The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team

by Mike Krzyzewski, Jamie K. Spatola (Primary Contributor)

Says Coach "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 personal rivalries 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.

Genres: Sports, Leadership, Nonfiction, Basketball, History, Business, Self Help

256 pages, Hardcover

First published March 19, 2009

About the author

Mike Krzyzewski has been the basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils for twenty-seven years, winning three NCAA championships and twelve national Coach of the Year awards. He is revered and respected by sports fans and business leaders everywhere. Coach K. lives with his family in Durham, North Carolina.

Reviews

[John · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring, repetitive, wanted to read more about the players and games, not feel like I'm taking a class

[Jay Hennessey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on Teamwork!

I really enjoyed coach K’s insight and perspective on building a team from the ground up and taking them through the paces to win the Olympic Gold.

It was fascinating to read how deliberate coach K worked to build his team - co-creating standards, communication, trust. Knowing that the character of each man mattered as much as his talent.

I recommend this book to leaders at every level - especially coaches and veteran players. The insights that coach K provides are great reminders for players and leaders to be deliberate and not miss opportunities to build and strengthen the team.

I especially enjoyed many of the practice and pre-game rituals, as well as empowering players to have the space to lead.

One of my favorite insights from this book is during the championship game, playing against Spain for the Gold. With a tight score and a few minutes on the clock, USA calls a timeout. In this moment, i was expecting coach K to explain a well timed strategy - but instead, he tells the team, “go out there and play ball.”

[Rick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had trouble finishing this book. I was actually reading the hard copy and most of the information provided I have read many times before.

[Diego Leal · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was better than I expected. His principles creating a great Olympic team can be easily translated into creating teams in the business world.

Building a world class team, like the US Olympic Basketball Team, requires time . . .
TIME TO CHOOSE YOUR PEOPLE:
*Find people that share your core values—for Coach K ,he wants players unified on defense
*Before you can teach X’s & O’s you have to decide who the X’ and O’s are

TIME TO UNDERSTAND CONTEXT:
*Look at the game from other points of view
*Don’t wait until failure to analyze where you stand
*Never preclude players who have had past failures

TIME TO GAIN PERSPECTIVE:
*There’s always something bigger than you - find it
*Engage the body, mind and spirit—there’s shared achievement when you share all three
*Use guest speakers to explain concepts at a deeper level

TIME TO FORM RELATIONSHIPS:
*Relationships are based on communication—talk is contagious
*Based on honesty—no surprises in pressure situations
*Become teachers of each other—the talent of another should not be a threat, it’s an opportunity
*Bonding occurs in meetings, practices, and off the court
*Use humor to regain focus
*Daily meetings: prior to practice, both formal and informal, to put business first
*Seek out at least three players each day to have meaningful interaction with

TIME TO DEVELOP A SUPPORT SYSTEM:
*When you feel alone, you act alone
*Family, friends, and staff bring confidence that you can take to the team
*Include your support members in the pursuit of your message—group ownership of success

TIME TO ESTABLISH STANDARDS:
*Rules don’t promote teamwork, standards do (THIS WAS MY FAVORITE POINT)
*Develop a collective acceptance of standard– everyone must own them
*Be secure enough to change plans—not all good ideas come from the top
*Set the goal every day to gain acceptance of vision
*Define the gold standards—Team USA had fifteen (care, enthusiasm, trust, communication, etc.)

TIME TO CULTIVATE LEADERSHIP:
*Discover the voices of leadership within the group
*Utilize multiple voices to extend the attention span of the group
*Don’t be intimidated by the talents of other leaders amongst your team

TIME TO LEARN THE LANGUAGE:
*Determine a standard vocabulary that everyone understands
*Make an effort to understand players’ previously learned languages

TIME TO PRACTICE:
*The way you practice sets the tone for how you play
*Players improve when internal competition is created during practice
*Every practice plan should be different
*Review practice immediately
*Identify your competitive advantage and stress it every practice
*Plan should be flexible—adjust as needed and allow practice to be fluid
*Stress talking and communicating between teammates
*Don’t expect to accommodate everyone’s needs—some skills by players must improve on their own!
*When a practice doesn't go well, fix it by being honest and telling the truth to your team

