Mike Krzyzewski Quotes

44 Sourced Quotes

The truth is that many people set rules to keep from making decisions.

Mike Krzyzewski
Confidence shared is better than confidence only in yourself.

Mike Krzyzewski
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. Those four words can mean the difference between a fear of failure and the courage to try.

Mike Krzyzewski
There are five fundamental qualities that make every team great: communication, trust, collective responsibility, caring and pride. I like to think of each as a separate finger on the fist. Any one individually is important. But all of them together are unbeatable

Mike Krzyzewski
Visualize a wagon wheel as a complete team. A leader might be the hub of the wheel at the center. Now suppose the spokes are the connecting relationships the leader is building with people on the outer rim of the wheel. If the hub is removed, then the entire wheel collapses. In a situation like that, if a team loses the leader, the entire team collapses.

Mike Krzyzewski
When you are passionate, you always have your destination in sight and you are not distracted by obstacles. Because you love what you are pursuing, things like rejection and setbacks will not hinder you in your pursuit. You believe that nothing can stop you!

Mike Krzyzewski
Are you going to show integrity only when someone is watching you - or are you going to show it all the time?

Mike Krzyzewski
You cannot merely expect culture to be a natural occurrence; it has to be taught and made a part of your everyday routine.

Mike Krzyzewski
My hunger is not for success, it is for excellence. Because when you attain excellence, success just naturally follows.

Mike Krzyzewski
Leaders should be reliable without being predictable. They should be consistent without being anticipated

Mike Krzyzewski
A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time spent learning about people.

Mike Krzyzewski
Leaders have to search for the heart on a team, because the person who has it can bring out the best in everybody else.

Mike Krzyzewski
Never forget a defeat. Defeat can be the key to victory.

Mike Krzyzewski
You have to work hard at staying in contact with your friends so that the relationships will continue and live on... Friendships, along with love, make life worth living.

Mike Krzyzewski
People want to be on a team. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be in a situation where they feel that they are doing something for the greater good.

Mike Krzyzewski
In putting together your standards, remember that it is essential to involve your entire team. Standards are not rules issued by the boss; they are a collective identity. Remember, standards are the things that you do all the time and the things for which you hold one another accountable.

Mike Krzyzewski
Never set a goal that involves number of wins — never. Set goals that revolve around playing together as a team. Doing so will put you in a position to win every game.

Mike Krzyzewski
Courage gives a leader the ability to stand straight and not sway, no matter which way the wind blows.

Mike Krzyzewski
A leader may be the most knowledgeable person in the world, but if the players on his team cannot translate that knowledge into action, it means nothing.

Mike Krzyzewski
In our program, the truth is the basis of all we do. There is nothing more important than the truth because there's nothing more powerful than the truth. Consequently, on our team, we always tell each other the truth. We must be honest with one another. There is no other way.

Mike Krzyzewski
During critical periods, a leader is not allowed to feel sorry for himself, to be down, to be angry, or to be weak. Leaders must beat back these emotions

Mike Krzyzewski
Leaders have to give time for relationships. But more demands will be placed on their time as they become more successful. So if a person's success is based on developing relationships, then they have to continually find new ways of getting it done

Mike Krzyzewski
A leader has to be positive about all things that happen to his team. Look at nothing in the past as failure.

Mike Krzyzewski
You develop a team to achieve what one person cannot accomplish alone. All of us alone are weaker, by far, than if all of us are together.

Mike Krzyzewski
When you cleanse yourself of a big victory, you may open yourself up to the opportunity for an even bigger victory

Mike Krzyzewski