Last week I had the opportunity to talk with Duke Assistant Basketball Coach Jeff Capel. Jeff who had been highly successful as a Head Coach at VCU and had taken Oklahoma to the Elite Eight in 2009, returned this fall to Cameron Indoor Stadium (the sight of his great college career) to serve as an Assistant Coach for the Blue Devils. Interestingly Capel joined two other former Duke players (Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowki) on the bench next to Coach Krzyzewski. Many management gurus would question the idea of having such a homogeneous grouping making up your inner circle. Some would contend that having your right hand people having the same background is a bad idea because there is limited introduction of new ideas and/or different methods of operating.
Yet it is pretty hard to argue with the winningest coach in history of NCAA Division 1 basketball. Before I hired Jeff to be my head coach at VCU at the ripe old age of 27, we traveled to Durham and met with Coach K for 6 hours in his office. Having the opportunity to interact with him in that setting eliminated any concerns about Jeff Capel and demonstrated to me the amazing leadership ability of Krzyzewski. Displaying absolutely zero signs of arrogance, Coach K shared many of the values (that I am sure Jeff had heard many times before) that highlighted to me the reasons why his teams and players always performed to their potential. It was so evident that everyone affiliated with Duke basketball had a total commitment to K’s vision. The former West Point guard demanded that buy-in from his players, coaches, and staff. He assured the cohesiveness of the group by having a great deal of knowledge about every individual prior to accepting them as part of the Blue Devil team.
Coach K asks a great deal from his players but he returns even more to them. The loyalty that is created is a two way street. Because of this unique bond, it only makes sense that his inner circle would consist of individuals who have the same passion and core values as the leader. Each of his assistants has basically had a four year intensive job interview as players. Coach K emphasized to Jeff in our meeting, the importance of having great assistant coaches. Having an inner circle of loyal, committed, highly energized associates will trump the concept of differing backgrounds every time.
I have seen many very good head coaches fail because of assistant coaches who have a different agenda than the head coach. I have seen Athletic Directors be bogged down with disloyal staff. In any team (business, sports, education), if the inner circle is not willing to submit their own personal goals and desires for the good of the group, the result will be fragmented. Whether you love the Blue Devils or not, Coach K and his inner circle are a great leadership lesson. Loyalty to the leader and commitment to his/her goal will always be present in highly successful organizations
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