Dean Smith didn’t just coach basketball; he coached life. Here are 8 timeless insights from Coach Smith that every coach, leader, and athlete should know: 1️⃣ LEADERSHIP "A leader's job is to develop committed followers. Bad leaders destroy their followers' sense of commitment.” A team of committed players will win. Develop a culture of commitment through effective player leadership. 2️⃣ PRAISE “Praise behavior that you want repeated.” It's pretty simple. You are what you emphasize. If you want repeated behavior, then praise the process. 3️⃣ COACHING “If you make every game a life and death proposition, you will have problems. For one thing, you'll be dead a lot.” This is a great reminder to always consider the big picture. Sport is a game, and Coach Smith always took a healthy approach to coaching. 4️⃣ THE RIGHT THING “You should never be proud of doing the right thing. You should just do it.” Doing the right thing should be the standard, not a celebration. Players cannot achieve next-level leadership until they effectively lead themselves. 5️⃣ TEAMWORK “Basketball is a beautiful game when the five players on the court play with one heartbeat.” Coach Smith had a standard of teamwork. An expectation was that all 5 players worked as one. Even though he coached some of the most elite players ever, they always played as a team. 6️⃣ MISTAKES “What to do with a mistake: recognize it, admit it, learn from it, forget it.” It is a great reminder of how to deal with mistakes. Quick, simple, and effective. He never dwelled on mistakes. 7️⃣SELFISHNESS “One player's selfish attitude can poison a locker room and make it hard, if not impossible, to establish teamwork.” Coach Smith was all about TEAM. No one player was above the rest. You were expected to play as one, and any selfish behavior was unacceptable. 8️⃣ SIMPLICITY “Over-coaching is the worst thing you can do to a player.” Less is more. Simple Wins. All great Coaches say this. Simplify what you do as a coach. Force yourself to do less. Let your players play with freedom. ____ Want more tips to build better teams and lead effectively? 👉 Follow me @gregberge for actionable coaching, leadership, and team culture tips. 📬 Subscribe to my free newsletter, Great Teams - Better Leaders 123, via the link in my profile!