February 15, 2025
Coach K
Playing to Win
We unlocked the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court, with one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time.
“Agility, adaptability, and accountability—those lead to a winning attitude. You can have that in a family, in an organization, in a city, and it doesn’t cost a darn thing.”
Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski
PLAYING TO WIN
February 15, 2025
“Agility, adaptability, and accountability—those lead to a winning attitude. You can have that in a family, in an organization, in a city, and it doesn’t cost a darn thing.”
If there is one thing Mike Krzyzewski, better known as “Coach K,” knows, it’s a winning attitude. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time, having led the Duke University Blue Devils to 13 Final Fours—the most of any coach in the game—and five national titles, as well as bringing home three Olympic gold medals with the United States national team.
Speaking to a packed audience at The Richmond Forum on February 15, 2025, Coach K reflected on all he has learned from his celebrated coaching career and revealed the game plan to drive any team to success, whether on or off the court.
“A lot of people feel a good leader is someone who solves problems. That’s a good leader. That’s not a great leader. A great leader is somebody who never has those problems,” Krzyzewski said. “The preparation to win is more important than the will to win.”
He shared several stories about how he prepared the U.S. national team for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, a group often referred to as “The Redeem Team,” with anecdotes about some of the biggest names in basketball: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Jason Kidd. With a star lineup of “alpha dogs” coming together to represent the nation, the team’s managing director, Jerry Colangelo, told the players to “leave their egos at the door.” Krzyzewski disagreed.
“My two standards have always been: We look each other in the eye, and we tell each other the truth immediately. If we do that, we build trust.”
– Mike “COach K” Krzyzewski
“Why would I want them to be less of who they are?” he asked. “Bring your egos in.”
He told the A-listers to put all their egos together under the “ego umbrella” of Team USA. “If we do that, we’ll beat everyone in the world.” They did—not just that year, but for three Olympics in a row. In Krzyzewski’s eyes, confidence inspires confidence, and “talent makes talent better.” He certainly has the gold medals to back it up.
While Coach K’s legacy has earned him many fans over the years, he and the Duke men’s basketball team haven’t always been beloved by all. “People don’t like people that win a lot, unless they’re your team,” Krzyzewski laughed. He added that the Blue Devils saw a great deal of fanfare in the 1980s and ’90s, but as their trophy case filled, their public support waned.
“I just always wanted to be worthy of winning. It means you put in the preparation necessary to win.” The times when Coach K was the toughest on his team were when they may have won, but he didn’t believe they were worthy of the victory because they did not live up to their core values: integrity, respect, courage, selfless service, duty, loyalty, and trust.
Having coached hundreds of players across multiple decades and generations, those values remain the same, but the way he communicates them has changed. Not only have attention spans gotten shorter and learning styles evolved, but the climate of collegiate basketball is vastly different today than when Krzyzewski entered the profession.
With the NCAA transfer portal and name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals now positioning student-athletes more like professionals, Krzyzewski is wary about the direction the sport is taking. “The intended consequences are all good—freedom of movement and athlete [compensation],” he said. “But because it wasn’t put under a certain structure of transparency and governance, it’s just kind of run wild.”
For Krzyzewski, the solution lies in leadership—just as it always has. He believes the NCAA must step up to establish a clearer, more sustainable framework for college basketball. “We’re in bad shape,” he said, pointing to rising attrition rates among coaches, including the University of Virginia’s Tony Bennett. “This is the time for change.”
Coach K’s philosophy offers a blueprint: agility, adaptability, and accountability. “Accountability is meeting the truth head-on,” he said, reinforcing the values that defined his career. “My two standards have always been: We look each other in the eye, and we tell each other the truth immediately. If we do that, we build trust.” And in any game—on the court or in life—trust is the foundation of every championship team.
Continuing the Conversation
Coach K believes that “when you first assemble a group, it’s not a team right off the bat.” A coach must foster that spirit and commitment. What group have you been a part of that best embodied team spirit? What do you think contributed to that strength?
According to Coach K, “People want to be on a team. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves.” One way of creating that bigger picture is through traditions. What traditions or rituals make you feel connected to a group, team, or organization you are a part of?
Coach K says he tries “to create a legacy that binds the past to the present.” What do you do to build a legacy as an individual, family, or company?
After playing for the U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball team, Kobe Bryant said, “With Coach K’s leadership, we learned that playing for the U.S. is greater than playing for us.” Who has been an iconic coach or leader in your life? What made them so impactful?
“I heard it was tough to get drinking water here.”
Coach K opened “Playing to Win” with an offering for Mayor Danny Avula. “You know, you come to dinner and you bring a gift, right?” Krzyzewski laughed as he extended out a large bottle of water.
He added some key leadership advice. “You haven’t been in office long enough for them not to like you,” he said. “Don’t disappoint them.”
“The GOAT did not disappoint. Loved the lessons in leadership from USMA to Duke to Team USA. That’s a lifetime of learning right there on that stage. Awesome program.”
– Subscriber Survey Comment
About Coach K
Passionate, dynamic, and inspiring, Mike Krzyzewski (better known as Coach K) served Duke University’s men’s basketball team for more than 40 years and led Team USA to three Olympic gold medals. He is a master motivator of teams, individuals, and organizations, spurring them to succeed beyond their expectations.
A member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Coach K is perhaps the most accomplished basketball coach in history. His unparalleled journey has inspired others to compile winning numbers in their own professional and personal lives.
A 12-time National Coach of the Year, Coach K was named Sports Illustrated’s 2011 “Sportsman of the Year” and has been honored seven times with the USA Basketball National Coach of the Year Award. He is the only men’s coach to win gold medals at the Olympics and FIBA Basketball World Cup while possessing at least one NCAA Championship (he has five).
He has authored two New York Times bestsellers, including “Beyond Basketball: Coach K’s Keywords for Success.” His most recent book is “The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team.”
In 2004, he co-founded the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics at Duke University, which has influenced the leadership development of more than 6,500 MBA students and executives. He now serves as a professor of the practice of leadership at the university’s Fuqua School of Business.
Coach K founded the Emily Krzyzewski Center in Durham, North Carolina, which has served more than 7,500 students. He has served on the board of directors at the V Foundation for Cancer Research since its inception in 1993. He and his wife Mickie also host the V Foundation Wine Celebration in Napa Valley, an annual event that has raised tens of millions of dollars in the fight against cancer.
Additional Resources
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The Final March of Coach K
ESPN
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The Redeem Team
Olympics.com
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Mike Krzyzewski on Caitlin Clark
Hawkeyes Wire
A Tribute to COach K’s career
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