TIME FOR SELF-ASSESSMENT:
*Assess both on the team level and individual level
*Always find ways to get better-be flexible and willing to improvise
*Failure requires you to re-evaluate
*Communicate with your self and refuse to tell yourself lies

TIME TO GET MOTIVATED:
*Don’t hope it occurs, actively work on a daily basis
*Takes time and preparation
*Use creativity and imagination
*It’s OK to form new traditions that define your team
*Establish your message
*Be aware of what your team looks like from trusted outside sources
*As a leader, be ready to go all the time
*Motivate your best players as well as your worst

[Jeremy Cork · Rating 5 out of 5]

DONE - finally! Discusses leadership from a different point of view - USA Basketball. This is the story talks about the ins and outs of the journey of Team USA's quest for the Gold Medal during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Reading the papers, the USA Mens basketball looks like any other team, but Coach K. delves deep into leadership strategy, teambuilding, and the importance of relationships and mentors as essential to any successful team or organization. As always, Coach K is extremely classy and carries himself as a tremendous leader.

[Tulga G · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, Coach has explained his steps that built World-class team of USA, winning a gold medal again in Olympics 2008. It was revival moment in 2008 for Team USA that a team was named "Redeem team" because on last two international stages, they
had won a bronze medal each time in Olympics 2004 and 2006 FIBA World Championship.
Second, Beside basketball, it was a great reading material for management as choosing people for team, facing adversities together, bringing leaders in different areas for one common goal.
Third, I loved reading dialogues and speeches of Kobe Bryant, an idol of me.

[Billy Anighoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great book. Coach K’s desire for this book was to give insight into building team culture through storytelling and it was an excellent project to say the least. I enjoyed every chapter of this book and would highly recommend this book to any leader in any field. I really loved his transparency on his shortcomings as a leader in this book. Coach K does a really good job in showing his humanity and the that as well of the 2008 USA basketball team. Again great book.

[Ana • Apothecary of Stories · Rating 5 out of 5]

My team and I read a lot of leadership books - this was top notch. It is written in a way that allows the reader to understand these leadership concepts is an easy way. We were able to enter some great discussions after ready each chapter.

I also loved all of the different moments that Coach K shared with us with some of our favourite players during his time as Head Coach for Team USA. You do not need to be a basketball fan to learn from these principles.

[Marcelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed reading this book! It was written in a captivating format. Instead of straight chronological narrative, it was divided into principles with a description of “moments” that illustrate that principle. Neat way to capture a historical event.

Plus, I learned a bit more about why Coach K is successful.

[Bill · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little bit cliched at times, as most team-building/leadership books are, but overall good. Gave me the desire to watch some really good basketball soon.

[Daniel Mann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating book about Coach K and Team USA!

[Guido Lüdecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Goosebumps

[John Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

As much as I hate Duke, Coach K’s insight into forming a team is likely unmatched by many in sports/business history

[Daniel Ozel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Coach K is a legend

[Anuj · Rating 5 out of 5]

First off, I’m a Duke alum so this review may be a bit biased. This was one of the best practical guides on leadership and team building I’ve read. Business has so much to learn about high performance from sports. Highly recommend for managers coming into, or building a new team.

The book talks about setting team standards and finding ways to unite everyone behind them. I especially enjoyed the parts about building internal leadership, motivation and instilling a sense of purpose. You can have 12 superstars individually. This book helps you develop ways to make them function as one unit and be greater than the sum of their parts.

[Aizuddin Khalid · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read about a proven successful team building technique. Coach K's Gold Standards can be summarized below. But one needs to read the book to briefly walk through the experience of Coach K & the Olympic basketball team executing these golden rules.

The Gold Standards:

1.No Excuses(We have what it takes to win)
2.Great Defense (This is the key to winning Gold)
3.Communication (We tell each other the truth)
4.Trust (We believe in each other)
5.Collective Responsibility (We are committed to one another)
6.Care (We have each other’s back)
7.Respect (We respect each other and our opponents)
8.Intelligence (We know the scouting report)
9.Poise (We show no weakness)
10.Flexibility (We can handle any situation)
11.Unselfishness (We’re connected)
12.Aggressiveness (We play hard every possession)
13.Enthusiasm (This is fun)
14.Performance (We have no bad practices)
15.Pride (We are the best team in the world and we represent our country)

[J.C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Going in I knew this was not going to be a traditional biography. It was going to be a book about leadership using the formation of the 2008 US Olympic Basketball team as an example of how a team gets built, how it defines its goals and aspirations and ultimately how they went about achieving those goals. It was going to be peppered with "moments" Coach K. experienced while working and crafting the team.

