The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team [Hardcover]

Mike Krzyzewski (Author), Jamie K. Spatola (Contributor)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2009

Says Coach K: "In all forms of leadership, whether you are a coach, a CEO, or a parent, there are four words that, when said, can bring out the best in your team, your employees, and your family...I BELIEVE IN YOU.

These four words can mean the difference between a fear of failure and the courage to try."

In his previous bestselling books, Coach K has guided readers to success the way he has guided his teams at Duke University - - with the power of his inspirational words and phenomenal leadership skills.

But that was with college kids.....Now, Coach K has stepped up to take on an entirely new challenge - by volunteering to coach the US Olympic Basketball team. Comprised of some of the biggest NBA stars, Coach K had to work with huge egos and personal rivalries in order to create an American team that could win against the best competition in the world and restore Team USA to the gold standard of basketball.

This is more than a celebratory book - it's Coach K's first-hand account of how he dealt with such stars as Lebron James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and all the rest to buy into his "total team" play. Half a book on basketball, half a book on management techniques, THE GOLD STANDARD captures Coach K's personal style and approach to getting different (and sometimes difficult) people to work hard and succeed in reaching a common goal.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The U.S. reasserted its dominance over the basketball world by winning the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Krzyzewski, with an unquestioned track record as the head coach at Duke, was chosen to lead the team. His challenge was to adapt the coaching methods that worked so well with college kids to a team of NBA superstars. The naysayers felt no one could rein in the egos of millionaire NBA stars, but Coach K obviously succeeded. In his telling of the tale, the egos weren’t an issue. To a man, the players sublimated their games to the needs of the team. If anything, Krzyzewski had to guard against excess deference. Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s premier scorer, for example, was so determined to prove his unselfishness that, in an early scrimmage, he did not take a single shot. Krzyzewski relates his team-building techniques, offers numerous anecdotes about the players, and provides insightful commentary on the key games. This is not a great book, but it will serve as the definitive account of the U.S.’s climb back to the top of the international basketball mountain. --Wes Lukowsky

About the Author

MIKE KRZYZEWSKI has been the basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils for twenty-seven years, winning three NCAA championships and twelve national Coach of the Year awards. He is revered and respected by sports fans and business leaders everywhere. Coach K lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina.

JAMIE K. SPATOLA is a graduate of Duke University, where she majored in English. She is also one of Coach K's daughters.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Business Plus; 1 edition (April 6, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0446544078
• ISBN-13: 978-0446544078
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 0.9 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #500,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Sports & Outdoors > Basketball > Coaching

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I liked It and Here's Why.., May 1, 2009

By 

Michael Gooch "Management Consultant-HR" (Washington, Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team (Hardcover)

I like the book. As a corporate director of human resources, I am continually looking at various books for business and leadership advice. More often than not, I find the real gold nuggets embedded not in management books but tomes covering a wide array of genres. For me, this is one of those books. Most management books are simply repackaged repeats of the same drivel so we must look outside of own arena.

Yes it is almost entirely related to basketball and a bit ego-stroking but that is okay. In addition, when Mike Krzyzewski does delve into managerial advice, it is obvious he "knows not of what he speaks". Nevertheless, there are many management lessons that we can take from the book if we will look at the base content. My favorite chapters were:

* Time to understand context
* Time to cultivate leadership
* Time to adapt internally

If a person can forge an entire group of ego-maniacs into a cohesive team, then I am willing to listen and hopefully learn.

For those who like relating sports to business, I would suggest reading Phil Jackson's book, Sacred Hoops: Spiritual Lessons of a Hardwood Warrior There is a certain Zen flakiness to it but then again we are looking for those nuggets.

I hope you find this review helpful

Michael L. Gooch, SPHR - Author of
Wingtips with Spurs

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The inner story..., June 2, 2009

By 

Randy Brown - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team (Hardcover)

This book by Coach Krzyzewski is a very good read about Basketball and the Olympics. But, it was the inner story that I found fascinating.
There is a short episode about Colonel Brown and a few soldiers he brought to talk to the Olympic team. Injured soldiers. Heroes.
This was remarkable. Just remarkable.

The book was well written and interesting, but the inner story about the soldiers and this Colonel was incredible.

It shows Coach K's humanity and his kindness, and it shows the courage that these soldiers live with every day.

Well worth the time.
Randy

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Interesting and informative!, May 3, 2009

By 

M. Frasher (Santa Monica, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team (Hardcover)

As a basketball fan, I found this book to be an interesting, in-depth look at the 2008 gold-winning Olympic basketball team...the team that brought honor back to USA basketball.

As a teacher, I found this book to be informative about team-building, bringing people together to achieve a common goal.

A great read!