Leading with the Heart by Coach K

In Coach K's book, Leading With the Heart, Coach K applies trait theories when selecting his team. In chapter two, he discusses the topic of talent. He looks for "really good, smart people that want to be a part of my organization." He tries to hire people that he knows to be good character-wise, even though they may not have developed all of the skills necessary for the particular position. Coach K looks for people that have the traits usually seen in leaders, and then trains them for the jobs. Coach K also applies situational theories to his leadership philosophy. He changes his leadership style every season that he coaches at Duke. He realizes that different situations call for different styles of leadership. Coach K. states that "leadership is ongoing, adjustable, flexible, and dynamic." And he also states that he acts differently towards his team each season because his team is different each season. He also applies these theories in chapter eight when he discusses coaching by feel. He talks about having to read the player's faces before speaking or judging by the looks in their eyes that they are ready to play. He does this on a case by case basis. He judges the situation before he decides how to act. Another quote from Coach K that applies to this theory is: "leadership, like basketball, is a game of adjustments. If a leader is too structured, he'll be unable to adjust quickly – unable to seize the moment with decisiveness and creativity." He also states that "every leader has to look ahead at the entire season. They have to plan and prepare for every phase, and then remain flexible when things don't go exactly according to plan. Every long term strategy must be adjustable and people on the team must be prepared accordingly." Transformational theories can be found in Coach K's leadership approaches as well. Transformational leadership is the process which leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of morality and motivation. Coach K states,