Leadership as Layup? Lessons from Basketball

Last October, Tim Jeffries, chief operating officer of a small Scottsdale, Ariz., firm that develops and markets mobile accessories, found himself in an unlikely place in search of management tips: Cameron Indoor Stadium, home of Duke University’s men’s basketball team.

On the hardwood floor, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski ran a fast-paced, high-spirited practice, alternately running drills and taking his players aside for eye-to-eye talks.

In the stands, a group of 150 executives watched intently, invited there by Mr. Krzyzewski himself as part of the third annual Coach K & Fuqua School of Business Conference on Leadership. Mr. Jeffries, 42, was impressed not only by how hard Mr. Krzyzewski worked to convey his game plan, but also how hard he seemed to be working to build trust, which Mr. Jeffries sees as a key to success.

"I see my job within the scope of a team," he says.

By Thaddeus Herrick

From The Wall Street Journal Online

Full Story: http://www.careerjournal.com/myc/management/20050321-herrick.html?cjcontent=mail