The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching

The Carolina Way-Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching DEAN SMITH AND GERALD D. BELL WITH JOHN KILCO; PREFACE BY ROY WILLIAMS NEWYORK1 NEWYORK:THE PENGUIN PRESS 328 PP. 2004 (HARDBACK); $24.95 It has often been said that sports is a microcosm of life, with its many highs and lows, and that successful sports programs teach those participating about always doing your best and having fun while competing, about taking the good with the bad, and about acceptance of what life has in store. Similarly, in The Carolina Way, Dean Smith outlines his philosophy for coaching and preparing young men tor basketball, which not only impacts them on the basketball court, but ultimately remains with them for the rest of their lives. By all accounts in this book, Smith has done that extremely well. Having just experienced a wildly successful ride through a fantastic men's basketball season here at Saint Joseph's University, it was personally interesting to subsequently read Smith's perspective on his illustrious coaching career at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and his blue-print for the tremendous success he experienced. As a registrar and the manager of an academic office within a university, gaining some insight into the mind of an effective manager like Smith and the guiding principles at the heart of his success is equally interesting, and can truly be considered professional development. The entire structure of the book centers around the overarching mission statement Smith established for his program, wherein he constantly exhorts his players to "play hard, play together, and play smart."This is the core principle upon which the UNC basketball program under Smith was built. Individual sections of the book are based on each clause within this principle. In the "Playing Hard" section, the chapters emphasize individual attributes like caring, being honest, and creating good habits.The "Playing Together" section expounds Smith's guidelines on teamwork, building teams, and being unselfish. In "Playing Smart," chapters focus on paying attention to details, effective communication practices, exercising proper and fair discipline, and setting realistic goals and objectives for individuals and for the group. Within each chapter, comments on the subject are offered first by Smith, and then by individuals-mostly former players and student managers-connected with the program. These people relay vignettes that endorse Smith's approach and emphasize the specific lesson learned and how it has helped them be successful in their own lives. A business perspective on the chapter is then presented by Gerald D. Bell, a UNC business school professor and leadership consultant, who collaborates with Smith in the book. Bell relates the UNC basketball program's success to a business environment, and often calls upon his vast consulting experience to illustrate just how Smith's guidelines can be utilized when leading and managing personnel and dealing with difficult situations. He also answers the question Smith poses in the book's introduction, "Is coaching management?" He predictably and emphatically says "yes," and endorses Smith's leadership abilities. Bell further relates that Smith's abilities are transferable from one occupation to another, and that good leadership qualities transcend all walks of life. Many of Bell's comments may remind the reader of the article entitled "Is It Leadership or Management?," published in the Spring 2004 issue of C&U. The authors, Joseph Roof and Kristy Prcsswood, conclude that both are needed to successfully run enrollment management and service-related offices. Clearly, Bell would agree. At times, the book may lead the reader to the question if anything ever went wrong while Dean Smith ran the UNC basketball program. Could things really have been so perfect? In addition, topics occasionally seem repetitive and the book can sometimes border on proselytization, especially when few mistakes or omissions are presented. …