During my career of thirty five years in sports, media and military, I have come across many publications and attended numerous presentations and trainings on leadership, but “Leading with the Heart” by Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke University Basketball coach, is one of the best that I have ever seen.

Published by Warner Books, the book reveals the principles of leadership, from dealing with adversity in life or on basketball court, to taking responsibility for actions and of learning how to trust instincts in times of trouble.

Mike, who graduated from West Point and served in US Army as a commissioned officer, was highly disciplined. In his book Coach K writes, “West Point instilled in me the discipline to tell the truth. And I have tried to implement the same culture with all the basketball teams I have coached. In our business, we have to react quickly. So it’s waste of time to deal with anything less than the truth.”

When Mike became the head coach of Duke University, he ensured that the University Basketball team won back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992.

Mike’s focus was to combine athletic competitiveness with academic achievement. Coach K writes, “We want university life to be a total experience for the students. That’s one reason there are no athletic dorms on campus. While it’s up to the individual students to graduate, I also believe it’s incumbent upon the school to positively influence its athletes in their studies.”

Regarding talent hunt for the University basketball, Coach K writes that everyone understands that championships cannot be won without talent. “I employ really good and smart people in my organization and I try to surround myself with those who are not YES men,” he says.

Mike employs a team of six assistants: three assistant coaches, a director of game operations, a director of academics and an executive assistant.

Regarding developing a winning attitude, Mike says: “Whenever I am building a team I try to instill the mindset that the guys are going to win eventually.”

Mike say that in order to build a winning team it is important to remember that the members of the team don’t have to be perfect. They just have to keep trying to be the best they can.

Mike had a great eye for the players with a big heart. He says that it is only the fearless players who deliver on the court, when the going is tough. He says that it is the leader’s responsibility to provide freedom to his players, so that they can show their heart and this cannot be done unless there is a family-like atmosphere in the team.

Mike had some real frustrating time in military, when he was posted to Fort Carson, Colorado, in 1969. His Commanding Officer never appreciated his basketball and leadership skills.

The Commanding Officer told him that no officer of his unit could be allowed to waste time in playing basketball. It was Major General Bernard Rogers, the Division Commander, who rescued him in the tricky situation.

General Rogers eventually became the Chief of Army Staff and Supreme Allied Commander in Europe and Mike not only played but also coached basketball.

In his book, Mike has written about how to build any team, establish discipline, develop leadership qualities and team work ethics, how to turn negatives into positives, how to react to crises, and how to develop character of the players.

Great basketball coach Bob Knight had a big influence on the life and character of Mike. “Bob had a big influence on me. From him, I learned many of the basic strategies of basketball that I apply every day during the season. He taught me that there are no magic words, that you have to succeed by working hard as a group. Success is not a matter of just wanting to win. It’s a matter of preparing to win. Which is much more important,” says Mike.

Describing a formula to make any team great, Coach K spells five fundamental qualities: communication, mutual trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride.

The team leader must emphasise communication on and off the court. “I may not recruit a player just because he shoots 90 percent from free throw line. I would rather have an 80 percent free throw shooter who will talk to his teammates and shall not be an island to himself in the team,” says Mike.

His thoughts on creativity and innovation are also worth reading. He writes that if students can predict what the teacher is going to do all the time, they start memorising and stop thinking.

Too many rules and too much predictability kill creativity, so individuals should be given the freedom to develop their full capabilities, he adds.

On decision making, the Coach K’s philosophy is clear and simple. He writes that a leader has to have the courage to make key decisions in split seconds and then he has to have the courage to own them and live with them, whether they lead to success or failure.

On winning and losing, Coach K draws inspiration from his Military Academy training where he was taught the key principle of not to worry about losing and thinking about winning, and how to convert a defeat into a victory.

The Coach writes: “I don’t look into past as failure. I take it as a great experience. Mistakes are part of building process. How you act after making the mistake is of paramount importance. That’s how both teams and individuals grow and improve.”

Coach K says a crisis can be a momentous time for a team to grow if a leader handles it properly.

He says that basketball was his vehicle for relationships with his friends and others.

Coach K served as President of National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) in 1998-1999 and remained involved with several community groups, including the Duke Children’s Hospital and the Jimmy V Foundation.

At the age of 72, he is still the most powerful person in the US college basketball system. With 35 NCAA tournaments, Coach K was inducted in the Hall of Fame in 2001.

Players like Elton Brand of Chicago Bulls and Grant Hill of Detroit Pistons are products of Duke Blue Devils basketball development programme run under the leadership of Mike. He ends his 285-page book with a lovely prayer, which should form the core of any coach’s philosophy. “Please God, help me do my best . . . help me lead with my heart.”