Those who are the best at what they do want the respect of the world, but the best should also respect the world, men’s basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski told a room of some of the world’s most prominent leaders Tuesday.
A group of 207 business leaders, entertainment tycoons, sports celebrities and other notable figures congregated for the annual Fuqua School of Business Coach K Leadership Conference. The three-day event was titled “Leading in a Distributed and Transparent World: Lessons from the Front Lines of Change” and focused on the importance of adapting to a changing global climate.
“We’re all a product of our environments and our experiences, and in sports you’re a competitor,” said Jerry Colangelo, chairman of both USA Basketball’s Board of Directors and the NBA’s Phoenix Suns as well as a speaker at the conference. “You have to be willing to compete in any walk of life to be a true competitor.”
The event aimed to remind attendees that in order to compete in an international market of inventions, innovations and information, one must respect the leaders we compete against and let go of hubris, said Sanyin Siang, managing director and senior research associate for the Fuqua/Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethics.
Several attendees said the event showcased speakers with unconventional leadership abilities that appealed to the diverse audience from various countries and professions.
“These are different perspectives from different types of leadership,” said Marvel Studios Chairman David Maisel. “We learn so much at these kinds of events because it’s very easy to get fixed with one way of doing things, pigeonholed in your own niche in society. You come here and learn from an outlier, like Coach K, and rethink everything.”
Maisel called Krzyzewski an example of a leader that transcends sports, adding that he values the way Krzyzewski bridges the gap between sports and society.
Aaron Master, an employee at industrial supply provider MCS, was an attendee at the conference and said the speeches showed that there are many paths to take to become a leader in society and do what you love.
“I went to music school for two years but didn’t last a complete semester in college,” he added. “It didn’t give me the hands-on experience I was looking for. I had an opportunity to leave and join the real world, and it felt right so I took it.”
President of Daredevil Strategies Allison Levine, Fuqua ’00, gave the keynote speech Monday night and emphasized the importance of pursuing one’s dreams. Levine told the audience about her experiences climbing to the highest peak on every continent and skiing across the North and South Poles, a feat achieved by few people worldwide and called the “adventurers’ grand slam.”
Colangelo spoke with Krzyzewski Tuesday night at Scharf Hall about realizing his dream of reestablishing the global image of American basketball as something to be respected.
“I am very proud to be an American. I am very proud to have the opportunities that I have had,” he said. “What can happen in one or two generations in this country can only happen here, and I was very upset how people looked at us several years ago as Americans and how we looked at ourselves.... The pride that we saw around the world, we were losing here.”
Krzyewski and Colangelo recounted the program’s revival since losing in the Olympics in 2004. USA Basketball has since won the Olympics in 2008 and the FIBA World Championship in 2010.
“I’m a risk taker, a calculated risk taker,” Colangelo said about reviving the program after such a daunting defeat. “I’m willing to walk out on the plank if I believe in something. I know I may get shoved.”
He told the audience to do the same because you never want to live with the regret of never having tried.
“Sometimes you have to get your butts kicked, and it has to hurt,” Krzyzewski said at the end of the night. “But from losses, you learn.”
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