The Gold Standard

Building a World-Class Team

By: Mike Krzyzewski, Jamie K. Spatola

Narrated by: Mike Krzyzewski, Jamie K. Spatola

The legendary Coach K reveals the unique leadership skills that he used to unify a bunch of highly-egocentric NBA superstars to work together in order to win the Gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympic games.

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.

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."

Like a MOVIE!

Good summary of what it took to win the gold from scratch. The story told with real moments.

Amazing book

What Coach K did to prepare OUR team is nothing short of amazing. The buy in he received and the culture he created is a Gold Standard every coach and leader needs to hear.

Basking in gold

I just finished Coach K's The Gold Standard, and I feel sorta high! It is such a great story, chalked full of practical leadership applications. I especially love how he weaves basic good-human qualities into his life/coaching style.

Great coach

Great coach but fluff story. Never had an argument. Never had a doubt. I think the desire to be inoffensive made this story lightweight.

I respect the team building and the awesome results. Wish there was a little more meat on the bone.

Must read

If you’re a sports lover, athlete, coach or someone passionate about team performance this book is for you. I enjoyed learning about the intimate journey the “Redeem Team” experiences leading up to the Olympic Games.