How Coach K Wins Consistently By Adapting To His People

The following post was borrowed from Sanyin Siang at Forbes.com via Bob Starkey.

Coach K combines discipline and a consistent approach to the skills and fundamentals of winning along with leveraging the most important asset in his organization - his people. 

All good coaches do a great job of teaching the fundamentals and teaching the game itself.  The great coaches understand the importance, and unpredictability, of managing your people.  

Coach K still uses many of the same drills he used as the head coach at West Point years ago, but he also knows how to adapt, not only to his people's technical capabilities, but also to their range of talents, passions, how they can grow, and how they relate to one another.

Simply put, Coach K understands that just as much, if not more important than the 'basketball' is the importance on understanding that each person is different, with different personalities, learning styles, and agendas for playing basketball.  He does everything he can to teach the skills and fundamentals of the game while also paying respect to the different people and personalities that he has to lead.

"As a leader, it’s up to you to adapt to the people you have the privilege of leading,” he tells us. “Adapting is a word we hear all the time and usually it’s in the context of, ‘let’s get all the stats up and analyze the numbers.  And we are going to adapt to where the market is, where the business is, and where things are going.’  But not many leaders adapt to the people who are going to something with the numbers.  Who are they, what are they going through, and do you get their input for ideas?  At the end of the day, we lead people, not bottom lines.”

Underscoring this emphasis on people assets is bringing the right people on-board – those with the right values and cultural fit – which is a hallmark of Coach K’s leadership.