe said. "So I think they have to be strong individuals, dig deep inside themselves, look inside themselves, and not look for other venues, other negative paths to walk down, because there are so many of these in today's society."

He added, "So I tell them to dig deep inside, be patient, be strong, hit the books and work hard and continue to dream."

Kobe encouraged young people to follow their dreams and stand up to people who block those dreams. "If you have a goal, if you have something you want to accomplish, they put limits on you; they tell us what we can and cannot do. So I tell them to have faith in themselves."

Kobe Bryant of Team USA meets service members at a Hoops for Troops event in 2012.

Kobe Bryant became an NBA icon with the Los Angeles Lakers. He played on the U.S. national team at the Olympics. And he participated in Hoops for Troops, honoring the military and military families.

In 2012 Kobe, along with the United States Olympic men's basketball team, visited Arlington National Cemetery.

As part of the dream team led by Coach Mike Krzyzewski, Kobe acknowledged the importance of good coaching, respect, commitment, and devotion to his country. In his autobiography, "The Mamba Mentality: How I Play" (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2018), Kobe writes:

"Our nation means so much to Coach Krzyzewski. He really hammered home the significance of getting to represent our country. Everything he did – from having generals come to speak with us, having soldiers be a part of our preparation process, having us take tours of national monuments – was aimed at increasing our admiration and love for America. You could sense that in the way he had us playing, in the intensity we showed."

"The Mamba Mentality" offers advice and strategies, tactics and priceless insights and memories for young basketball players. Kobe writes, "What separates great players from all-time great players is their ability to self-assess, diagnose weaknesses, and turn those flaws into strengths."

Years ago, when asked what his son was like as a child, Joe "Jelly Bean" Bryant said Kobe was studious and hardworking. “He was a good kid — he even cleaned his room,” Joe Bryant said, reminiscent of Navy Adm. William H. McRaven's advice in "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life ... and Maybe Change the World." 

Joe Bryant has a strong connection with Japan. He even gave his son a Japanese name.

Kobe's dad coached the Tokyo Apache and other teams. He visited military bases, including Yokosuka naval base several times in the 2000s and practiced with Sailors of USS Kitty Hawk as well as speaking to young athletes and military families. 

Joe "Jellybean" Bryant, father of Kobe Bryant and coach of the Tokyo Apache basketball team, signs autographs and talks to fans after the game Feb. 7, 2007 at Yokota Air Base's Samurai Fitness Center. Bryant also played during the last half of the game. Tokyo Apache, a Japanese professional basketball team, took on the Yokota Warriors varsity team here and walked away with the win, 96 - 74. (U.S. Air Force photo by Mark Allen)

According to Pacific Stars and Stripes, Joe Bryant "has a message for everyone: 'To have a dream, to have a fantasy and to have a goal.'" 

His words are echoed by his son in Kobe's interview with Tim Russert. So are his words about hitting the books:

“Once you have that, all it takes is a work ethic,” Joe Bryant said. “If you don’t have homework, then you read ahead in your textbook. You do the next page in your workbook. In school, as in life, you have to do the extra work to get better in anything.”

Our thoughts, memories and condolences are with the Bryant family and the families of all those lost in the tragic helicopter crash Sunday that killed Kobe Bryant, Gianna Bryant, John Altobelli, Keri Altobelli, Alyssa Altobelli, Christina Mauser, and Ara Zobayan.

Kobe Bryant and Jerry Colangelo place a wreath on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, Fort Myer, Va., Jul. 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff U.S. Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey, left, and Kobe Bryant talk at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, July 15, 2012. (Department of Defense photo by D. Myles Cullen)

‘How to Lead’ -– Attributes

Review by Bill Doughty

What makes a good leader? What attributes can be found in successful ethical leadership? Listen to this.

