How Coach K Motivates USA Basketball

A Lesson In Changing/Establishing Culture

"When it's time to change the culture of a team, your players have to hear it, see it and understand what you're trying to do," said Krzyzewski, the coach of the U.S. national team since 2005. "But to really make change stick"—and when he describes this, he drags out the word really—"they have to feel it.

"To do that," he said, "you have to create moments."

"We knew we had ask our players for a new level of commitment than was expected previously and we had to get them to realize we weren't going to win international competitions doing things as we had," said USA Basketball national team managing director Jerry Colangelo. "We needed them to see themselves not as basketball players but as representatives of our country, doing our service, our piece. We had to get them to feel patriotism and selfless service."

"I think we've helped our players become better people, better players and take this culture back to the teams they play for in the NBA," the longtime NBA owner and executive said. "You leave these 'moments' feeling a lot different about life, about priorities and you're just better for having felt that way."

Read the entire article at the Wall Street Journal:
http://online.wsj.com/articles/how-coach-k-motivates-usa-basketball-1410474885#