DEAN SMITH: THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP, COMPETING AND THE PROCESS

The most important thing in good leadership is truly caring.  The best leaders in any profession care about the people they lead, and the people who are being led know the caring is genuine and when it's faked or not there at all.  I was a demanding coach, but my players knew that I cared for them and that my caring didn't stop when they graduated and went off to their careers.

I believe it's accurate to say that the most effective leaders have these things in common: the talent to create a sound strategy for their teams or businesses; knowledge of the important of recruiting good people who wish to improve their personal skills and believe in the companies' or teams' philosophy; understanding that whether they like it or not, they lead by example; belief in the importance of being light enough on their feet to adapt to changing conditions; and the ability to honor their commitments, admits their mistakes, and take responsibility for their failures.

It's also true that leaders in virtually all professions must learn how to compete.  While we talk with our players about the process and not about winning, that didn't mean we didn't want to win.  Winning was important to us, very important.  Leaders must know hoe to bring their teams back from defeat.

From the "Carolina Way" by Dean Smith