Key Takeaways

• Great cultures outperform assemblages of great individual performers.
• A great firm culture will transcend generations of leadership.
• Successful leaders in basketball and in business thrive when they uphold strong values in their organizations.

With the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament (aka March Madness) upon us, productivity will take a three-week nosedive on college campuses and in corporate offices. Tens of millions of basketball fans will anxiously check their brackets hourly to see which of their “sure things” and which of their “Cinderella” picks will advance to the next round of the tournament.

No best of seven here. It’s a single game elimination tournament in which little known Valparaiso, Florida Atlantic, Weber State and St. Peters can outplay powerhouses like Kentucky, Kansas, UCLA and North Carolina for 40 minutes and send them packing. Season over.

While athleticism and recruiting budgets are important, the most successful teams in the tourney year after year are those with strong cultures built on trust, communication, and shared values. On these teams, every member of the roster from the stars to the walk-on benchwarmers are valued. Team members respect each other. They work towards common goals. They contribute equally to a positive and winning culture. Leadership, discipline, and a sense of accountability also play crucial roles.

The Chicago Bulls of the 1990s exemplified a winning culture. Led by Michael Jordan and coached by Phil Jackson, their teamwork, mutual trust, and shared commitment to common goals resulted in six NBA championships in eight years. I lived in Chicago at the time and witnessed the Bulls’ remarkable run firsthand.

One key to the Bulls' success was their ability to assign each player a specific role for each game situation. This enhanced the Bulls’ uncanny ability to make the right plays at the right time. But this chemistry was only possible because the players and coaches understood each other's strengths and weaknesses so well and because they were committed to being a team rather than a collection of highly paid individuals.



“After years of experimenting, I discovered that the more I tried to exert power directly, the less powerful I became,” head coach Phil Jackson observed. “I learned to dial back my ego and distribute power as widely as possible without surrendering final authority,” added Jackson, widely credited with introducing Zen leadership into professional sports. Volumes have been written about Jackson’s ability to understand different roles for each player and to share authority without being a control freak -- unusual in the alpha world of professional sports head coaches.

During the 2000s I lived in Connecticut and witnessed the remarkable success of the University of Connecticut’s men's and women’s basketball programs. The Huskies’ women’s program is one of the greatest in the history of college basketball under the longtime leadership of head coach Geno Auriemma. Meanwhile, the UConn men’s program won five national championships under three different coaches (Jim Calhoun, Kevin Ollie, and Dan Hurley) between 1999 and 2023.

As I write this post, the UConn men are ranked No.1 in the country and well positioned to defend their NCAA championship. Each UConn coach had a unique philosophy, but a shared emphasis on teamwork, discipline, and a commitment to excellence both on and off the court. Both programs are deeply tied to the community. Fans rally behind the teams and continue to cheer on the dozens of Huskies alums who have excelled at the Olympic and professional level.

Then there is Duke University’s basketball program, which won five national championships and made 13 Final Four appearances during Mike Krzyzewski’s 40-year run. The Blue Devils were the last place team in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference when Coach K took over in 1980. He was almost fired after his first five seasons of mediocrity. Despite pressure from the fan base and alumni to axe Coach K, Duke’s athletic director at the time stood by him. He saw the impact that Coach K’s philosophy of (a) always focusing on the “next play,” of (b) developing individuals as part of a cohesive unit, and of (c) stressing how winning is about the process more than the final score, was positively impacting the players and the program.

As with UConn’s teams, Coach K preached integrity, respect, and a commitment to excellence. He felt these values were the keys to winning in life, not just on the court. He also reminded Duke players that they were students first and athletes second. To stay on the team, they had to keep pace with fellow students at one of the nation’s most selective universities despite heavy demands of sports and travel.



In his book Leading with the Heart Coach K introduces the concept of the "Fist" as a symbol for teamwork and unity within a team. He outlines the five fingers of the fist, each representing a key element of a successful team: