There were a few truly great college coaches in twentieth-century America, and Dean Smith is one of those. In my mind, Coach Smith represents everything good about intercollegiate athletics. Call it what you want: the Carolina Way, the Smith Way, the Right Way—it’s about the pursuit of excellence with integrity. Dean Smith is much more than a great coach. He is a great leader, a man of conviction, integrity, and toughness. If you’re in a leadership position or aspire to one, The Carolina Way is a must read.”— Lloyd H. Carr, Head Football Coach, the University of Michigan

What I didn’t know until I read this book was that Wallace and the entire UNC team ran laps in practice because of his technical fouls. That was Smith’s rule that he kept all through his tenure: If someone gets a technical foul, the whole team runs in practice. No exceptions.

Key Points

Play hard – Insist on consistent effort. Focus on the effort and the end will take care of itself. The final result, especially in a competitive situation, is often outside your control, but the quality of your team’s effort is not. Create a system that demands effort, rewards it, and punishes its absence

I'm the only guy that goes in the home and says 'I'm going to try to treat your son like I'd want you to treat mine,'" Williams said. "I'm going to be in his corner. I'm going to try to protect him. I'm going to try to take him from a kid to a young man. The other people that aren't in that room, they don't fill that same responsibility. Right or wrong." Dean Smith epitomizes what a coach can be-teacher, counselor, mentor, example, friend.” —Bill Bradley And keep a record of this letter just in case they ignore you and take legal action. You can show a judge that you requested proof, and they ignored you, which could get you off the hook. The Tar Heels' athletic department had long been compliant with the NCAA. The last major violation in men's basketball came in 1961, which is essentially what led to Dean Smith's being ushered in as head coach. In football, UNC never had a major violation. Fundamentals of basketball are the fundamentals of good character, of life. Many of the same skills are necessary for success regardless of the endeavor you chooseThis is because debt cannot be enforced without proof you owe the money. And even if they do eventually prove the debt, you can win some thinking time to plan how you’re going to pay off your total debt. Never had the same team two years in a row but was still so consistently successful! Disguise weaknesses and accentuate strengths and always adapt based on personnel. Didn’t fear change even in the middle of the season

Smith gave his players the same 3 goals each year – play hard, play together, play smart as these were the only things each player had in their own controlDean Smith epitomizes what a coach can be-teacher, counselor, mentor, example, friend.”— Bill Bradley

Never substitute because of a player’s mistakes – would lead to scared playing and public embarrassment Part of what Carolina Way was, I think, was Dean Smith trying to say again that there's something more than just the victories here," Colloredo-Mansfeld said. "That spirit is not here. That spirit cannot be here until the administration says there is something more than the success of our revenue sports. When the administration says that, we'll see again a Carolina Way."

Success!

Good businesses tend to die because senior leaders lose touch with the outside world, the important stakeholders. Executives spend too much time working and not enough time thinking. They should delegate more to create more. Work on the important things first; your people and their skills are the important things