David M. Rubenstein hears from renowned leaders in “How to Lead: Wisdom from the World’s Greatest CEO, Founders and Game Changers” (Simon & Schuster, 2020). He interviews people like Bill and Melinda Gates, Gen. David Petraeus, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and President George W. Bush, and others. He arranges the interviews in six categories: visionaries, builders, transformers, commanders, decision-makers, and masters.

According to Rubenstein, here are attributes of a good, successful leader: luck, focus, persuasiveness, a desire to succeed, pursuit of something unique, willingness to work long hours, ability to keep learning (“nothing focuses the mind like a good book”), integrity, humble demeanor, credit-sharing, ability to keep learning, responding to crises, and rising from failure.

“Failure teaches humility and exponentially enhances the desire to succeed the next time,” he writes.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, interviewed in this book, gives this advice about good leadership: “You don’t dictate to people. But if you let them know what your vision is, hire the best people, and then don’t get in their way, those are the qualities of a good leader.”

As for other advice in responding to crises, Rubenstein writes:

“Leaders are most needed when crises occur, as we have been reminded this year during the COVID-19 pandemic and the nationwide protests over the death of George Floyd. Rising to the occasion when an existential crisis occurs can mark a leader forever –– Lincoln holding his country together during the Civil War or Churchill rallying his country to fight the Nazi attacks.”

Powell, Bush and Schwarzkopf attend a memorial service in Kuwait, Jan. 26, 2001. (Sgt. B. Beach)

In an interview with Gen. Colin Powell (former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs and former Secretary of State), Rubinstein listens to how the United States responded to a crisis –– Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait leading to the first Gulf War during George H. W. Bush’s administration.

Powell said every good leader must have a strong vision and understand “why we are here” and then instill that understanding of “why” through all levels of the organization or team. 

“That’s what leadership is all about –– inspiring others,” he says.

Powell discusses how United States Marines achieved the mission in the first Gulf War, not only following their initial orders but also seizing an opportunity to advance when they saw the chance. Agility and nimbleness are good attributes for any leader.

Powell also takes questions head-on about his role in the second Gulf War, in which the CIA provided information Powell then relayed to Congress about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq –– as justification for an invasion. He offers a thoughtful and critical analysis.

Cadet Dalton MacAfee receives the Mike Krzyzewski Teaching Character Through Sport Award May 6, 2019 at West Point Military Academy. (PO1 Bryan Ilyankoff)

Interviewing Coach Krzyzewski (“Coach K”) of Duke basketball, Rubenstein asks about what he rightly calls “one of the greatest games ever played”: the 1992 semi-final game between Duke and Kentucky. Kentucky scored an improbable basket in the last seconds of overtime, putting them up by one point. With 2.1 seconds left in the game, Duke had the ball and called a timeout.

Coach K  remembers, “The very first thing a leader has to show is strength, so I met them as they were coming to the bench, and I said, ‘We’re going to win. We are going to win.' Then he called up a creative play –– Grant Hill passing 75 feet to Christian Laettner at the top of the key for a turnaround jump shot. Duke won the game and went on to win the championship thanks to their leader’s confidence.

Among this book’s eclectic group of leaders –– including Condoleeza Rice, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Yo Yo Ma, Robert F. Smith, and James A. Baker III –– is an unexpected but rewarding choice of subjects: Lorne Michaels, creator and producer of Saturday Night Live. SNL has catapulted the careers of Bill Murray, Eddie Murphy, Steve Martin, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Billy Crystal, Chris Rock, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Amy Poehler, Kristin Wiig, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Kate McKinnon, and scores of other comedians, talk show hosts, and actors.

Second Lieutenant Leah Davis speaks with actor Bill Murray, at the Wrenwoods Golf Course, Joint Base Charleston, S.C., Aug. 17, 2012. Murray participated in the golf tournament sponsored by the Airlift/Tanker Association. (SSgt. Katie Gieratz)

Michaels discusses the challenges of leading generations of creative people. “You try to create a culture where everyone feels they’re heard,” he says. “You lead by example.” He admits to being “ruthless” in ensuring the show is good. He is equally ruthless in ensuring everyone’s voice is heard and in being flexible enough to adapt quickly to change. He listens. To everyone.