As a team building book it is a top notch book full of useful advice and intelligent wisdom. I highly recommend it to anyone struggling with the Team concept in your business life.

As a biography about the team its a bit hollow. Everyone in this book is an amazing selfless person who could do no wrong. Every one from the players to the trainers to support staff at USA basketball sacrificed their time and money and, in the players cases, their ego's in order to do something more meaningful. Yes, all that is great and it is probably a story that needs to be told, this isn't the book that gets the story across. Yes there are some moments where we feel like a "fly on the wall" during this process, but mostly the book doesn't tell a story in any linear narrative type design. It reads more like a really long thank you letter to those individuals who participated. It makes reading the book a bit discombobulating.

One other thing that bothered me: Not a single photograph in the entire book. I understand that this took place during the years 2006-2008 and that the Iphone had just been released in 2007, but cameras were attached to phones long before that, digital cameras were flooding the market at the time. Blackberry's had cameras. Where are all the pictures? Coach K describes in vivid detail the "symbols" that inspired their team to greatness. The uniforms with faded out names on the back so that you understood that this was a team of players not individuals. The elegant box Nike provided for uniforms and shoes to come in that were given to the players in a ceremony at the USA basketball tribute they set up. The logo for USA basketball. The team photo at the Statue of Liberty. Pictures of coaches playing the "scout" team against the NBA's best players. Do you mean to tell me no one took any pictures of these events????

[BrianC · Rating 4 out of 5]

Determined is one word that describes the book I read, The Gold Standard. The Gold Standard is the US National Basketball Team’s Journey from 2006-2008 told by their head coach Mike Krzyzewski. I chose the word determined as one word to describe my book because in the beginning Coach Krzyzewski explains how hard the players are determined to win the gold medal at the world championships in 2006. The team ends up getting the bronze medal.. After the disappointing finish in 2006 the players come back in 2008 more determined than they were in 2006 to make sure this time that they win gold at the 2008 Olympics. The coaching staff was probably more determined than the players. Once Coach Krzyzewski returned back to his coaching duties in 2008, he comes up with better coaching strategies to help his team be more successful. I personally enjoyed reading this book. The text was very clear and understandable. What really fascinated me was reading about how Coach K would describe how the players would get ready for the games. Each player did different things to get ready for each game. I also enjoyed reading about how he interacted with his players at practice and how good of leaders some of them were. A couple times Coach K would go to Lebron James if he thought the team would need to improve on any particular thing. Almost instantly Lebron would gather up the team and tell what coach K thought they needed to improve on. And lastly I enjoyed reading this book because my favorite sport is basketball and reading about basketball teams or any basketball players really catches my interest. I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about a team starting at the bottom, works hard , and in the end the hard work pays off.

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Couldn't put it down. I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did.
I liked the format of the book. Very well done. It is a book about team-building and Coach K uses experiences from coaching the 2008 U.S. Men's Olympic Basketball team. "This book is divided into times and moments, with each chapter devoted to a particular quality of time I feel is vital to team building." There are various qualities: Time to develop a support system, Time to understand context, Time to form relationships, Time to establish standards, etc. Many great stories emphasize the importance of the qualities.
Coach K says for him, his family is his team, and his team is his family. This book is relevant not just for coaches or players, but I feel the same qualities mentioned could be utilized in a family setting, even an individual could benefit in using these qualities. Not all will be applicable, but many are.
It was inspirational. I loved reading about the strong character of many of the players and staff and of the honesty and respect and the bonding that took place over time. I felt such a sense of patriotism as I read this book.
Very glad Coach K shared his knowledge and experiences in this book which is now a favorite of mine.

[Payam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pleasant story on leadership. The author speaks about his experience of coaching the U.S.A Men Basketball team which won gold in the 2008 olympics. He writes about his interaction with others and their struggle to win gold. This accumulates into a fun read. Not particularly an insightful read.

