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148 PART 3: THE PERSONAL SIDE OF LEADERSHIP

IN THE LEAD he tells him, “We’re developing a relationship here, and if you’re not interested,
tell me sooner rather than later.” The emphasis on relationships comes partly from
Krzyzewski’s years playing, and later coaching, at the U.S. Military Academy at
West Point, which he calls the greatest leadership school in the world because it
teaches offi cers how to bond soldiers together. As a coach, Krzyzewski empha-
sizes teamwork rather than individual performers, fosters a family feeling among
players, and says he coaches “by feel.” That is, he gets to know his players as in-
dividuals and learns how they can best interact to succeed. He builds such strong
positive relationships among players that they communicate constantly and
effortlessly on the court, sometimes without saying a word. Although Krzyzewski
gives instructions during a time-out, the players then form their own huddle to talk
things out for themselves, and they continually make decisions among themselves

on the floor without looking to the bench for direction or approval. Krzyzewski be-
lieves that “hum” of personal connection and communication should permeate
every game, even every practice.
Leading a basketball team, Krzyzewski believes, is just like leading a business,
a military unit, a school, a volunteer group, or anything else: “You gotta get through
all their layers and get right into their hearts.”
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Mike Krzyzewski has created the kind of workplace that many
Action Memo
of today’s organizations need—one in which leaders are more
interactive than command and control, where leadership and deci-
As a leader, you can empathize with
sion making is spread across all levels, and where individual goals
are met through teamwork and collaboration. In an environment
others, treat people with compassion and
where relationships with employees and customers are becoming
sensitivity, build teamwork, and learn to
listen, interpret emotions, and resolve
more important than technology and material resources, interest in
interpersonal confl icts.
developing leaders’ emotional intelligence continues to grow. All lead-
ers have to pay attention to the emotional climate in their organization.
Recent world events have thrust emotions to the forefront for both
individuals and organizations.
The Emotionally Competent Leader
How is emotional intelligence related to effective leadership? A high level of self-
awareness, combined with the ability to manage one’s own emotions, enables a

leader to display self-confidence and earn the respect and trust of followers. In
addition, the ability to manage or temporarily restrain one’s emotions can enable
a leader to objectively consider the needs of others over his or her own immedi-
ate feelings. Giving in to strong feelings of anger or depression, for example, may
intensify a self-centered focus on one’s own needs and limit the ability of the
leader to understand the needs of others or see things from other perspectives.
A leader’s emotional abilities and understandings play a key role in charis-
matic and transformational leadership behavior, which will be discussed in detail
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in Chapter 12. Charismatic leaders generally hold strong emotional convictions
and appeal to followers on an emotional basis. Transformational leaders project
an inspiring vision for change and motivate followers to achieve it, which requires
using all the components of emotional intelligence. Charismatic and
Action Memo
transformational leaders typically exhibit self-confi dence, determi-
nation, and persistence in the face of adversity, characteristics that
result from emotional competence. Emotionally competent leaders
Evaluate your level of emotional intelligence
Self-Insight 5.2.
are more resilient, more adaptable to ever-changing circumstances,
by completing the questionnaire in Leader’s
more willing to step outside their comfort zone, and more open to the
opinions and ideas of others. 53