It’s interesting to hear also about the history of how SNL got started; its ties to Johnny Carson, Howard Cosell, and first host George Carlin; and how the show and comedy itself has evolved over nearly 50 years.

Most of the very best leaders, by the way, have another important attribute: a sense of humor.

Robert M. Gates praises this book in a prominent blurb: “A wonderfully entertaining book about leaders from very different professions and walks of life … Rubenstein discerns the attributes of leadership they all have in common. ‘How to Lead’ is an exceptionally instructive and inspirational book.”

Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Mike Gilday uses the 1MC to address the crew aboard the Freedom-class littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15). Gilday visited Naval Station Mayport Mar. 3, 2021 to engage with Sailors, speak to local Navy leaders, and tour a number of commands in the area. (MC3 Austin Collins/Released)

The Found Haiku of John McCain

By Bill Doughty

In recent years Navy Reads  posted blogs on the found haiku of Abraham Lincoln, Mike Krzyzewski, Marshawn Lynch and other leaders, coaches and philosophers. "Found haiku" are discovered in the writings or utterances of others and fit the three-line 5/7/5-syllable rule and goal of communicating deeply but in few words.

Sen. John S. McCain III reenlists Sailor of the Year ET2 Michael Papapietro in Cam Ranh, Vietnam
aboard destroyer USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) June 2, 2017. (Photo by MC3 Joshua Mortensen).

Senator and former U.S. Navy aviator John S. McCain III, who was held as a Prisoner of War during the peak of the Vietnam War, has written a number of memoirs and endorsements of others' books, which provide the source for the found haiku that follow.

Like all humans, he is not perfect, and he is the first to admit so. In fact, his self-awareness and self-assessment provide a treasure-trove of words from which to find these found haiku gems.

Most of these words reflect McCain's thoughts about war, service, sacrifice, captivity, character, resilience and reflection. The Vietnam War understandably casts a long shadow in his life as it does for our nation.

Leading with honor

is about putting service

to others ahead

Immortality ...

the aspiration of my

youth has slipped away

Time to examine

what I have done and failed to

do with my career

All people, even

captured enemies, possess

basic human rights

For two centuries

men of my family were

raised to go to war

Freedom: America's

honor, and the honor comes

with obligations

A few stories from

my misspent youth that I had

managed to bury

If you valued them,

and held them strongly, love and

honor would endure

In Vietnam I (came)

to understand how brief a

moment a life is

Defying death's call

in ... (the) bamboo cages of

South Vietnam haunt

There are some stories

of the soul that extend far

beyond prison walls

We paced the open

compound at Plantation Camp

together, waiting

communicating...

affirmed our humanity.

It kept us alive

communicating

was the indispensable

key to resistance

It was best to take

the long view (that) we would get

home when we got home

Glory belongs to

the act of being constant

to something greater

To a cause, to your

principles, to the people

on whom you rely

Before Vietnam

the truth of honor ... courage ...

obscure to many

I learned the truth in

war: there are greater pursuits

than (just) self-seeking.

I have managed to

prevent bad memories of

war from intruding

(I regretted)

I hadn't read more

books so I could keep my mind

better occupied

The headstones bear the

names of people of every

ethnic origin

The final resting

places of professional

soldiers and conscripts

Rich and poor, Christian,

Jew, and muslim; believer

and non-believer

The last three found haiku come from McCain's "13 Soldiers: A Personal History of Americans at War" (Simon and Schuster, 2014, written with Mark Salter). Salter has served on McCain's staff for more than two decades.

John McCain reassesses in 1973.

