In the NCAA Tournament, every player must lay his heart on the court for his team to have a shot at making it to the championship. Each team trains relentlessly to acquire the athleticism, endurance, communication and teamwork skills required to take home the trophy, but no team can achieve this without the strong leadership of its coaches.
The head coaches leading the teams in the upcoming Final Four games — Mike Krzyzewski of the Duke Blue Devils, Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans, John Calipari of the Kentucky Wildcats and Bo Ryan of the Wisconsin Badgers — each know what it takes to lead a team through high-stress, highly competitive circumstances. Their strategies for selecting, developing, challenging and motivating players through high-stakes games resonate with those of healthcare leaders guiding their systems through a period of complex change.
The following quotes on leadership and teamwork come from the Final Four coaches.
Duke Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski. Mr. Krzyzewski, or Coach K, serves as the U.S. men's national basketball team's head coach in addition to his duties at Duke. This year marks his 29th season leading the Blue Devils. During his tenure, Coach K has been named National Coach of the Year 12 times. In 2001, he was named America's Best Coach by Time magazine and CNN, and that same year he was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
"Communication does not always occur naturally, even among a tight-knit group of individuals. Communication must be taught and practiced in order to bring everyone together as one." — Mr. Krzyzewski
"When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you!" — Mr. Krzyzewski
"During critical periods, a leader is not allowed to feel sorry for himself, to be down, to be angry, or to be weak. Leaders must beat back these emotions." — Mr. Krzyzewski
"Every leader needs to remember that a healthy respect for authority takes time to develop. It's like building trust. You don’t instantly have trust, it has to be earned." — Mr. Krzyzewski
Michigan State Spartans coach Tom Izzo. Mr. Izzo has served as the Spartans' head coach for the last 19 years. With a career record of 468-187, he knows how to win. Throughout his tenure, Mr. Izzo has led the team to winning the 2000 NCAA National Championships, as well as seven regular-season Big Ten Championships, four Big Ten Tournament titles and six Final Four appearances. He has been named National Coach of the Year eight times.
"It's been great that guys have bought into something, and I think that's what they've bought into, the team concept of defense, helping one another, knowing they're not good enough individually, but collectively, they've done an incredible job," Mr. Izzo told CBS Detroit.
"Sooner or later, you have to stand up and get something done. They're always hearing about what their predecessors did, but I told them [before the game], this is your chance to do something your predecessors haven't done." — Mr. Izzo
"I haven't always recruited for the best talent. I've taken a few guys who would fit for different reasons — leadership, toughness." — Mr. Izzo
Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari. In his 22-year college basketball coaching career, Mr. Calipari, more commonly referred to as Coach Cal, has guided five teams to the NCAA Final Four, led one to a national championship and trained 31 players who made it to the NBA. Currently, Coach Cal is in his sixth year coaching the Kentucky Wildcats. During his inaugural season, Coach Cal marked his fifth straight 30-win season — the only coach in NCAA Division I history to do so.
"Do you understand if you’re going to lead, you’re going to serve?" — Mr. Calipari
"Institutions serve people, not the other way around. So as a servant-leader, I measure my success by the success of those whom I’m serving." — From Mr. Calipari's book "Players First"
"Part of coaching is acting. It’s true of any kind of leadership, whether you’re a CEO, an army general, or a father. Part of the job is that you don’t reveal your own apprehensions." — From "Players First"
"If you’re a coach who truly respects the profession, you have to allow yourself to be coached." — From "Players First"
Wisconsin Badgers coach Bo Ryan. Since becoming head coach in 2001, Mr. Ryan has led the Badgers through more than 700 wins and 17 championships. He is the recipient of numerous conference and national coach of the year accolades. This year marks Mr. Ryan's 31st season as a head coach, and his 14th at Wisconsin.
"I recruit hungry kids, kids that love the game and want to get better and feel they have more questions than answers. It is very hard to find, but we've got 'em," Mr. Ryan told USA Today in 2013.
"When they walk away from the experience, I just want guys to say 'I learned a lot about the game. I learned a lot about life through the game,'" Mr. Ryan told Rolling Stone magazine.
"These guys have been through a lot. They’ve seen the good runs. They’ve seen the bad runs. But this group never gets discouraged to the point where they get down on themselves or their teammates, and that's what's fun," Mr. Ryan said during the round of 32 game against Oregon.
"I'm still waiting for perfection. In the meantime, I'll settle for persistence" — Mr. Ryan