The book lacks in depth in leadership psychology and practical challenges. It does not explain the psyche of the players and of the coach too well. Furthermore, it never speaks negatively of any team members. It makes you believe everyone is a rockstar on the team. Unfortunately, this is never the case in real life. You come to suspect that the author shys away from it to prevent any negative publicity for himself and his team. As such, it does not teach you the difficult moments a leader needs to be aware of.

If you are considering this book, pick it if you like basketball and want a deeper understanding of the game combined with a bit of leadership learning. Otherwise, for pure leadership, you can go elsewhere.

[Rafael W.]

I read this book a while ago and basically this is the story of when the USA basketball team took on the Beijing olympics back in 2008. The book was formally told by their head coach Mike Krzyzewski, he talks about the challenges he faced assembling the team and how the players managed to grow a sacred bond with one another. His mission to establish the Gold Standard started before the year 2008 and he brings in players such as Kobe Bryant ,Lebron James , Chris Paul and many more. Starting off from training camp all the way to the Gold Medal Game, Coach Krzyzewski talks about his experiences being around this group of players and how the country was able to bounce back after a devastating 3rd place lost back in 2004.

[Librtea · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Gold Standard: Building a World-Class Team is at times self-indulgent, but is essentially a well-told story of Team USA’s quest for gold in basketball at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. Written by Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski, the book gives readers a behind-the-scenes look at team building. Coach K writes about himself, members of the team, his philosophy and approach to putting the team together, and details of games played at the Olympics. Coach notes that there are "losers, winners, and champions". This book is none of those things; it is just okay.

[Dale · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was a decent read but different than I expected. I was really more in the mood to read about the big basketball stars and less in the mood to read Krzyzewski's treatise on leadership. Don't get me wrong- Coach is a great leader and deserves to tell his story. I would just rather that the book focused more on the game and players.

With regard to the subject of basketball, I was impressed by the maturity of LeBron James at such a young age. Krzyzewski was very complimentary toward the King.

[GPK · Rating 2 out of 5]

Entertaining memoir of coaching the 2008 Olympic U.S. basketball team. However, the business-related "lessons" appended to the end of each chapter seemed to be thrown in at the last minute - superficial and marginally related to the story. I also found the obligatory acknowledgements throughout the book to the team's various sponsors to be a bit annoying. It would have been a better book as simply a memoir.

[Clayton Tune · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never had a thing for basketball, but taking leadership from one of the most successful coaches in basketball and in this country is what makes this book. Very much enjoyed the journey Coach K and his team made to win the Gold in 2008. Really gave me an appreciation for the sport. Great stories of the team.

[Mario · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is Coack K successful because he knows motivation tactics and his X's and O's or because he has DWade passing to LeBron? Yet another ubersuccessful sports coach telling us what needs to be done in the boardroom and in life to be successful. Although I did take away some points to use with my own teams I'd prefer to have Lebron on my side vs China.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heart college basketball, Coach K and Duke. Wasn't a big NBA/Lebron fan but after reading this book I have a whole new respect for the Gold USA team and how they play together in the NBA. Great book for team building, Coach K is truly talented as a coach and Lebron ain't so bad a player either. lol. It's not about Coach K or college basketball but how these players come to win USA the Gold.

[Matt Larsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought that it was pretty weak. Coach K just wanted to make everything so mooshy about how great everyone was and how they did it. It just wasn't that inspirational. They had the best team, and I know the chemistry is hard, but if the USA plays hard D and unselfish they should beat a group of B NBA players besides the Gasols.

[Trayan Sarafov · Rating 4 out of 5]

Превъзходно четиво. Историята е предадена със страхотна емоция. Стилът за пореден път е блестящ. Всички персонажи и събития са представени с висока класа. Заглавието отговаря чудесно на съдържанието. Следван е златен стандарт в изпълнението на мисията и в предаването й на читателите. Великолепна книга.

[Jeremy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book off a shelf in my house. It was not that new of a book telling the story of a coach, and the 2008 USA Men's Basketball Olympic team. This book is a very satisfying one to read but is more like an instruction book rather than a story, which it says in the title. I would still recommend it to all sports fans.