The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team

In this invaluable book, Mike Krzyzewski, "Coach K," succinctly reveals his leadership secrets—insights that can (and should!) be applied to any organization. On the way, he tells you how he and LeBron, Kobe, Carmelo, Jason, Dwyane, and the rest of the NBA stars of Team USA established a set of standards to become something larger than themselves and bring home Olympic gold. But Coach K doesn't give you a recipe or formula. His approach—proven to be successful on and off the court–is deeper than that. In The Gold Standard, he urges all leaders to take the time to embrace these and her ideas:

Establish standards: "Rules don't promote teamwork, standards do."

Cultivate leadership: "Great teams have multiple leaders."

Adapt internally: "Every single person on the team must adapt."

Self-assess: "You should always want to find ways to get better."

Stay motivated: "Bringing about positive emotions and harnessing the energy they create is the essence of motivation."

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 personalrivalries 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.

Mike Krzyzewski Coaching Phenom: Back-to-back NCAA national championships, seven Final Fours, and one of the most successful basketball programs in the nation are all accomplishments of Duke's head basketball coach.

Donald T. Phillips is the author of six books, including Lincoln on Leadership, The Founding Fathers on Leadership, and Martin Luther King, Jr., on Leadership. He lives in Fairview, Texas, where he currently serves as mayor.

On Leadership™is a trademark of Donald T. Phillips