Other haiku are from McCain's "Faith of My Fathers: A Family Memoir" (Random House, 1999), "Worth the Fighting For: A Memoir" (Random House, 2002), the foreword of "Glory Denied" (by Tom Philpott, W.W. Norton, 2001), the foreword of "Leading with Honor" (by Lee Ellis, FreedomStar Media, 2012) and the Senate Floor statement published in "The Official Senate Report on CIA Torture: Committee Study of the Central Intelligence Agency's Detention and Interrogation Program" (Skyhorse Publishing, 2015).

McCain, with collaborator Mark Salter, just published another memoir, "The Restless Wave: Good Times, Just Causes, Great Fights and Other Appreciations," to be published May 22 and to be featured in a future Navy Reads post.

NPR published an excerpt that brings forth more John McCain found haiku, and in the classic form – bringing forth nature themes:

I'd like to go back

to our valley ... see the creek

run after the rain

cottonwoods whisper

in the wind ... smell rose scented

breeze and feel the sun

I want to watch the

hawks hunt from the sycamore

and then take my leave

Hear the truth, passion and peace in McCain's words and voice. 

McCain's memoirs show how much he revered his grandfather, respected his father and loves his mother, Roberta. He feels especially close to his mom. 

Happy Mother's Day 2018.

John McCain and his mother, Roberta, on NBC's Meet the Press in 2007.

Coach K on Dean Smith: 'Integrity, Honor, Purpose'

Duke University issued a statement from Coach Mike Krzysewski today on the death of Coach Dean Smith, former coach of the University of North Carolina and one of the greatest coaches of all time:

“I am incredibly saddened to hear of the passing of Coach Dean Smith. We have lost a man who cannot be replaced. He was one of a kind and the sport of basketball lost one of its true pillars. Dean possessed one of the greatest basketball minds, and was a magnificent teacher and tactician. While building an elite program at North Carolina, he was clearly ahead of his time in dealing with social issues. However, his greatest gift was his unique ability to teach what it takes to become a good man. That was easy for him to do because he was a great man himself. All of his players benefited greatly from his basketball teachings, but even more from his ability to help mold men of integrity, honor and purpose. Those teachings, specifically, will live forever in those he touched. We offer our deepest sympathies – and gratitude for sharing his incredible life with us for so long – to Linnea, his children and the entire North Carolina family.”

In his "Leading with the Heart," Coach K mentions what it was like coming up as a young coach in the shadow of Smith. Krzyzewski writes about his friendship with the late Coach Jim Valvano of North Carolina State and shares an anecdote about how he and Valvano played a gentle prank on Coach Dean Smith at a stodgy Atlantic Coast Conference. 

("Leading with the Heart" is on the CNO's Professional Reading list.)

All three coaches shared a common trait for success: being "very passionate about what we did," in Coach K's words.

Smith (1931-2015) is remembered for his national championships, his leadership strategies and his stand for civil rights as early as the 1940s. 

Navy Reads featured a commentary about Coach Smith and Coach Red Auerbach last year in "March Madness – Coach Reads."

March Madness -- Coach Reads

by Bill Doughty

"Did I ever tell you about..."

That's how Red Auerbach's "Let Me Tell You a Story" opens, with one chapter devoted to his years in the Navy during World War II. Auerbach, son of a Russian emigrant, joined in 1943.  

Lt. j.g. Arnold "Red" Auerbach in WWII.

He did physical training at Great Lakes and served in Norfolk alongside fellow Sailors Phil Rizzuto and Yogi Berra before being assigned as a rehabilitation officer at Bethesda Naval Hospital where, in addition to his other duties, he played and coached basketball.

Auerbach was never assigned overseas. For a while he coached basketball for NFL football players.  "In those days, professional athletes needed to supplement their income during the off-season. The (Washington) Redskins, the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants had formed basketball teams, and they traveled around the East Coast playing one another."

John Feinstein, co-author with Auerbach, writes in "Let Me Tell You a Story," "The greatest coach in basketball history began his professional career coaching football players at basketball."

Bill Russell and Coach Auerbach in 1964.

After the war his coaching career jumped from coaching high school and off-season NFL players to calling plays for the Washington Capitols and then leading the dynasty of the Boston Celtics.

How did he achieve greatness as a coach? Auerbach writes:

"Coaching is simple: you need good players who are good people. You have that, you win. You don't have that, you can be the greatest coach who ever lived and you aren't going to win."

Other great coaches discussed in "Story" include: Rick Pitino, Mike Krzyzewski, John Thompson, Phil Jackson, Bobby Knight and Dean Smith.

Dean Smith played for the University of Kansas on the 1952 national championship team. He became an assistant coach for the Air Force Academy under Coach Bob Spear, a former Naval Academy Coach. Smith's big break came when he joined the coaching staff at the University of North Carolina, where he would coach Michael Jordan among other basketball greats.

In "A Coach's Life" Coach Smith outlines his core values for success:

"Our philosphy at North Carolina was clear from day one. Each year we had the same goals: (1) Play together; (2) play hard; (3) Play smart. Together meant unselfishly, hard meant with effort, and smart meant with proper execution."

He was inspired by Ernest Hemingway, who when someone asked him how to learn how to write, said, "by writing every day."

Michael Jordan and Coach Smith, 1980.

Smith said he built the success of his program on training and practice and compassion, and he shares leadership advice:

"A demanding teacher is quick to praise action that deserves praise, but will criticize the act, not the person. The coach's job is to be part servant in helping the player reach his goals ... To me the players get the wins, and I got the losses. Caring for one another and building relationships should be the most important goal, no matter what vocation you are in."

"A Coach's Life" by Dean Smith with John Kilgo and Sally Jenkins is rich with wisdom and insight about life and basketball. Smith discusses the impact of World War II and the turmoil of the 1960s.

Books that tie coaching and leadership are almost their own genre. These are just a couple of examples for another March Madness weekend -- one in which Stanford just upset #2 Kansas.

Another coaching leadership book worth picking up is Jerry Lynch's "Creative Coaching: New Ways to Maximize Athlete and Team Potential in All Sports."

A master of the Final Four -- Coach Dean Smith.

Unlike the biographies of Auerbach and Smith in this blogpost, "Creative Coaching" is promoted as "a strategic handbook" to maximize performance.

This book offers core values and principles from coaches like Chris Weller, head coach of women's basketball at the University of Maryland ("courageous, fearless"), Phil Jackson ("maintain humility") and John Thompson of Georgetown ("compassionate"). The book explores how to develop trust, discipline, team intelligence, loyalty and commitment.

"Creative Coaching" is dedicated by the author: "To Dean Smith, the quintessential Creative coach with a teacher's heart."

Navy SEALs, Pixar, Spurs and Storied Cultures

Review by Bill Doughty

Former Marine Al Haynes had the controls of United Airlines 232 out of Denver heading for Chicago when he and first engineer and flight engineer heard an explosion – the tail engine had blown. "Shrapnel had sliced the main and backup hydraulic control lines through which the pilots operated the rudder, ailerons, and wing flaps." The pilots could not fly the plane and seemingly could not land.

Tail section of the DC-10 after UA-232 crashed July 10,, 1989.

The plane danced and porpoised thousands of feet each minute, wobbling above Iowa. Attendants moved through the cabin and tried to restore calm. In the cockpit Haynes and his first officer wrestled with controls, fighting a complete hydraulic failure.

Fortunately for the crew and passengers (185 people in all), United pilot trainer Denny Fitch happened to be aboard. He offered his help: "Tell me what you want, and I'll help you." Captain Haynes welcomed his and others' input: "Anybody have any ideas?" The team communicated in short bursts, called notifications.

The open, honest communication and willingness to express vulnerability built a team able to tackle the unbelievable challenge they faced. "They chose routes, calculated descent rates, prepared for evacuation, and even cracked jokes." Through it all, Captain Haynes remained calm and cool.

As they attempted to land Flight 232, "A wingtip dipped and dug into the runway, sending the plane into a fiery cartwheel. The crash was terrible, but 185 people survived, including the entire crew. Some walked out of the wreckage into a cornfield. The survival of so many passengers was termed a miracle."

This chicken-skin true story of an event that occurred nearly 30 years ago is one of several great stories and numerous examples presented in "The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups" by Daniel Coyle (Bantam Books, 2018). The stories reinforce Coyle's points.

"What matters is telling the story. We tend to use the word 'story' casually, as if stories and narratives were ephemeral decorations for some unchanging underlying reality. The deeper neurological truth is that stories do not cloak reality but create it, triggering cascades of perception and motivation. The proof is in brain scans: When we hear a fact, a few isolated areas of our brain light up, translating words and meanings. When we hear a story, however, our brain lights up like Las Vegas, tracing the chains of cause, effect, and meaning. Stories are not just stories, they are the best invention ever created for delivering mental models that drive behavior."

Coyle's great examples and the quality of his storytelling show not only how one person can make a difference, but also how a group can come together to excel. He discovers and shares how to foster trust, keep people close, make connections and build belonging in a group. He reveals why it's important for leaders to be humble, honest, gracious and good listeners.

Examples include NBA coach Greg Popovich of the San Antonio Spurs and NCAA coaches John Wooden (UCLA) and Mike Krzyzewski (Duke). Coyle references former USS Benfold CO Michael Abrashoff, author of "It's Your Ship," who made a concerted effort to listen to every crew member and get their perspectives and suggestions. We are reminded of the Johnson & Johnson Tylenol crisis and how a corporation responded correctly to a crisis by sticking to its credo to always do the right thing: Core values.

Coach Greg Popovich (second row, second from left) and San Antonio Spurs visit with staff and Wounded Warriors at Brooke Army Hospital, Oct. 21, 2015.

Coyle compares the cultures of two seemingly related groups, Air Force Minuteman missileers and Navy submariners aboard nuclear-powered submarines.

The missileers "are part of a system designed in the late 1940s by General Curtis LeMay, a larger-than-life figure..." Coyle rolls out a litany of failures over the past decade-plus. "Everyone agrees that missileer culture is broken," he writes.

"It's useful to contrast the missileers' dysfunctional culture with that of their navy counterparts who work in nuclear submarines. At first glance, the two groups seem roughly similar: Both spend vast amounts of time isolated from the rest of society, both are tasked with memorizing and executing tedious protocols, and both are oriented toward Cold War nuclear deterrence missions whose time has passed. Where they differ, however, is in the density of the belonging cues in their respective environments. Sailors in submarines have close physical proximity, take cpart in purposeful activity (global patrols that include missions beyond deterrence), and are part of a career pathway that can lead to the highest positions in the navy. Perhaps as a result, the nuclear submarine fleet has thus far mostly avoided the kinds of problems that plague the missileers, and in many cases have developed high-performing cultures."

Leaders must understand the importance of trust and proximity to achieve group cohesion, creativity and toughness. Good organizations value their history, heritage and artifacts.

SEAL training in TRIDENT 18-4 July 7.  (Photo bySSgt Corban Lundborg)

Coyle talks to Navy SEALs and Pixar executives and shows how their common approaches to building teams and creating the right environment contribute to mission success. "Showing fallibility is crucial." "Support, save, trust, listen." "Rank switched off, humility switched on."

This book is filled with military and civilian stories of how to build and maintain a team in order to meet a mission.

WWII veterans of USS Indiana (BB 58) salute at commissioning of Navy's 16th Virginia-Class fast-attack submarine USS Indiana (SSN 789), Sept. 29. 

Retired Navy SEAL CO Rich Diviney, director of outreach for the Barry-Wehmiller Leadership Institute, endorses "The Culture Code," saying, "Daniel Coyle has a gift for demystifying elite performance and breaking it down into empirical facts. This book is indispensable for anyone looking to lead, built, or find and elite culture."